Elysium

Once I got through District 9, I had hoped it was just an unfortunate accident. However, Elysium confirmed to me that I don't understand Neill Blomkamp and it would be best if we went our separate ways. Never mind that this skeleton of an unstoppable machine suits Matt Damon perfectly with its camera shaking and flying around in the action scenes, while the story stumbles into plotholes despite its simple premise. Not to mention that practically all of the supporting characters are played strangely, to say the least. Jodie Foster, who doesn't fit her role, is an unpleasant surprise, William Fichtner disappoints in a way that is merely dull, but Sharlto Copley is actually annoying. His unintelligible hissing and desperately overplayed slickness are truly maddening. But I could forgive all of that if the screenplay had met me halfway and tried to play a different note in the finale than a humane and nostalgically romantic one. The social appeal was already starting to annoy me in the middle of District 9, so that was just predictable, while the sentimental storyline annoyed me because Max's relationship with Frey is nothing more than a distant memory that would never stand a chance in this vision of the future. And when emotions, characters, and actions don't work on the path to freedom, it makes for a rather sad ending. Elysium ultimately ends up being a giant nothing that tries so hard to aim high, but from the beginning, has no way up. (2013-08-28)

A story comparable with the picture book about the hippo that Damon quotes from in the movie, but the way they did it! A flawless rendition of the future that meets my demands. Perfect atmosphere and awesome action which sometimes stops short of the proverbial icing on the cake (which is a shame). The exosuit fight at the end is one of the best action sci-fi (hand-to-hand) fights I’ve ever seen. Blomkamp has gone a bit soft since last time and even though most of the characters behave like swines, they don’t mean it badly, which is a drawback compared to D9. The main powerhouse of the picture is the fantastic Sharlto Copley as Kruger, a fanatical psychopath (and my favorite character) whose alternative would probably have made for the best ending. Max, where are you?! (2013-09-06)

A socialist blockbuster? Why not. It's too bad that at the core the only deviation from classic Hollywood is that everything is the other way around. Those who protect the status quo are disgusting, those who creep in the dirt and humiliation are nice and dedicated people. Damon does not excel from the periphery as Jesus, but no one also expected him to. The guy eaten by radiation and riddled with knife cuts feels forgettable, anti-heroic, and most of the time he does his own thing, even though at the end he understands what a meerkat hippo is for. The fairytale concludes nicely to my satisfaction. It is once again a pity that the difference between Bay and Blomkamp lies mainly in the fact that guys here act like they are from Brazilian social dramas, and some of the bad guys have an obvious political officer (Jodie Foster really forced Maggie in there). At its core, Elysium is actually quite dull, but (for me) sympathetically "do-gooder". The problem for me is where many see excellent directing. I see a magnificent art / sound design and a number of partial nice shots, but which have an unusual stylish scattering. With a bit of exaggeration, it's like a mix of the City of God, Elite Squad and what I'd call "Paul Greengrass imitates Paul W. S. Anderson". Some of the elements are inconsistently used (the video game shot "over the shoulder" including the accompanying blur effect) and, unlike District 9, the constant jumps between different styles are choppy. Kinetic games and section cuts sometimes result in clutter. It occurs to me that what Blomkamp had to do as efficiently and simply as possible in his first film, here was able to "fluff" it unnecessarily. Unfortunately, Elysium then loses its energy and its tightened atmosphere. Paradoxically, the closer to the end, the more fun it is, because I was able to absorb the inconsistency. Similarly to In Time: sympathetic but terribly unfinished. P.S. Copley is two levels higher in this film than everyone else... the sociopath of the century. [70%] (2013-08-21)

The classic writer's evergreen about how a promising debutant from a remote corner of our planet came to Hollywood only to be scrapped by the very next film makes me want to sing along this time. But this is Blomkamp’s own fault. I would have also tolerated the leftist agitprop about an individual rebelling against a ruthless system this time if I hadn't had to ask so many questions during the screening, especially regarding elementary logic - How does Elysium work? Why does his defense work in such a stupid way? Why is the Minister being punished for defending him? And many others. It functions mostly because action-wise it's probably the best in years, and Blomkamp delivers the shots and moments in that central cut with such certainty that other directors would sell their mothers and their souls for it. Go back to the slums, Neill. And take those metamorphosis ideas with you. One day you will be a worthy successor to James Cameron. (2014-03-06)

Blomkamp, Kosinski, Snyder, etc. are all cut from the same cloth. Visually, they are very original, with an incredible sense of innovation and aesthetic creativity, usually producing simpler, even skeletal films. It's not always necessarily bad, but Elysium was in many ways very clichéd and unnecessarily simplistic. Of course, there is a political subtext with references to this or that regime, and a twisted rhetoric of "the poor, dirty and smelly" being the good guys and the "rich, successful, and thriving" being the bad guys. No matter how you look at it, we have a predictable plot with a clear script, several thrilling action scenes, and unbelievably polished and over-the-top shots that you'll want to see again and again. It's an unprecedented mix of futuristic sci-fi with brutally raw action and blurry imagery, that continues the trademark of District 9, just with a slightly bigger budget, so everything is smoother and more refined. Finally, we can't forget the show-off objects like the Versace lounge chair or the private Bugatti jet. The director is a big fan of image, and unfortunately, this film is purely "image-driven". Nevertheless, it is incredibly captivating filmmaking. (2013-09-02)