Elysium, starring action star Matt Damon and Oscar winner Jodie Foster, spans the year 2154. At that time, there was indeed a space station "Elysium" in the sky, which not only had plenty of food and clothing, but also had Med-Bays, an artifact that healed all diseases. Yet this is a privilege reserved for a few, most of whom remain isolated on a crowded and decaying planet. Robots are docile and considerate "public servants" in Elysium, and domineering "urban management" on Earth.
Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance. Stowaways, especially those who are terminally ill, can always find snakeheads. However, Delacourt (Jodie Foster), the defense secretary of Elysium, is on guard against the stowaways, and he orders Agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley) to destroy the stowaways' spaceship. Max (Matt Damon) is a humble earth worker. In order to heal his body that was irradiated at work, he decided to take a risk and try to reach the Elysium space station.
Obviously, the director is still trying to discuss human nature against the backdrop of sci-fi time and space, alluding to popular class, immigration, and medical issues. It's a pity that this presentation was too deliberate, and there were too many flaws in the logic of the story. "The Ninth District" subtly buried various current political issues into the progress of the plot, while "Elysium" rigidly throws out the problems at the beginning. The set technology can be developed to the point of curing all diseases, and the politics has not been correct enough to popularize the welfare. As the key character of the film, although the fate of the poor Max and the change in his mentality are explained, it is still abrupt under the thrust of the plot. Of course, the film repeatedly emphasizes "believe that you are special", and then create heroes with the times. In addition, the role of Agent Kruger is very overwhelming, which makes the main point of the film crooked at the most critical moment.
Fortunately, the director's $120 million production fee was finally not in vain. The actors' acting and action scenes are impeccable, and the visual effects are amazing. If you have a cold with the sci-fi style of "shanzhai poor" in "District 9", this one can be said to be a step up. It doesn't matter if you're not used to it, the sci-fi style on the Elysium Space Station definitely conforms to the "high, rich and handsome" aesthetic. The rhythm of the film is also suffocating from time to time under the tense soundtrack, so that your brain has no time to stop and complain.
Although "Elysium" can't reach the height of "Ninth District", I believe its conception and scenes will make you reminisce after the show. As a friendly reminder, as a grading scale of 15, this film has uncomfortable bloody pictures, please close your eyes and skip it as appropriate.
(Text/11, British Business Daily)
Movie fans self-assessment question: Which actor in "Elysium" has starred in "The Ninth District"?
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