It can certainly be tough to make the transition from independent to studio films. With “Elysium,” director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) has managed to maintain a tone and style similar to his previous hit. However, there is still a bit of awkwardness and growing pains present in this sophomore effort.
Elysium is a spinning space station that houses the wealthy upper class and keeps them in a near immortal state, with the help of an MRI-like machine that can heal any affliction in minutes. Of course, the rich have no intention of sharing their lifestyle with the poor majority on Earth. When lower-class Max (Matt Damon) is irradiated at work and given mere days to live, he realizes that his only hope is to reach Elysium. Teaming with underworld criminals, he dons a mechanical suit and discovers data that not only could gain him entry, but also implicate a cold, calculating government employee (Jodie Foster) in a political coo.
As the film begins, there is the potential to examine a lot of big ideas. This includes behind the scenes political plotting, issues such as immigration, segregation and class warfare, not to mention modern technology and how it can be misused (or if it should be used at all). It seems strange then, that most of the themes raised early on seem to fall by the wayside by the halfway point. Instead, all of the characters pull out machine guns and begin blowing each other to pieces.
That’s not to say that the high stakes action isn’t entertaining. The visual effects and production design are fantastic, the battle scenes are tense and thrilling, and the film features some surprising twists and turns as inventively violent confrontations play out. Sharlto Copley in particular shines as an exceptionally entertaining villain; Kruger, an assassin hired to kill Max and his friends, is an old school psychopathic killer that could stand tall next to the best and baddest thugs in 80’s action cinema.
But when a movie creates a universe with huge societal problems and then emphasizes fight sequences, questions and plot holes naturally arise. There’s another minor but jarring distraction involving a major character. The majority of dialogue spoken by Foster’s character appears to have been completely rerecorded in post-production and isn’t well synchronized. It’s an especially odd situation given that the film is otherwise so technically accomplished. She also exits the film in a very unusual manner that doesn’t seem in character.
One gets the impression that more material was shot and significant portions may have been gutted in the editing process. As it stands, “Elysium” is successful as a high tech action movie, but its ideas aren’t fully explored amidst the machine gun fire and explosions. It’s definitely a lot of fun to watch as it plays out, but one gets the impression that there was a greater film hidden somewhere beneath the rubble.