Elysium

Release Date: Aug 09, 2013
Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min. 
Director: Neill Blomkamp 
Cast: Matt Damon, Alice Braga, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, William Fichtner, Diego Luna.

Gone are the days of a utopian future, where teleportation and hovercrafts are a commonplace luxury. Welcome instead to widespread poverty, where only wealth buys you refuge and a ticket to salvation. From the director of "District 9" comes a grim look at society, and the division that befalls the citizens who inhabit it. Matt Damon stars as ex-con/industrial worker Max Da Costa, living amongst the poor left on decrepit Earth. When an accident leaves him debilitated and at death's door, his only hope lies in Elysium, a haven a world apart. Following the success of his first feature film, Blomkamp attempts to repeat it again, in this smart sci-fi thriller that's emboldened with symbolism. Examining the caste system between the rich and the poor, it's another example of his proficiency in cultural relevance. But while the idea is sound and duly enlightened, the execution is less so in eliciting excitement. Moving languidly with buildup and interspersed with violence, the film feels devoid of tension or compassion found in "District 9." The characters, for one, are mostly disposable, neither giving nor deserving of any real-life empathy. Jodie Foster, in particular, is a questionable enigma, with an accent that's suggestive of an identity disorder. And though Damon is admissible as the anti-hero, it's Sharlto Copley that revels in spotlight glory. Going from meek to sinister at the flip of a switch, it's interesting to see what he'll do next in Spike Lee's "Old Boy." With a handful of sci-fi and dystopia behind us, it's hard to imagine what our true future will hold. For now, here's to wishful thinking.

Rating: 2½ stars