The Super Network

Dir. Neill Blomkamp

To a degree, I feel somewhat out of my comfort zone by writing a review for a science fiction film. Not because I didn’t ‘get it’ (I do) or I didn’t enjoy it (I did) but SF has a broad, broad range of subject matter to choose from and as with everything else, how a topic is tackled is an acquired taste. Neill Blomkamp’s second major Hollywood feature like his stellar debut “District 9” talks about the Now by using the context of the Future. I wasn’t so much interested in the film’s plot as I was about what Blomkamp was saying.

I think one of the reasons why we love the post-apocalyptic genre is to live vicariously, but in “Elysium”’s case, what is going on in the film’s version of Earth is already happening now. Over-population is a huge threat to the human species simply because our planet isn’t nearly large enough to sustain an enormous amount of critical mass, and like “Soylent Green” and “V for Vendetta”, “Elysium” presents us with a startling version of a popular future the human species has if we aren’t careful. Not only that, but Blomkamp is making a furious statement about how poorly immigration is handled and perhaps the most frightening of them all, the standard of healthcare that is offered in some countries and how monstrous such privatisation can be, a problem that especially affects countries that don’t possess the same resources as others. All Blomkamp has done is made things a little more stylish.

I didn’t know what to expect when I sat my butt down in the theatre, apart from knowing I was hugely surprised by how deep and potent “District 9” was and that it had a more than capable cast and crew. I knew that I was going to be watching an intelligent movie and I knew it would have something highly relevant to say. Afterwards, those particular expectations were filled as I expected, but in terms of spectacle, in terms of the type of spectacle we expect from SF, I was a left a little empty. I wasn’t hoping for an all-out action fest, but in a way, I felt the trailers were slightly deceptive, when there was action, there was really action, but in between, it felt a lot more like a character drama. Not a bad thing at all, but you have no doubt seen from other reviews that “Elysium” was not as spectacular as “District 9”, but to be fair, this was probably Blomkamp’s intention so he could share the concerns he felt with us, knowing his audience would probably feel the same. In that, “Elysium” succeeds admirably. Although the film contains some tight robot rumbles and slam downs between a disgustingly buff Matt Damon as Everyman Max with an equally disgustingly buff Sharlto Copley as bestial and perverse mercenary Kruger respectively, it’s all just window-dressing that surrounds a greater picture.

That being said, this stuff was still pretty frickin’ sweet!

Blompkamp is strongly implying the world we live in is slipping into danger due to our own carelessness and taking our resources for granted even though by right, it doesn’t belong to us- we’ve claimed it, we didn’t necessarily earn it. Another compelling thing that works in the film’s favour is that it almost plays out like a Greek adventure of old. As a result, the Earth has become a wasteland of discarded technology and barren landscapes, abandoned by the gods. Like any other life-form, humanity is searching for new pastures to graze, but only a select elite are given that luxury by living on a space station that is named after the Greek equivalent of Heaven, the Elysium Fields, an intergalactic Utopia overseen by Hades in the form of a steely Jodie Foster. Nobody gets sick, no suffocating pollution and nobody leaves. Elysium is the Paradise we all dream of and it’s invaluable resources are being deprived from the residents of Earth because of the mire they have got ourselves into.

Although Matt Damon is portrayed as the honourable man, he is a part of why the world sucks in this movie, but he is genuinely trying to change that by doing the unthinkable- infiltrating Paradise all to save his child. If somebody we loved were in trouble, how far would we go to save them and how much would we sacrifice to do it? Blomkamp is also asking the question about what is worth fighting and dying for in a world that we have helped to create or destroy and whether or not it is worth it. In a way, “Elysium” reminded me of Stephen King’s “The Running Man” which deals with an eerily similar storyline and protagonist who is racing against the clock on a personal mission we can all relate to. I think this is perhaps the central reason as why “Elysium” works- it takes a macro problem and combines it with an intimate one, in this case, the plight of Max vs. The Elite and throws in some wonderfully inventive SF ingredients just to ease off any heavy-handedness.

I don’t think I could possibly say more of anything that would be of substantial value to you as a potential viewer, but rest assured, if you like your SF intelligent and topical, this is the movie for you. If you are expecting thrills and chills at every corner, you may be slightly disappointed, but you can definitely take solace in the fact that the combat that this movie boasts will floor the ever loving snickety out of you. There is no doubt that Blomkamp has prevailed in his mission to talk to us about the problem he shares with us all, and while it is too early to tell if it will be CLASSIC, it will remain relevant for a long while yet.

But on the realz Mr. Copley: “You really make me want to settle down, baby…”

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