Elysium Review

Smart sci-fi or overly-ambitious misfire?

Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman

Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium can be forgiven for doing a lot of things wrong. The missteps are mostly little things, but they add up to something that’s noticeable and occasionally impedes upon the film’s considerable capacity for entertainment. Blomkamp had a lot to live up to in his sophomore outing, following on the heels of his Oscar-nominated directorial debut, so it’s not surprising that Elysium is a flawed product. Thankfully, it’s also quite engaging and serves as an impressive showcase for Blomkamp’s skills as a visual filmmaker.

Elysium sets itself in a dystopian near-future, where the wealthy have vacated an impoverished Earth in favor of settling on a floating, man-made utopia called “Elysium”. The origins of the enormous space station aren’t fully explained, and that’s probably for the better, as the film could’ve quickly diverged into some utterly ridiculous territory had it tried to delve deeply into the origins of its titular locale. Matt Damon stars as Max Da Costa, an assembly-line worker on Earth who, after being exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and told he has five days to live, decides he must get to Elysium at any cost in order to cure himself. Damon is predictably strong in the role, imbuing Max with a likable, empathetic demeanor, despite the wrongs he's committed in the past.

Elysium is a visual marvel.

And how does he plan on healing himself once he reaches Elysium, you ask? Well, that’d be courtesy of the utopia’s magical medical beds, which heal humans of any physical afflictions -- diseases, broken bones, you name it -- in a matter of seconds. Many adjectives could be used to describe Elysium; “subtle” is not one of them. Elysium tries to mirror the elusive brand of smart science-fiction that District 9 so eloquently pinned down. While the film nails the high-concept symbolism of its premise, its attempts to blend these elements into a believable whole yields mixed results.

Elysium is chock full of small idiosyncrasies that are easy to pinpoint and fun to trash-talk. If you’re the kind of movie watcher who’s capable of looking past a lot of little issues to experience a solid whole, then you’re bound to enjoy the many things that Elysium does right, but others are bound to be turned off by just how inconsistent the film can be.

At the heart of that ingrained inconsistency is Jodie Foster. The revered veteran plays the role of Elysium’s secretary of defense Delacourt. Immediately off-putting is Foster’s abominable attempt at an accent that bounces between English, French and her native American in a seemingly random manner, becoming an egregious distraction whenever Foster opens her mouth. Delacourt’s motivations are bizarre and ever-fluctuating -- one moment she’s a high-class Elysium citizen giving gifts to children and kissing friends on the cheek; the next, she’s ordering illegal missile strikes on ships filled with innocent civilians without batting an eyelash.

Sharlto Copley makes Kruger one of, if not the single best part of Elysium.

It would seem that, at some point during production, Neill Blomkamp realized that Delacourt’s character just wasn’t panning out in an acceptable manner. In her stead, a far more dynamic and entertaining antagonist is introduced and quickly steals the spotlight. Enter Sharlto Copley’s twisted sleeper agent Kruger, who’s perhaps the most consistently entertaining on-screen presence in the entire film. That statement speaks to the enormous strength of Copley as an actor, as he manages to overshadow Hollywood heavyweights Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, all while playing an utterly despicable role. The creepy, slightly-amusing tone in which Copley delivers all of his lines help to make Kruger the type of bad-guy who, as horrible as his actions may be, is also undeniably cool, and is far and away the most memorable character in the film.

Kruger soon becomes the driving force against Max’s attempt to reach Elysium, and their periodical clashes over the course of the film give Blomkamp an excuse to show off his huge talent for stylized action sequences. The director’s frequent use of slow-motion is a tad jarring and difficult to adjust to, but once you buy in to the style it’s a highly engaging take on blockbuster action. Blomkamp’s style makes the onscreen mayhem much easier to follow, and gives the director plenty of sweet time to show off the brilliantly creative near-future gadgets and weaponry of Elysium, which are as creative and fun to watch as they are brutal and sadistic.

A few glaring narrative inconsistencies exist in Elysium which I can’t delve into for the purpose of avoiding spoilers. However, Neill Blomkamp’s sophomore outing is more than enough to secure the director as a premier young filmmakers to watch. Elysium may be flawed, but it’s driven by ingenuity, striking visuals, a brilliantly memorable antagonist and a relatable, grounded hero. Just don’t expect the subtle undertones of District 9, and Elysium should provide you with a hearty good time.