When I first walked into the theater for Elysium, I wasn't sure what to expect, aside from the blood and gore that was so common in District 9. I knew the premise of the story from the trailers that came on every five seconds, but little more than that. I didn't think that within five minutes of the movie I'd be worried about what would happen to Max, (Matt Damon) and Frey, (Alice Braga). Neill Bloomkamp uses a collection of scenes from the character's childhood to make the audience familiar with the characters.
After we get to know them, we are abruptly thrust into a futuristic Los Angeles, filled with gangs, violence, and an unforgiving desert landscape. In the thick of it is Max, who we find out turned into a car thief, and is now a parolee, with a factory job making police drones for a weapons company. His former partner in crime, Julio, repeatedly tries to get Max back to his former life, but each time Max refuses.
Above all the troubles of the poverty stricken earth looms Elysium, filled with beautiful mansions, Rich executives of corporations, and pods that can cure any ailment that a person can get. In the thick of it all is the French speaking, but American accented, Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster). She instantly brands herself as the villain of the story by shooting down a ship full of Earth people, intent on reaching Elysium, and rounding up the survivors of the ship that made it onto the utopia, and shipping them back to Earth.
Her character could use a bit of work. The audience would probably like to know why she says one sentence in English and another in French when in the same conversation, or why she she deliberately disobeys direct orders given to her by her superiors when she is the Secretary of Defense for Elysium. We will never know.
Back in Los Angeles, there is the psychopathic Kruger, played by Sharlito Copley, who is inseparable from Director Neill Bloomkamp. His is by far the best written character in the movie. His unpredictability, which comes from his madness, coupled with his resources provided by the Elysian government make him a menace to all the characters in the film, including Jessica.
Most of the time he is a chaotic element in the movie, killing people left right and center while perusing Max, for reasons I cannot give without giving spoilers, with both an old katana, and knew high tech weapons provided by Philip Ivey's imagination. (The design of the more futuristic aspects of the film will look familiar to anybody who has seen District 9.) But sometimes, he does something that makes you rethink the way you look at him, like singing an Afrikaans song to calm a little girl.
The R rated action, along with excellent writing, (except for the lines of Jodie Foster) make Elysium an excellent film, and make it definitely worth watching. I give it an eight and a half out of ten.
