ELYSIUM DVD (2013)




SYNOPSIS: In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn't stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Back in 2009, the young Neil Blomkamp showed Hollywood how to do an action filled, original sci-fi flick with District 9. The South African born filmmaker returns three years later armed with a bigger budget, bigger stars though with the same brainy formula.

Set in the year 2154, the world has become overpopulated and Los Angeles for that matter has turned into a massive dystopia. The rich people on the other hand have migrated to a luxurious space station called Elysium. Max (Matt Damon), a former car thief works at Armadyne Corp that supplies weaponry and robotic policemen but an accident causes Max to lethally expose to radiation one day. Knowing his only chance of survival is to get into a Med-bay at Elysium, Max plotted to hitch an illegal ride to Elysium. In exchange he has to steal valuable information from Armadyne CEO John Carlyle (William Fichtner) for a smuggler. With a ruthless rogue agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley) hot on his heels and a sick girl in need of his help, will Max manage to survive and complete his mission?

For the first half of the story, Blomkamp who also wrote the script continues to tell a compelling tale of two distorted world and classes. The super wealthy has all the privileges including an unbelievable machine stored at home to rid the body of any alarming diseases and sicknesses. The poor has to contend with bad air, terrible living conditions and outrageous police robots. It’s an eerie mirror image of what’s today world is evolving into, hopefully it won’t be a reality. Blomkamp’s social commentary is engaging and his messages indeed captivating.

But whatever socio-political subtext is thrown out of the window by the time Max landed on Elysium as Blomkamp decides to channel some Michael Bay and delivers non-stop, squeamish action sets as Max battles the riled Kruger. The acclaimed and always welcome Jodie Foster portrays the Elysian Secretary of Defense, an icy, no-nonsense lady that is a cohort of Kruger. Sadly, Foster deserved a much longer screentime because she chews every minute she appears on screen.

Inspired by classic sci-fi movies and concept artist Syd Mead, the futuristic, clinical look of the movie will definitely win you over. Just like District 9, the visual effects are rich, detailed and alarmingly realistic. Damon no stranger to drama and action fare is a strong presence right here opposite Copley who puts on a surprisingly maniac performance as the movie’s main villain. Despite a somewhat child’s play attempt to conclude the story on a high note, Blomkamp once again proved he is no flash in the pan. Elysium on the whole is a fascinating watch from the start till the end even though it has a few flaws and blemishes. We can’t have the best of both worlds right? 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster reveal a major spoiler in Collaboration: Crafting the Performances in Elysium thus you might wish to avoid this feature that mainly discuss the performances of the main cast members and story.

A look at renowned concept artist Syd Mead’s works in Engineering Utopia: A Society in the Sky.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Boasting strong bass, ambient effects and dialogue clarity, Elysium sounds fantastic on DVD. Detailing and imaging is equally spectacular in this heavy effects sci-fi flick.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee



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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner, Wagner Moura
Rating:
NC-16 (Violence and Coarse Language) 
Year Made: 2013

 SPECIAL FEATURES

- Engineering Utopia: Creating a society in the sky
- Collaboration: Crafting the performances in Elysium

 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Languages: English/Protuguese/Spanish/Thai
Subtitles: English/Chinese/Cantonese/
Korean/Malay/Portuguese/
Spanish/Thai

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Region Code: 3
Distributor: Origin Entertainment