Neil Blomkamp is the new force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. He tore into the scene with the brilliant masterpiece, "District 9", delivering visceral and genuinely thrilling action, impeccable acting from an almost entirely unknown cast, and a sense of intelligence and heart that Hollywood seems to have forgotten. With such a genius first-impression, whatever Blomkamp did next was going to have incredibly high expectations. "Elysium",while not as good as "District 9", thankfully, avoids that infamous sophomore slump, and delivers the year's smartest and most thrilling picture thus far.
Like all great science fiction, "Elysium" is really a story about mankind himself. Taking cues from "Metropolis", "Elysium" focuses on the class differences in society. The rich live on the space station Elysium, while the poor squander away on a polluted Earth. Updated for modern problems, the film generally revolves around immigration and healthcare. While it can be argued that it was delivered extremely heavy-handed, I would argue that the decision for that only adds to the film. Much like the film "Crash", "Elysium" takes a problem and magnifies it, making seem so real and immediate. Beside the obvious though, the film has other themes about man: sacrifice, love, destiny, and power. None of them are subtle, but in life, seeing protesters on Wall Street and immigrants being horribly treated is not exactly subtle either.
The story here is one of Max de Costa (played by Matt Damon), a worker at Aramadyne, getting blasted by a lethal dose of radiation by accident. A medical droid coldly informs him that he five days to live. Max has had a checkered criminal past, and goes to an old friend (who happens to be the leader of LA's freedom fighters), promising to do one last job in exchange for a ticket to Elysium. On Elysium, people live forever due to a machine that instantly heals you of any ailments. The plot does get thicker with Jodie Foster's Secretary DeLacourt trying to stage a coup of the liberal government on Elysium; and Kruger, who is a psychotic agent that works for Delacourt.
Matt Damon was the perfect choice for the role of Max, bringing that tough, powerful exterior, with a warm, loving interior. We can see that he is a desperate man, fighting for his life and the ones he loves. I cannot stress enough how perfect this part is for Damon. He is channeling Jason Bourne, Will Hunting, Benjamin Mee, and even Linus Cadwell (all previous Damon Roles) into Max, making him nuanced and wonderful every moment he is onscreen. People have been accusing Foster of bad acting in this film, but I do not see it. Is it unique? No. But why does it have to be? Foster does what she must, giving a fine performance, albeit with very little depth. It is not bad, but it is not great. It is acceptable and neither adds nor subtracts from the experience. Which is fine, because once you see this, you realize who the true villain is: Sharlto Copley's Kruger. Copley is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. He deserved an Oscar for his lead role in "District 9", and then stole the show in the "A-Team", reminding us all of why Murdock is such a boss. With upcoming parts in "Maleficent" and "Oldboy", Copley is becoming incredibly versatile. As Kruger, Copley is without a doubt one of the best movie villains ever. He is gleefully insane, reveling in violence and destruction. His maniac energy brought to Kruger makes every scene with him come to life, much like Heath Ledger as the Joker. Now, I am not saying it was as good as that, but its comparable. Copley is having the time of his life in this role, defying what we expect from a science fiction villain (calm, cool, collected, brooding (etc....)) and instead reminds us of people like Hannibal Lecter and Alec Trevalyan.
A massive problem in the movie industry nowadays is the over abundance of CGI. Entire scenes of some films are in CGI, sucking the human element out of them. Some movies justify this, like "Pacific Rim", because it adds to the film's grandeur, but most use it for the sake of using it. Similair to "District 9", the visuals here are woven into the human element. The droids that act as police officers are the most realistic looking CGI creations in any medium, and the way they interact with the actors makes us forget that they are fake. In many great films, no matter how good the special effects are, we KNOW they are fake; but that is because we see them do impossible things. These droids, and cities, and ships all act in a normal fashion. We are not forced to witness absurdity to the point of fantasy. Scenes don't focus on the CGI, but instead make it just part of the whole scene. "Elysium", gives me hope for CGI.
Max's quest echoes the life of Moses, as he struggles to free "his people" from their oppressors. The film shows what it means to be a hero, as Max fights for the poor and suffering. The Bible tells us to take care of "orphans and widows", and Max does but through violence. It is unavoidable and he has no choice but to kill in order to succeed here. The film features some awesome action scenes, and some incredible movie weaponry, two being a gun with the name "Chemrail" that shreds anybody in its laser spray and the other being Kruger's exploding ninja stars. In a gruesomely funny moment, he chucks one into a guy's chest and quips "It's only a flesh wound!" then detonating it. The guy splatters apart. While this may sound disgusting and gross, the gore is quick and not gruesome at all. The action is fun, and never gratuitously violent, just like "District 9".
"Elysium" hits all the right notes with its amazing visual, incredible action scenes, memorable villain, and deep, intelligent themes. It is heavy handed, but it only adds to the film. Action junkies, science fiction fans, and movie fans in general will find lots to love. Take a trip to Elysium, and I promise, you will want to go back countless times.
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence and Language Throughout
No comments:
Post a Comment