6:23 PM
ArtsNFashion
By James
Colt Harrison
Elysium brings together two top stars in Matt Damon
and Jody Foster in a science fiction film by South African-born director/writer
Neill Blomkamp. Given a budget of $90 by TriStar Pictures, Blomkamp wrote the
script and says “No, no, this isn’t science fiction. This is today. This is
now.”
The director’s outlook is somewhat gloomy,
considering the theme of the picture is what happens to earth in 2154. Not a
pretty picture at all. The earth is ravaged ---when isn’t it in a sci-fi
film?---and living conditions are dreary for the ordinary human being. But
wait---there is hope for the wealthy! There is a high-tech space station
lurking by that is like Utopia. Not only that, but there are miraculous
machines that can cure diseases and make everyone like new. Naturally, those
lucky enough to have the money to live there do not want any immigrants to
clutter up the place. All those who try to penetrate the space station are
brutally turned away.
Enter Matt Damon. There has to be a big star to
abuse, sock in the nose, and terrorize. After all, the studio has to justify
those big bucks they pay him that bloat the budget. Unfortunately, he plays an
ex-con named Max DeCosta who has an accident in the factory where he works. The
industrial incident has infected him with cancer that can only be cured by one
of the miracle medical machines on Elysium.
No one is allowed on Elysium unless they are
citizens of the space module. Naturally, after his accident, Max is determined
to get to the satellite and get cured. He has only five days to get there, and
will do anything it takes. One attempt is to kidnap a billionaire (William
Fichtner) and steal his identity code to enter the utopian space.
None of this can be done today without
voluminous amounts of computer gadgets and lots of wire and switches. Max’s
best friend Julio (Mexican star Diego Luna) is the computer nerd, along with
the help of Spider (Wagner Moura). A cringe-inducing scene is when Max has a
computer memory drilled into his head to protect secret codes.
To add to the complications Max reconnects with
his boyhood crush Frey (South American star Alicia Braga) and her little girl
Matilda (Emma Tremblay). The girl is suffering from terminal leukemia and must
also get to Elysium for a cure. Ms. Braga plays her role with confidence and
plays a nurse with authority. Her concerns for her daughter’s welfare seems
sincere.
Action scenes are liberally sprinkled
throughout the film, but there is also some heart sprinkled within because of
the little girl’s dilemma and the past that Max and Frey shared as kids. If a
normal person endured the beatings, pummelings, and smashings that Max has to
take, they would end up in traction for a decade. But our star Damon comes
through with some scratches, a stab wound, and a few bruises. All this after he
suffers a brutal attack by a ten foot high robot. Damon must have been
sabotaged by the hair stylist after having his noggin shaved to a very
unattractive nub.
Oscar® winner Jody Foster is the Secretary of
Defense of Elysium, and she is a mean one. She conjures up a coup to rid the
space habitat of its president so she can take over. Ms. Foster always commands
the screen, and this is a good part for her to show her screen power to
advantage. She does not want Max to reach the station to cure his cancer, so
she pulls out all of her power to kill anybody who gets near. Foster is tough,
nasty, authoritative, and wonderful in her CEO-type part. It’s good to see her
after a long break off the screen.
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