Read Mixed User Reviews for Elysium

6

JamesLAug 18, 2013

About half way through the movie, I thought this is much better than I expected. We had a an original plot and it looked like we were headed to a thoughtful climax. But no, we had to slide back to the action, shoot them up bs that every filmAbout half way through the movie, I thought this is much better than I expected. We had a an original plot and it looked like we were headed to a thoughtful climax. But no, we had to slide back to the action, shoot them up bs that every film seems to collapse to in the second half. They wasted this promising film for more silly gunfire and fight scenes which we have all seen a million times. Why, I don't know.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

DazedBeingAug 12, 2013

Fun to watch, but there were a lot of plot holes, and pieces that were not properly explained. The action scenes were entrancing, and Matt Damon did a good job.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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5

sofgrantAug 16, 2013

After I saw this movie I didn't know what to think. It seemed to me to be preaching a message that the characters couldn't really convey. Once again it was a familiar plot of the poor and down-trodden rising up against the rich and evil. ItAfter I saw this movie I didn't know what to think. It seemed to me to be preaching a message that the characters couldn't really convey. Once again it was a familiar plot of the poor and down-trodden rising up against the rich and evil. It also seemed to have a predictable plot, almost force fed to you, though Sharlto Copley plays an awesome bad guy. Don't get me wrong, it entertained me but it really failed to impress me, maybe its just because we always seem to get the stock standard good poor vs. evil rich? Its an alright movie, not bad, not great, just alright.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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4

m_eldersAug 9, 2013

I'm able to suspend my disbelief a fair amount, especially if there's something to be gained from it. But I feel like Neil Blomkamp took the easy way out of every difficult situation during his first draft of the screenplay and then neverI'm able to suspend my disbelief a fair amount, especially if there's something to be gained from it. But I feel like Neil Blomkamp took the easy way out of every difficult situation during his first draft of the screenplay and then never went back to edit it. Almost nothing interesting happens the entire movie and every difficult situation is resolved the boring, predictable way. The main characters don't act like people, and the minor characters and robots are on screen precisely when it the plot asks for them to be there and no more. Elysium did not surprise me or make me care about anything that was happening, and the times it made me laugh were mostly from the ridiculousness of it. The thing I liked the most about the film was the cinematography, but most of that was reminiscent of District 9. In fact, District 9 was just a better movie in every single way. I recommend watching that again (or for the first time!) instead of watching Elysium.… Expand

12 of 17 users found this helpful125

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5

StaticSpineAug 15, 2013

Everything here is clearly black or white, no shades of gray, but even just no gray! These are good, these are frankly evil. The development of the plot is not very logical, and much remains unexplained on a course of action. It was also theEverything here is clearly black or white, no shades of gray, but even just no gray! These are good, these are frankly evil. The development of the plot is not very logical, and much remains unexplained on a course of action. It was also the feeling that the author tried to re-shoot DISTRICT 9 (which IMHO was much better) for a second time, but failed. I liked the picture Cinematography atmosphere, and Jodie Foster's and "psycho-sleeper agent" Sharlto Copley 's roles. In general, average and highly ambiguous film. To be honest, I was waiting for something else: something like "robotic man alone destroys the whole space station of the richies", and the output was some kind of fiction with a pretension for something more.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

JPG127Aug 9, 2013

Elysium had a decent enough premise. But the execution falters. Neil Blomkamp should have made District 10 instead. This is almost a two hour movie (two plus with previews and commercials) and it felt like it dragged on. It was a messageElysium had a decent enough premise. But the execution falters. Neil Blomkamp should have made District 10 instead. This is almost a two hour movie (two plus with previews and commercials) and it felt like it dragged on. It was a message movie when all I wanted was sci fi, none of the characters were likable and the trailers gave away to much. Visually, just as impressive as District 9. But we can see good effects everywhere now. It is something that used to be special and isn't anymore.… Expand

10 of 16 users found this helpful106

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5

SimpleMethodAug 9, 2013

Elysium is a huge disappointment compared to District 9. It doesn't even come close to being as smart or well-written as District 9, and is clearly the sophomore slump for Neil Blomkamp.

8 of 13 users found this helpful85

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4

RichTempeAug 9, 2013

Where to start? I had high hopes for "Elysium" since I liked Neill Blomkamp's other movie, "District 9" a lot. However, aside from some cool special effects and a great performance by Jodie Foster, I really can't say I recommend seeing it.Where to start? I had high hopes for "Elysium" since I liked Neill Blomkamp's other movie, "District 9" a lot. However, aside from some cool special effects and a great performance by Jodie Foster, I really can't say I recommend seeing it. Some of the stuff that happens during the movie really stretches credulity almost to the breaking point. I mean it's 2154 and people in L.A. are still driving GMC vehicles and riding buses? Yet there are aircraft that can fly from the earth's surface to Elysium in 19 minutes. A lot of discontinuities. The ending is equally predictable and unbelievable. Also it seemed a lot longer than an hour and 49 minutes. Wait to see it at a matinee or on DVD is my advice.… Expand

6 of 11 users found this helpful65

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4

imthenoobNov 27, 2013

Despite a very interesting plot premise, Elysium is a very disappointing and unsatisfying film in every way possible. Weak plot ruined even more so by the unlikeable characters and uninteresting action scenes that fail to entertain. Would notDespite a very interesting plot premise, Elysium is a very disappointing and unsatisfying film in every way possible. Weak plot ruined even more so by the unlikeable characters and uninteresting action scenes that fail to entertain. Would not recommend.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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4

TywinSep 7, 2013

The movie has an interesting setting, as most dystopian films do. WHat it lacks, however, is interesting characters, factions and dilemmas. Instead of being some sort of moral or ethical engagement, it just ends up being a platform forThe movie has an interesting setting, as most dystopian films do. WHat it lacks, however, is interesting characters, factions and dilemmas. Instead of being some sort of moral or ethical engagement, it just ends up being a platform for action-man Matt Damon to beat things up and cause explosions. Some people might like that. I personally wanted something a bit more thought provoking. Even a battle between different politically orientated faction would have sufficed, but all we got was what amounted to a cartel vs the World government, which was never named and was just shown to be run by the rich, end of story. What I am trying to say is that the movie lacked any kind of depth, I guess it was fine as some sort of dumb summer action flick, but it was just so average in it's delivery, I could see what it provided in any other movie at almost any other time. The film was not emotionally investing. Below average, but not specifically bad.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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5

jlplattenAug 11, 2013

What a huge disappoint. As someone who absolutely loved District 9, this movie was my most anticipated film of the year. I'll start with the positives. The movie was amazing when it came to creativity of the world, special effects and action.What a huge disappoint. As someone who absolutely loved District 9, this movie was my most anticipated film of the year. I'll start with the positives. The movie was amazing when it came to creativity of the world, special effects and action. But as amazing as those were, I couldn't get over how dumb and terrible the characters and story were... especially the acting. I cringed every time Jodie Foster was on the screen. *shivers* I swear, how come everyone has to yell in this movie? I can hardly understand the dialogue half the time. This movie was so blatantly black and white between the rich and poor. One rich person actually had the word "riche" tattooed on their face. It's like without that you wouldn't be able to tell how evil he was... Also, it was stupid how the robots on Earth were programmed to discriminate, while the robots on Elysium were dumbed down servants. Really? You would think that all robots would be programmed equally, like in iRobot. Oh, and how they pushed the story along was terrible. You'll understand when you see how Matt Damon's character gets sick. I was really buying into the concept, but it was executed so terribly.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

WhySoSerious54Aug 13, 2013

This could be one of the worst years in movie making history. It seems as though one bad film comes out after the next. This just happens to be the better of the poor. Matt Damon provided a decent character surrounded by a bunch of flatThis could be one of the worst years in movie making history. It seems as though one bad film comes out after the next. This just happens to be the better of the poor. Matt Damon provided a decent character surrounded by a bunch of flat characters and major miscasts. The weapons were bland, the environment was uninteresting, and Elysium looked like your typical paradise nothing more and nothing less. The biggest problem I had was that with all the technology in the world the only defense Elysium has to incoming unidentified ships is a hand held rocket launcher! WTF… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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6

CereldiAug 15, 2013

If you're walking into the theater expecting a district 9, please walk the opposite direction. D9 does a much better job telling you the same exact theme and message. That being said Elysium still has entertainment value and the technologyIf you're walking into the theater expecting a district 9, please walk the opposite direction. D9 does a much better job telling you the same exact theme and message. That being said Elysium still has entertainment value and the technology featured throughout the movie is a hot slice of good old science fiction pie. If anything the surroundings and settings served more of a character than the protagonists themselves. At a point I found myself caring more about the side characters such as Spider than I did about Max (Damon). I felt Max was simply the vehicle taking me through the plot, except when he gets a nice go-pro angle camera and tears stuff up with his exo-suit. It feels incredibly unrealistic though that an everyday man could all of a sudden have the fighting experience to take on spec ops soldiers just because he has an exo suit. I won't go into detail but with the way I see it Kruger (Copley) not only steals the show, but by all logical means should have complete tactical supremacy against any opponent. So you know what, I take back what I said earlier. If you expect to see D9 (aka Copley being a thug) then this movie IS for you, because lets be honest there's merit in rooting for the bad guys.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

KGardnerXXAug 13, 2013

I really, really wanted to love this movie, but I didn't. It was predictable. The personal storyline of Damon's character seemed like it was borrowed from another movie that I've seen too many times and can recount from memory. TheI really, really wanted to love this movie, but I didn't. It was predictable. The personal storyline of Damon's character seemed like it was borrowed from another movie that I've seen too many times and can recount from memory. The villains are cut outs without any depth creating no interest. It seemed like they were there more to move the plot along rather than be an actual character. And I was so looking forward to this movie too. Maybe that's what makes me so sad about writing this review. It looked like it had such potential but wound up being just an inch deep.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

ff33ooNov 28, 2013

The entire movie just felt really flat, uninspired and generic, which made the viewing experience incredibly dull for me. I genuinely almost fell asleep while watching it, it was such a dull, boring film. Disappointing, after the wonderfulThe entire movie just felt really flat, uninspired and generic, which made the viewing experience incredibly dull for me. I genuinely almost fell asleep while watching it, it was such a dull, boring film. Disappointing, after the wonderful District 9, to which this movie doesn't even compare.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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4

Bruce722Feb 15, 2014

What a disappointing movie Elysium turned out to be. Let's start with the one positive. The concept for the film is fantastic. The idea for an elitist group of society to be separated like that isn't necessarily original but there's a lot ofWhat a disappointing movie Elysium turned out to be. Let's start with the one positive. The concept for the film is fantastic. The idea for an elitist group of society to be separated like that isn't necessarily original but there's a lot of potential there. Matt Damon and the rest of the cast is also pretty solid (other than Jodie Foster who sucks at life). The special effects and CGI are also pretty top notch but that's about the end of the positives. All of the other features combine to create an almost suckfest of a movie. The most glaring is the identity crisis suffered throughout the almost 2 hours. There are certain technologies in the film that would make Avatar jealous and on the other hand, there are things that we have right now. There doesn't appear to be any sense or logic to it, it's just variable and irregular and it kills the suspension of disbelief, which let's face it, this movie hinges desperately on. The plot is also ridiculously predictable and none of the characters are developed well. Overall, should've and could've been better with a quality director.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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4

Tara61Aug 25, 2013

The film really failed to deliver.
Now, I was absolutely fascinated with Blomkamp's first issue. It was original it made me think and it wasn't pretentious in my experience everything a good SF should have.
Maybe my expectations of his 2ndThe film really failed to deliver.
Now, I was absolutely fascinated with Blomkamp's first issue. It was original it made me think and it wasn't pretentious in my experience everything a good SF should have.
Maybe my expectations of his 2nd feature film would have been lower if it was a different genre. But the reality is that I expected a movie of (at least) the same quality.

And here is where the problems start. Elysium is lower quality in every respect. The script is full of holes and a lot of the story relies on the fact that the viewer will just believe in what (s)he is seeing. A blatant example without giving too much of the plot a character writes a code that would allow Elysium to reset and it is visually presented as a very complex thing yet every Harry, Dick and Tom gets it immediately after seeing it for maybe 2 seconds. Now, either everyone is super intelligent or the code is too simple, and if the latter is the case it makes you wonder how no one made it earlier.

As for the cast, Jodie Fosters starts fabulously but then she becomes too wooden and slight out of sync. Matt Damon does what he can but he is more believable as a selfish human trying to save himself then the accidental hero he becomes at the end of the film. Diego Luna really masters his minute role. And that's another thing, none of the characters has been fully developed. They are just sketches and as the film is almost 120 minutes long one would hope that that is enough time to provide us with a full picture. Unfortunately not so.

Finally it seems to me that if they invested a little bit more time and attention to the story, regarding both the details and the background, the film would have been a solid piece of entertainment.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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4

chojin999Aug 11, 2013

An absolute disappointment. The CGI is top-notch BUT nothing new and re-used models from District9.
The movie political agenda is an overdone overused communist thing that rich hypocrite Left Wing Hollywood people love so much. Boring.An absolute disappointment. The CGI is top-notch BUT nothing new and re-used models from District9.
The movie political agenda is an overdone overused communist thing that rich hypocrite Left Wing Hollywood people love so much. Boring. Characters and plot are atrocious. The movie doesn't flow at all. It really is a mediocre movie. The editing is bad, the pacing is bad, the score is just wrong.
The director tries so hard with a pretentious political driven movie masked as sci-fi.. it's just plain pathetic.
Some excellent CGI shots can't save this mess. District9 was a top-notch movie on everything, it worked perfectly, it was clever. Elysium is a mediocre, boring, pathetic movie. After District9 this is a big failure. What a shame!… Expand

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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5

JoeB666Aug 9, 2013

Two rather large problems with the movie:

It has an anti-elitist message, but the two main actors, Jodie and Damon, graduated from Yale and Harvard, respectively. You know: the two most prestigious and elitist universities in the world.Two rather large problems with the movie:

It has an anti-elitist message, but the two main actors, Jodie and Damon, graduated from Yale and Harvard, respectively. You know: the two most prestigious and elitist universities in the world. (At Harvard, for instance, the average family income of students is $150,000. And if you're parents are alumni, your chances of acceptance can be greatly enhanced.) This critically undermines any sort of message the movie has.

Another problem: the entire dystopian premise. I like dystopias, but based on history we can assume that the world of the future will be much better in the future than the past. For instance, economists predict that the average income in the first world will be about seven times what it is today, in 100 years. That's $200,000+ per adult. The developing world will fare even better. Also, every one of the last several centuries has left humanity better than than the century that preceded it, and every one of the last several decades (excluding the Great Depression WWII) left humanity **as a whole** better than the previous decade. The past cannot predict the future, but such lasting trends are difficult to ignore, and strongly suggest that the future will be better than the present.

This decade, the world has never been more democratic, nor more prosperous. And, in all likelihood (though we must not get complacent), it will continue getting better. The problem with sci-fi dystopian cinema is that it perverts the audience's perspective on the very things that are most able to lift humans out of the muck: science, technology, and social change. Such films depict these things as something to be feared, rather than embraced. This is shameful.… Expand

5 of 20 users found this helpful515

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4

RealMuthaFAug 28, 2013

After seeing all the mediocre reviews, I still decided to go watch Elysium, since I liked Blomkamp's District 9 very much, and trailers promised a similar experience. And the result is, sadly, a disappointment. While having the same visualAfter seeing all the mediocre reviews, I still decided to go watch Elysium, since I liked Blomkamp's District 9 very much, and trailers promised a similar experience. And the result is, sadly, a disappointment. While having the same visual style as District 9, thrilling action sequences and outstanding psycho villain performance by Sharlto Copley, Elysium IS a mediocre movie, even almost a bad one. It tries to present some kind of drama and morality, but fails due to its plot. The thing is, the protagonists are not likeable, you can't really empathize them, and their goals are naive and just plain unachievable. Not to mention some inconsistencies with the technology, like the space station not having its own rocket batteries. District 9 was filmed for 30 million dollars and it looked great, and had a gripping plot. Elysium was filmed for 115, and is far worse than its predecessor, it's unclear where the money went to (except for famous actors' salary) Sadly, my trust in the director Neil Blomkamp is undermined.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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4

ScrawnyPunkAug 11, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A swing and a miss...

This movie had a ton of potential (social commentary action superawesome!), but it's just a mess from frame one. In trying to be many things, it fails as social commentary (greed is bad I get it), an action movie (terribly boring), and sci-fi (turbulence on a space station? facial re-construction gets the beard right? the entire population of earth can be healed of all sickness with two shuttles and no one crowding a queue? what?).

The biggest miss here is probably the social commentary. Aside from a few Silkwood-like workers' rights abuses, the portrayal of most Earth citizens is basically drug addicted, cursing, fighting, stealing bums. It's hard to cheer for the whole human race if you don't show their nobility. It's equally hard to cheer against the citizens of Elysium if we don't see any other than the tyrannical defense minister and a calloused (and failed) business owner. All I know is that the rest of the people are in good shape and like to have parties is that evil? Do I hate them for that? I almost think Blomkamp could have lifted some lines from Roger and Me to at least make me dislike the rich folks a little.

I did not expect this to happen, but I believe both Oblivion and After Earth are better than this movie and neither one of those is special.… Expand

3 of 13 users found this helpful310

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6

HatesauceAug 10, 2013

[Edited for spelling] I found the movie to be okay. The technical side of the film was something to expect from Blomkamp and his crew. The fight scenes felt really unnecessarily fast and shakey, to the extent I could see people sitting[Edited for spelling] I found the movie to be okay. The technical side of the film was something to expect from Blomkamp and his crew. The fight scenes felt really unnecessarily fast and shakey, to the extent I could see people sitting forward in their theater seats as if to better process what they were actually seeing.

The highlights of the film for me was Wagner Moura's performance as Spider, along with Sharlto Copley's rendition of a psychotic mercenary. Ultimately the Musical Score composed by Ryan Amon was absolutely brilliant and drove much of if not all of the emotion for the film.

The character development was lackluster and the plot was simply bland. I was waiting for that killer twist like in District 9 (which is by far a more superior film). Unfortunately for Elysium, I experienced almost no emotional attachment to the characters which made the movie feel far less powerful than it could or should have been. 6 out of 10 for this one.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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4

gameboy673Aug 10, 2013

Overall, Elysium isn't necessarily a horrible movie, but it's certainly not a very good one either. Individual plot twists were extremely predictable, and the overlaying plot had a few holes that made little sense. The plot itself was veryOverall, Elysium isn't necessarily a horrible movie, but it's certainly not a very good one either. Individual plot twists were extremely predictable, and the overlaying plot had a few holes that made little sense. The plot itself was very generic and uninspired. There was a political element to the main plot (that I won't specifically explain here for the sake of saving spoilers), but when it's all said and done it did very little for the main plot itself and seemed unnecessary. The quote-unquote "cool" parts of the movie, like Max's super-suit and the advanced weaponry, turn out to play incredibly minuscule roles in the plot, and even the big action scenes were let down by a lack of energy. I haven't seen District 9 so I can't compare the two, but for what it is, Elysium is just O.K., nothing more.… Expand

5 of 26 users found this helpful521

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6

ThegodfathersonAug 10, 2013

In the split universe that is Neill Blomkamp's summer action movie "Elysium," the 'haves' live, quite literally, a world above the 'have-nots.' And what the 'haves' have, on their pain-free, protected ring-world space station, is an opulentIn the split universe that is Neill Blomkamp's summer action movie "Elysium," the 'haves' live, quite literally, a world above the 'have-nots.' And what the 'haves' have, on their pain-free, protected ring-world space station, is an opulent lifestyle facilitated by jealously guarded technology. Aboard the titular space colony that is "Elysium," bio-medical scanner/repairer tanning-beds confer near-immortality to the privileged. The security personnel can closely monitor Earthly activities almost anywhere. Humanoid robot police tightly control borders, restricting human movement. And corporate executives rocket about in dark window-tinted space shuttles with Bugatti-coachwork. This is luxury life in the year 2145. If these seem allegorical to present-day conflicts over universal health care, freedom of information, immigration policy and ubiquitous surveillance, you are not wrong. But writer-director Blomkamp didn't want a heavy social justice message to get in the way of the film's popcorn munch-inspiring action. Down on the rough and ruined planet, a good but flawed man, Max (Matt Damon) must find his way to the privileged orbiting citadel in order to save his own life. In the process he will save much more and, paradoxically, lose much more. But first he must make it through badass Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley, who starred in Blomkamp’s breakthrough film "District 9." "Elysium's" Kruger is part Terminator, part "Star Wars" bounty hunter, and part ex-Special Forces-turned mercenary. Outrageous explosions, "snarkily-spun" sci-fi tropes, and bloody combat frequently punctuate this summer action picture. But the movie has a strong heart. There are subtle, surprisingly mature love stories: between mother and child; brothers in arms; a deep but platonic friendship. It's a tribute to the excellent cast that they are able to surface the love so that it reads so strong between all the flash-bangs, blood and breakneck chase scenes. "Elysium" is a cautionary tale about what happens if all the good gear winds up closely-held by the elites of society. Ironically, here in our real world, the clear trend has been toward technology as a widely self-proliferating and disruptively democratizing force. But sometimes, that doesn't happen without a fight: witness ObamaCare vs. the "wealth-o-rati." And ubiquitous tech doesn't come without the possibility of abuses: witness United States' NSA over-reach, Facebook dossier-compilation and Google micro-targeting. In "Elysium" the fight gets personal. Its paradoxical plot hinges on a lethal, yet life-saving, software download, on the person (Max) who must carry it, and on the powerful woman who craves control of it: Jodie Foster, who portrays 'Delacourt', the 108 year-old protector of the privileged space-paradise, is in real life concerned about the current state of Earth's real citizens. "Elysium's" subtle social justice relationship to Blomkamp's earlier social sci-fi movie "District 9. Elysium's" 22nd century tech is marvelous in the original sense of the word. Of course, it's inconsistent if you have nanotechnology that heals people in seconds, you don't need big guns to kill them but who cares? The shuttles are cool and only the nerdiest among us (me) will question their impossible propulsion. Blomkamp first-drafted "Elysium" as a sort-of graphic novel. It was a remarkably detailed roadmap for the film, right down to lead character Max's bulked-up, shaved-down, tattooed-all-around appearance. One gets the impression that Blomkamp might have started out to make a funnier, more satirical film, but realized the heart of the story lay in the darkness of human cruelty. The films R rating is deserved; there's a lot of blood and guns and fisticuffs and swearing of oaths. But "Elysium's" dystopian future is still a long ways off. Younger viewers have time to grow into seeing it and it’s important that they do. This film will remain relevant for a long time to come.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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6

jeremypAug 18, 2013

It's an interesting movie for 60 odd minutes. Road Warrior meets Brave New World. Then as usual in these kinds of movies instead of really trying to come up with a good ending they go all predictable and silly. There's your basic hero versusIt's an interesting movie for 60 odd minutes. Road Warrior meets Brave New World. Then as usual in these kinds of movies instead of really trying to come up with a good ending they go all predictable and silly. There's your basic hero versus villain mano a mano endless fist fight. There's Matt Damon looking like something out of "Falling Skies," and Jodi forgetting which accent she's supposed to be using. Frankly from what I see of the 99.9% I'd have dropped a virus on them, waited, then repopulated. However Jodi didn't get to be boss.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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6

TVJerryAug 13, 2013

As expected in movieworld future, our planet is an overcrowded, polluted wasteland. The rich and lucky have evacuated to a beautiful man-made space station and earnest Earthling Matt Damon must get there. Like his last movie (District 9),As expected in movieworld future, our planet is an overcrowded, polluted wasteland. The rich and lucky have evacuated to a beautiful man-made space station and earnest Earthling Matt Damon must get there. Like his last movie (District 9), director Neill Blomkamp has created a cool futuristic world with neat gadgets, interesting concepts and gritty edges. The plot lacks originality, the pacing is OK and some of the action works. While it's never thrilling, Blomkamp's vision makes it visually appealing.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

BikerjamesAug 19, 2013

Even though the movie has flaws, it kept me entertained for a couple of hours and it looks great, so I give it a pass. Matt Damon was very good in the lead, and overall the acting was good with the exception of Jodie Foster. Her performanceEven though the movie has flaws, it kept me entertained for a couple of hours and it looks great, so I give it a pass. Matt Damon was very good in the lead, and overall the acting was good with the exception of Jodie Foster. Her performance was surprisingly wooden for an actress of her caliber. Also, be prepared to hear the phrase "THAT's what I'm talking About!" during the fight scenes. Yes, apparently they still say that silly phrase 150 years from now. In some cases the technology is worse than what we have now, especially the robot voices. The GPS in my car has a clearer voice than the robots and instrumentation in this film. The biggest flaw of the film was the bad guy "Kruger". His acting was fine, but his accent was so thick I couldn't understand half of what he said. Also the theme of the movie, with earth being split in the future between the haves and the have nots has been done many times. Still, the pacing was good, Matt Damon was great, and the look of the film great.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

Knicksfan7Aug 21, 2013

Good acting by most, great story, good action. Some action scenes were a bit excessive with the blood and carnage, and there were a few corny moments but overall it was a good film. Nowhere's near perfect but that's never expected in a movieGood acting by most, great story, good action. Some action scenes were a bit excessive with the blood and carnage, and there were a few corny moments but overall it was a good film. Nowhere's near perfect but that's never expected in a movie these days. I give Blomkamp props though, he's got some stones for the topics and issues he touched in this film. Definitely not as good as Blomkamps other sci-fi flick District 9 but it was still a good film overall. I enjoyed myself. Give it a shot if you enjoy sci-fi with a good story and good acting. 6.5/10… Expand

0 of 13 users found this helpful013

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6

AlienSpaceBatsAug 30, 2013

Showcases a few cool setpieces but on the whole Elysium felt messy and predictable. Many plot points follow District 9's precisely and before the halfway mark, the film enters generic, heavy-handed action movie territory.

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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5

KenmeiMar 1, 2015

This movie felt like it was being buried underneath it's own ambition. The world was cool and it really did have alot going for it. But I didn't like any of the characters, except for Kruger. The story is lackluster and the everything justThis movie felt like it was being buried underneath it's own ambition. The world was cool and it really did have alot going for it. But I didn't like any of the characters, except for Kruger. The story is lackluster and the everything just seems very blah at times. I'll give it credit for trying to establish something with the background that it had but you can tell that the story they gave us for this back drop was not what it deserved.
Damon was very uninspiring in the movie, playing a man who was about to die if he didnt get up to the world. Jodie Foster tried to be the "ultra-villain" the movie deserved but it was Copley who had the best performance. All the characters were not great and it took alot of time to get things going honestly. But the movie, and the world, had potential. It certainly didn't live up to that potential but it is there.… Expand

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6

ricksrosesSep 12, 2013

I find this movie a bit conglomerated in its story line and just average acting special effects are pretty good... This is a o k movie and worth seeing.

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6

Makko_MaceSep 1, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In all honestly this movie was pretty damn poor.

I spent several hours ranting about the flaws with the people I saw it with, so I've kind of drained by angry rant reserves, but this is what I remember most.

There were many glaring flaws, and out right stupid systems, that made absolutely no sense and were just thrust at the reader. Many events added little to the plot and characters, and never really went anywhere.

The love story:

The romance was cliche, and repeatedly forced on the viewer through flashbacks to scenes they had just seen, I mean I didn't forget every line of dialogue over the past thirty minutes, its not like I need to see it all again.. jesus. The promises to get there someday, I mean sure that would be okay in a Disney film, but that level of sap is pretty bad what in seems to try to be a political sci-fi action thriller.

Matt Damons job:

Not to mention it never goes anywhere... but I could spend a long time trying to analyze just why this part sucked, but its really not worth it, as I'm sure someone else has done it much better than I could.
One of the biggest problems was... the world made no sense. Why was Matt Damon even employed in a factory cranking out human like robots, who were immune to the radiation he contracted? Just make a batch of robots and fire everyone... jesus, why are you using slow, radiation and fatigue prone human workers? You are literally producing tens of thousands of super effective, tireless workers on site..

It would have taken one line of something like "you're all lucky the government subsidizes us using humans!" or "You should be happy these things are more expensive to run than you are, or we'd just cut you out of the loop" and that would have added much more depth to the world, with the over taxed earth government, and the greedy soulless corporations just wanting to make a profit.

Instead we're left to try and fill in the gaps ourselves, or just feel dismayed at the lack of depth in what could have been a great world.

The whole med pod free health care runs fiasco:

The illegals boarding the shuttles and flying up to Elysium, then jumping out and running into houses was beyond contrived. Apparently, this was a regular occurance, yet no one in Elysium thought to perhaps start tracking the shuttles with their crazy space-radars and maybe have their huge Droid force waiting for them on the ground?

Assuming this was beyond them for whatever reason, you could either put some damn locks on the houses and make the windows out of something other than glass?!?! Idon't know about you but If I was somehow rich enough to live in the heaven like paradise of an orbital resort, I'd probably invest in some stronger windows after the third time some panicked disease ridden plebeians smashed through my sitting room window with my own chaise-lounge.

Or, if you don't want to ruin the look of your house, why the hell are there med pods in every house? How often are you dying of cancer, or need to be 10 years younger? Every other day? Jesus, I mean, I could see using it at most every few moths... and only then if you were deeply neurotic. Just have a couple med booth facilities lying around, and just put a lock on the damn door... jesus.

The entire DARPA arsenal:

Basically the entire weaponry line up looked like it had been put together by 14 year olds who got a hold of a DARPA concepts slideshow, and thought "Wow this is cool" and then spent tens of millions on CGI, banking on the pseudo realism of their awesome future guns to carry the entire film.

Jodie Foster:

Who looked at the finished product, and thought "Boy, I'm sure glad Jodie's in this movie!" I mean.. christ, from the acting, to the dubbed french, to the poor writing of her character, I don't understand why any of this made it through to the final cut.

The Exo skeltons"

Why were these in the film? There were only two points where they did anything besides look cool, and that was when Matt Damon punches a droid to death, and when Kruger opens a door. Neither of these had any significance to the plot, Damon could have used a gun, or just ran it over with the car, or a million other things, Kruger could have used a freaking lightsaber or a melty grenaded and achieved the same result. Yet another "this looks cool, lets add it" situation.

The battle on Elysium:

What the hell happened to all the droids we'd seen earlier? Why was there no security? How could three deranged mercs take down the entire HQ of space command?

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The med pod ships:
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Why did they have these huge medical ships full of medpods just sitting around? Since everyone in Elysium had one in their house... I hit the Character limit, and I'm just getting started. I could spend so long on why this movie is childish, and inane, District 9 was thought provoking and made sense, the explosions weren't the plot, the world made sense.

6/10, only for the CGI.… Expand

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6

dougaussieAug 19, 2013

Matt gives us a human if flawed hero while foster may have been the badguy but lacked weight and screen time, you would expect a verbal confrontation between the two but it never comes. pity. I like the district 9 style but elysium itselfMatt gives us a human if flawed hero while foster may have been the badguy but lacked weight and screen time, you would expect a verbal confrontation between the two but it never comes. pity. I like the district 9 style but elysium itself felt like it was just a bunch of estates with no people. The south african bad guy was too two dimensional, he takes the woman and daughter, why, suddenly their all on a ship bound for space, what a stretch. Are they trying to say we who live in the west are elysium keeping out the masses who live in the poor 3rd world, i feel bad, no i don't. A lot of people would rate this sci fi pretty good but i'm afraid when you break it down it falls down.… Expand

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6

JoseloSep 21, 2013

El primer acto de esta película me resultó muy interesante, incluso me agradó el ambiente al que me llevó a sumergirme. Pero cuando llega el segundo y el tercer acto es que este filme decae un poco. Pues la historia pierde mucha fuerza y losEl primer acto de esta película me resultó muy interesante, incluso me agradó el ambiente al que me llevó a sumergirme. Pero cuando llega el segundo y el tercer acto es que este filme decae un poco. Pues la historia pierde mucha fuerza y los miedos y desconfianzas del personaje principal lo posicionaron en un lugar, que como personaje de una ciencia/ficción como esta no funcionara del todo. Por otra parte, la realidad es que Elysium es una película visualmente impresionante, los detalles de las naves espaciales lo definieron todo. Pero al emprender los encuentros entre el héroe y los villanos se vuelve a notar un poco la pérdida de este factor. Pues lo que era visualmente impresionante, se convirtió un poco en visualmente molestoso. En fin Elysium no es una mala película e incluso se pasa un buen tiempo viéndola. Pero más allá de eso… nada.… Expand

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5

inaneswineNov 14, 2017

Visual effects aside, Elysium really doesn't offer much groundbreaking material, as it rehashes a social class war story we've heard a thousand times before. It simply isn't exciting enough to keep the viewer's attention. In addition, JodieVisual effects aside, Elysium really doesn't offer much groundbreaking material, as it rehashes a social class war story we've heard a thousand times before. It simply isn't exciting enough to keep the viewer's attention. In addition, Jodie Foster gives a surprisingly disappointing performance.… Expand

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5

JacobJan 9, 2015

Elysium is frustrating because I get the sense that Neil Blomkamp really wanted to make a great film. There was clearly a lot of hard work, time, and effort put into this movie, which is reflected through how creative the world is from itsElysium is frustrating because I get the sense that Neil Blomkamp really wanted to make a great film. There was clearly a lot of hard work, time, and effort put into this movie, which is reflected through how creative the world is from its layout to the designs. With such an imaginative and well realized setting its disappointing that Blomkamp wasn’t able to create a compelling story and interesting characters to complement it making this a generic sci-fi movie. This film could’ve been something but its nothing. Its not that the story is bad or anything its just that the film has I lot of stuff I’ve seen before and not much that is new. If you are curious in watching it go ahead just don’t expect anything groundbreaking. The style is great but it lacks the substance.… Expand