Elysium may be as aspirational as cinema gets, both within its content and in its construction. The second film from writer/director Neill Blomkamp continues to traverse the dystopian science fiction realm that marked his breakout debut, District 9, its social commentary again weaved within its intelligent genre confines; however the scope, scale and spectacle have been heightened.
Blomkamp’s keenly-awaited sophomore effort tells another tale of a world that is our own yet no longer resembles it; a future plagued by the haves and the have nots. In 2154, humanity wages war against itself, rather than with an invading menace. The fortunate and prosperous have escaped the earth for the titular space station paradise, leaving the majority of the planet’s populace stranded in the squalor and struggle of slum life, literally pining for an idyllic existence in the heavens above.
Max (Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra) is a lowly, Los Angeles-based ex-con shuffling through days of demeaning working conditions and restrictive surveillance, sustained by the dream of having something more. His quest to reach the lofty confines of Elysium is hastened when an accident threatens his lifespan. His violent fight for survival – first for himself, then for his childhood friend Frey (Alice Braga, On the Road) and her daughter Matilda (Emma Tremblay, in her first film role), and finally for mankind – earns the ire of cold-hearted high-ranking minister Delacourt (Jodie Foster, Carnage) and the savage mercenary tasked with clandestine border patrols, Kruger (Sharlto Copley, The A-Team).
In its evident societal statement, taking aim at class conflicts, immigration, and the marriage of wealth and health care among its many targets, Elysium doesn’t shy away from its interlocking of issues into the foundation of the narrative. Allegorical imagery, energetically shot by Trent Opaloch (the forthcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and edited by Julian Clarke (The Thing) and Lee Smith (The Dark Knight Rises), capitalises upon every opportunity to reinforce the film’s position and perceptions, amplifying the reach – albeit with the heaviest of hands – of its predecessor.
Similarly, intricately-composed action set-pieces, impressive special effects, attentive staging, and ample carnage augment the film’s aesthetic and experiential qualities, aiming high in matching visuals with social conscience. The thrills and the frays are bigger and bolder, in keeping with the handling of themes and the inclusion of names among the cast; performances, from Damon’s everyman to Copley’s antagonist, are more clearly defined in their purpose, but less nuanced.
Indeed, in all areas Elysium endeavours to raise and broaden the stakes – and that’s where it sometimes misses its mark. There’s a forced feeling to the feature’s efforts to not only replicate but go above and beyond what made Blomkamp’s best picture Oscar nominee a stirring, striking cinematic offering, as well as a flatness to its obvious emotional arc. And yet, the film still immerses the audience in a story that feels familiar because it is, and a style that is bleak and brutal but also buoyant. Elysium may not always achieve what it strives for, but it excites in its attempts; where many other high-profile offerings package more of the same, it recognises its formula and genre but still tests the limits.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Elysium
Director: Neill Blomkamp
USA, 2013, 109 mins
Release date: August 15
Distributor: Sony
Rated: MA
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