Movie Review #24 - "Elysium (2013)"

Movie Review #24 - "Elysium (2013)"

First, let me start this lovely review by saying that I truly enjoy most of Matt Damon's work.  He's smart, cunning, funny (at times), and just a good actor ... Unfortunately, this wasn't the right film choice for him ...

On IMDB:  "Elysium (2013)"

Benny's Tabasco Rating:  2 / 10 Tabasco Peppers

Synopsis:  Earth is basically a waste land that's controlled by rich people that live on a "space station" orbiting Earth.  Yawn ... On "Elysium" (i.e. The Space Station), no one gets sick and life is bliss ... Yawn ...

Are you asleep yet? Please ... I beg you ... Read on ...

Cast:  Matt  Damon plays the lead as a down and out man who is basically given radiation poisoning and has a very short life span.  His character is not what I would call very deep ... It's a phone-in role for Damon as far as I am concerned ... I was not impressed by this ... And why doesn't Matt's characters every smile?

Jodie Foster plays the Secretary of Defense for Elysium.  She's cold, calculating, and disciplined ... She actually does a decent job ... But I place blame on the writing ... 

No one else really sticks out ... Matt's character (see how memorable his character was) has a love interest that you really don't care about ... There are bad guys and good guys ... But the writing makes this film so forgettable ...

Writing:  Neill Blomkamp wrote this mess of a script ... I think about twenty more re-writes later, this might have been a decent film ... There won't be any accolades that I can see in the near future for this work.  He was a writer on "District 9" which was decent ... But not exactly Oscar material ... 

Direction:  Again, Neill Blomkamp directs.  I think he did a pretty good job with Jodie Foster.  However, I really didn't care who lived or died in the film ... That's not a good thing ... There seemed to be such a disconnect between the characters and the audience ... 

Cinematography:  Too much CGI.  I know that this is a futuristic film, but come on ... Enough ... Can't we ever see something real anymore?  Make some mock-ups!!! Get cheaper actors ... Build sets ... 

Yes, I know we live in the Digital World ... But I'm a material girl ... Wait ... man ...

Overall Synopsis:  I'm not a fan of this one ... I actually went to see this one on the big screen .. and I rented it once it went to DVD ... I'm not sure why ... I thought that maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind in the theatre ... So, rent it .. And I did ... I had the same reaction .. No connection whatsoever ... 

Find something else ... Watch "Alien" or "Flash Gordon" .. :)