by, Kyle Hadyniak

for The Maine Campus

To be frank, “Elysium” is a thoroughly enjoyable, excellent movie in every respect. Director Neil Blomkamp, whose previous effort was 2009’s surprise hit “District 9,” returns with an equally flashy and thought-provoking film, anchored with stellar performances by Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. Much like “District 9,” “Elysium” is a humanitarian film wrapped in a science-fiction setting, a combination with which Blomkamp seems to excel. The end product is substantial, exciting and supremely different from this summer’s typical action movie fare.

Firstly, the visuals are second-to-none. “Elysium’s” story revolves around two main locations: an overcrowded, poverty-stricken wasteland formerly known as the grand city of Los Angeles, and the beautiful utopian society of Elysium, an orbital space station inhabited by the super-wealthy. In both cases, visual effects provide completely believable and wonderfully realized backdrops. Seamless CGI allows for amazing sweeping camera angles over each location, yet the detail doesn’t apply only to the set pieces. It’s the little things that really sell “Elysium’s” visual effects, such as the subtle specks of debris in Earth’s orbit, individual fragments of gore, bullet casings, explosions, and the marvelously detailed ships including Elysium itself. This, combined with Blomkamp’s honed sense of framing, makes “Elysium” full of jaw-dropping scenes, even when there is a lull in the action.

However, due to the movie’s quick pace and frequent camera cuts, these non-action scenes are few and far in between. Despite the near-2-hour runtime, an exciting plot and skillful direction help make the movie pass quickly, never slowing down or relying on fluffy scenes to expand the runtime. At its heart, Elysium can be seen as a metaphor, if not an exaggerated one, for the state of the Earth today and potentially in the near future. Indeed, sci-fi usually prospers when it provides a commentary on society and/or the human condition, and this makes “Elysium” truly a noteworthy movie. Much like in “District 9,” Blomkamp uses the setting of the movie to draw comparisons to the socio-economic class divide existing today, and the result is a film that strikes closer to home than one would expect.

Matt Damon is excellent as Max, the lowly factory worker, who, as a child, aspired to leave the poor, sickly society of Earth and travel to Elysium with his childhood friend, Frey. Like many born on Earth, Max settles for a life of hardship and poverty. However, after being given a death sentence, Max is determined to get to Elysium, but must overcome the bounty hunter, Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley, and the forces of Elysium’s Defence Secretary, Delacourt, played by Foster.

Foster is wholly believable as Delacourt, as her ruthless, stone-cold passion for keeping Elysium immigrant-free produces some shocking acts of violence.  In another supporting role, Alice Braga plays Frey, however her character is the only one that isn’t truly believable. Braga, while not a bad actress per se, simply lacks the emotional depth her character needs in the movie. While only slightly distracting, Braga’s performance is nonetheless noticeable in an otherwise superbly acted film.

“Elysium” is a movie that earns its R rating in an effective sense. Again, much like “District 9,” sci-fi weapons provide startlingly awesome battle scenes, where men are literally blown apart, and set pieces are destroyed by volleys of projectiles; a particularly noteworthy scene involves the reconstructing of a human face after a shockingly gruesome point-blank grenade explosion. And while there is swearing, it is not used in excess — just sufficiently to provide punch to certain lines of dialogue. With these examples in mind, it would be hard to imagine “Elysium” being as effective an action movie without the R rating. Indeed, this is where Blomkamp finds his stride.

In the end, “Elysium” is a movie that fires on all cylinders. Incredible CGI, able acting and a substantial plot more than justify the price of admission. As Blomkamp’s second sci-fi hit, one can’t help but wonder what his next film will be, and if it will equal the set of production values that have become his standard of filmmaking.

Grade: A