Elysium (Cinema Screening)

(Spoilers)

Elysium grabbed my attention from the first trailer I saw months ago in the cinema, however more recently I had begun to tire of the endless TV trailers that were overplayed a ridiculous amount.  I thought it was best to see Elysium sooner rather than later.

I had heard many critics compare Elysium to District 9, both directed by Neill Blomkamp, so I watched District 9 a few weeks back and was very impressed.  However I think Elysium was even better.  Firstly the visuals were striking from the get go, and not just those of Elysium but also on Earth.  The very first shot of the Earth landscape and the buildings was brilliant there was so much going on and to take in, I really enjoyed this.

Matt Damon for me had always been hit and miss in the past, but I must say I thought his performance was really very good in this.  The first part of the movie focused on Damon’s character Max struggling to get by on Earth and as events took a turn for the worse you could really feel his desperation.  Another time I thought his performance was to be praised was when he fought off Kruger’s henchmen on Elysium, you could just see that he was getting all his aggression and frustration regarding the haves and the have nots out, and this was satisfying to see.  I really did think the entire cast did a brilliant job, Sharlto Copley was a brilliant villain – he was menacing and put in a great physical performance combining the two to become a formidable foe.  However I would have liked to see a little more from Jodie Foster’s character, Delacourt.  I was disappointed with her demise and would have liked to have seen more of her, it would have been great to see her really lose it and let her frustration get the better of her.

Some scenes nearer the end of the film were quite difficult to watch due to the flashing lights, this is small compliant but one worth noting as I wasn’t the only one to have felt this way.  I would also maybe have liked to have seen a bit more of Elysium as it wasn’t really until the last quarter of the film that the story reached here.  If the story had been brought here slightly sooner maybe more of Elysium could have been explored. I would have also been interested in learning more of Elysiums history however I understand fitting this all into a film would have made it seem rushed so Blomkamp probably did get the balance just right.  I also loved the flashbacks to the characters pasts and thought this was fitted in effortlessly.

Blomkamp’s writing and directing should be praised, he isn’t afraid to be bold in his story telling, this is evident in both District 9 and Elysium and it leaves the viewer with much more impact than stereotypical endings that so many movies opt for nowadays. Eylsium really had it all – The cast, the story, effects, visuals, action and the music all worked so well together and it was an incredibly enjoyable watch.

BIGGEST FLAW – Limiting the character of Delacourt slightly

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – Damon’s performance

Rating – 9.5/10