Elysium

Elysium

Rated R and Released in Grand Rapids 8/9/13

Reviewed 8/15/13 at Celebration North in Grand Rapids, MI 

with Gary

2 1/2 out of 5 Js in QUIET Rating System

Matt Damon is usually in quality movies and his action movies are particularly thrilling. This one was pretty good, but with all the hype it was a little disappointing. Gary liked this more than I did. It was between a 2 1/2 and 3 for me, but I thought it would be too generous giving it a 3. It kept moving along and the premise was interesting at times, but too predictable. Jodi Foster is a great actress and she did well playing the dark Secretary of Defense. She might have been a little underutilized.

Elysium is set in 2154 and Matt DeCosta (Damon) is stuck on decrepit, disease-ridden Earth with the rest of the unlucky population. He works at a factory run by wretched John Carlyle (William Fichtner) who basically takes orders from the pious Secretary Rhodes (Foster).

She, along with other elitists, live in a peaceful space station hovering above Earth. It is artificially manufactured, yet supposed to be like paradise. This is supposed to be desirable (yes, in lieu of miserable Earth it does look superior), yet the movie makers just give us glimpses of it and don't make it look that exciting.

The hardworking ex-con DeCosta has a devastating work place accident and as a result he is very routinely told by a robot that he just has days to live. DeCosta springs into action and gets aid from old girlfriend Frey (Alice Braga), a long lost love that happens to be a nurse. Her complicated life is spent with her young dying daughter that while on Earth there is no hope for her. Everyone's desire is to get to paradise up in the sky at whatever costs, but of course can be extremely difficult with fatal consequences. DeCosta, with a team of outlaws, hatches the plan to get to Elysium but they all have their own motives for the risky 15 minute trip via space ship. All the while, Secretary Rhodes micro monitors Earth and hastily protects the Space Station. She commissions an illegal enforcer, the very creepy Agent Kruger (Sharito Copley), who eagerly pursues outlaws including DeCosta.

Like an explosion, their lives all intersect at the conclusion and DeCosta must decide his and mankind's destiny all in a matter of seconds. While entertaining enough to see Elysium in the theatre, you can probably wait to see it at home. You'll be less disappointed and maybe even like it a lot more. I think I would.

QUIET Rating system: 2 1/2 Js

Quality: JJ

Understood story:  JJj

Interest: JJj

Entertainment:  JJJ

Time:  JJJ