Elysium is a follow up film from the director of District 9. Does Neill Blomkamp catch lightning in a bottle for the second time or does Elysium fall flat? I went into the film with decently mild expectations and came out with mixed feeling, although I did mostly enjoy it.
Lets get what I didn’t like out of the way first.
I have two minor gripes about Elysium. First is the plot, its not bad, but its nothing spectacular. Its very straight forward, with no plot twist or deeper meaning. I was expecting something a little more original. Second is the acting/dialogue. Again, its not bad, its just alright. Matt Damon is what you expect and is just fine in the lead role. Everybody else has really boring dialogue and some of the acting is choppy.
Now, lets get to my bigger problems! The first hour of Elysium is very down your throat. It really wants you to know and remember what Earth is now like. Its a lot of poverty and very post apocalyptic. It looks great but they just show way to much and your always reminded of the ruined down Earth. The next big problem is the flash backs in the movie. They are completely unneeded. They try to make you feel more for the main characters and it completely takes away from the movie and makes you feel more distant then closer to the characters. They are very preachy and it feels like a totally different movie. They also showcase the worst acting in the film.
Now, lets get to the good stuff!
The CGI is the best thing about this movie! Its so breathtaking and captivated the hell out of me. It completely sucks you into the movie! Nothing looked out of the ordinary everything blended perfectly. I have to say that the CGI in Elysium is the best I have seen in a long while.
The action scenes. They aren’t over the top, but they are very brutal and intense. Every time a gun was fired or a punch was thrown, I could feel the impact. It was some of the best action this summer!
Overall Elysium was a little disappointing. I was expecting a film with deeper meaning and a very epic feel. What I got was a very gritty and beautiful film that didn’t get to where it could have. Elysium was shot fantastically and looks stunning. The second half of the film is a lot better than the first and redeems itself. Elysium ends up being a fun action/adventure sci-fi then an epic film that makes you think.