Words cannot
express my disappointment. I’ll still try nevertheless.
Elysium literally fails on every possible level. The science-fiction is there but it just never reaches a level where it becomes an integral part of the film. I know the concept of the film and that of the “medical bays” that can cure disease on Elysium, still there is never a real sense of science fiction during the entire film. The film unfortunately becomes more about the people than about the surroundings and in doing so falters as these very people are the least bit interesting.
True the film resolves around a dying Matt Damon trying to reach the utopian space station of Elysium from what is a degenerating earth and the people left on it. True there are enough gadgets and equipment that walk the thin line between fantasy and science fiction quite well. But, the storytelling is very basic. There is no one there really to root for, as Matt Damon’s character Max is just not as likeable as a hero should be. Jodie Foster on the other hand as the defence secretary on Elysium isn’t as badass as she tries to be and once again there is no real passion in her role. Sharlto Copley as Kruger, the other proper bad guy, is the only character that kept me interested in the film. In fact so much is his dominance that I ended up rooting for him by the end of it, hoping that he would finally knock-off Max and save us all the misery.
Elysium takes on elements from Neill Blomkamp’s earlier brilliant film District 9. There is a similar feel to the entire film, but this time around it’s clear that the addition of famous Hollywood names casts a shadow over the actual film.
A rather weak script, uninteresting dialogue, unimpressive fight sequences, and clichéd characters, all adds up to make Elysium one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Rating 2/5
