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Director: Neil Blomkamp
I just knew Elysium was going to bring me out of my summer blockbuster blues. This has been the film I have been most looking forward to. One of my favorite actors and actresses, when she decides to actually be in a film. An up and coming sci-fi director whose debut was one of the better sci-fi films of the last decade. It might be a case of me being too hyped up but while not being a belly flop Elysium was certainly my definition of a mixed bag. As expected this film looks brilliant. From the slums of a 2154 LA to the super perfect gleaming Elysium, the world is pitch perfect. The androids look awesome and feel real. The vehicles are super cool. Although I think there were a couple too many action sequences they all looked amazing and were easy to follow despite the sometimes distracting shaky cam.
I was all in the first twenty minutes of the movie. Blomkamp sets up the world and characters very well. We get a strong sense of place and where the characters are coming from. I felt like I would be invested in where our story was headed but Blomkamp could not sustain the momentum. The film becomes bogged down in political rhetoric that is not at all conveyed in a realistic way. On top of that it becomes an ultra violent spectacle. I long for the day when directors learn that less is more when it comes to action and more is better when it comes to character development. Blomkamp goes the opposite way in Elysium and it is to the films detriment as would be expected. I was also devastated at the way Foster was used. She is given nothing to do and we learn absolutely nothing about her except for the fact that she is super powerful. She is really just a plot device as are the medical bays which figure prominently into the story but we are given no information for. How hard are they to produce? How many are there? How expensive are they to run? Answers to these questions would go a long way into helping Blomkamp's story and his political stance but we are given no answers. We are to just accept what is laid before us.
Blomkamp has a message he is trying to convey and is not an unimportant theme. However instead of conveying and exploring these themes in a meaningful way he just wants us to jump on board to his way of thinking and enjoy some visceral eye candy along the way. I had a foot on and a foot off while watching Elysium. Unfortunately instead of leaving me satisfied it just left me thinking about how great it could have been.
Director: Neil Blomkamp
I just knew Elysium was going to bring me out of my summer blockbuster blues. This has been the film I have been most looking forward to. One of my favorite actors and actresses, when she decides to actually be in a film. An up and coming sci-fi director whose debut was one of the better sci-fi films of the last decade. It might be a case of me being too hyped up but while not being a belly flop Elysium was certainly my definition of a mixed bag. As expected this film looks brilliant. From the slums of a 2154 LA to the super perfect gleaming Elysium, the world is pitch perfect. The androids look awesome and feel real. The vehicles are super cool. Although I think there were a couple too many action sequences they all looked amazing and were easy to follow despite the sometimes distracting shaky cam.
I was all in the first twenty minutes of the movie. Blomkamp sets up the world and characters very well. We get a strong sense of place and where the characters are coming from. I felt like I would be invested in where our story was headed but Blomkamp could not sustain the momentum. The film becomes bogged down in political rhetoric that is not at all conveyed in a realistic way. On top of that it becomes an ultra violent spectacle. I long for the day when directors learn that less is more when it comes to action and more is better when it comes to character development. Blomkamp goes the opposite way in Elysium and it is to the films detriment as would be expected. I was also devastated at the way Foster was used. She is given nothing to do and we learn absolutely nothing about her except for the fact that she is super powerful. She is really just a plot device as are the medical bays which figure prominently into the story but we are given no information for. How hard are they to produce? How many are there? How expensive are they to run? Answers to these questions would go a long way into helping Blomkamp's story and his political stance but we are given no answers. We are to just accept what is laid before us.
Blomkamp has a message he is trying to convey and is not an unimportant theme. However instead of conveying and exploring these themes in a meaningful way he just wants us to jump on board to his way of thinking and enjoy some visceral eye candy along the way. I had a foot on and a foot off while watching Elysium. Unfortunately instead of leaving me satisfied it just left me thinking about how great it could have been.