Director: Neill Blomkamp

Writer: Neill Blomkamp

Starring:  Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley

Tomatometer: 66/67/70 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: In 2154, Earth is overpopulated, poor, and in ruin. Floating somewhere between Earth and the moon is Elysium, a secure paradise inhabited by what used to be Earth’s upper class.  Once Max, a blue collar factory worker, is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, he makes a deal with a smuggler who promises to get Max to Elysium and into one of their cure-all medical chambers.

Two Cents: With the NFL season fast approaching, this is an appropriate time to discuss the phenomenon known as the “sophomore slump”.  In football, it is widely believed, players who breakout as stars during their respective rookie seasons have a tendency to underwhelm the following year.  One great recent example is Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.  During his rookie year, Newton amazed fans, and even set a plethora of rookie records.  In his sophomore campaign, though, Newton’s statistics actually declined in a variety of important categories – passing yards, completion percentage, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and more.  Loads of players have experienced similar declines.

At its core, the sophomore slump phenomenon revolves around the belief that the element of surprise is a significant factor in success.  Newton spent his whole life preparing for his first season in the NFL.  When he finally made it, all that work paid off.  (This aspect is similar to what many musicians go through with a second album.  The first album consists of all the best material the musician has written up until that point.  The second mostly consists of material form a span of a year or two.  Consider Alanis Morissette’s career after Jagged Little Pill.)  However, during his second season, once his opponents knew what to expect from him, Newton had to spend much of his time learning new ways to complete old tasks.  Performance builds both high expectations and heightened resistance.

That concludes my unnecessarily wordy tangent.

When Neill Blomkamp directed District 9, his first feature-length film, he was, for all intents and purposes, a complete nobody.  Lucky for him, he had two aces in the hole – a whopping spoonful of talent and a rich, influential PR department in the form of Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.  While no one expected much from the South African whiz kid, Blomkamp directed (and co-wrote) one of the most critically acclaimed sci-fi films in recent memory (90/89/79 on Rotten Tomatoes, for what it’s worth).  He both raised the bar for original sci-fi entertainment and brought in over $210,000,000 in worldwide ticket sales, all without a single famous actor.  Needless to say, a lot was expected from Blomkamp’s second feature film, Elysium.

With megastars like Matt Damon and Jodie Foster along for the ride, Elysium certainly has more of a Hollywood feel than did District 9.  Unfortunately, Hollywood has a spotty record when it comes to making things better.  Damon is good, but not great.  We’ve seen so many great performances from him in the past, and this time he seems to let the special effects do most of the talking.  Jodie Foster is terrible as Elysium’s defense minister.  Her performance is nearly as uncomfortable as her rambling Golden Globes Awards speech.  Supporting roles from William Fichtner and Diego Luna are somewhat wasted and underwhelming.

Sharlto Copley shines as military contractor Kruger, even though he feels a bit scrawny for the macho role.  The surprise of the cast is Wagner Moura, who plays Spider, the smuggler.  Moura’s gravely voice and perfected limp contribute to a complex and admirable character who steals a number of scenes.

Elysium is such a blatant Occupy Wall Street homage that Blomkamp loses sight of his (presumed) goal of telling an original story.  There’s not enough development of the two worlds – Earth and Elysium.  Blomkamp seems to assume that the viewer “gets it”, as if he can simply say, “There are poor people and there are rich people; let’s move on”.  This story could have benefitted greatly from a deeper dive into how the 99% and the 1% are actually living in 2154.  In addition, that development should have included an explanation as to why the rich are keeping their medical advances from the poor.  They’ve already created their own planet; do they really need a monopoly on medicine?  There are some plot holes, as well.

The good news about most sophomore slumps is that they are just that, slumps.  There’s no reason to think Blomkamp’s third movie, Chappie, won’t be a gem.  He’s still got loads of talent, and, with Elysium under his belt, he’ll likely have a much better handle on building a movie Hollywood style, the second time around.  Heck, in two weeks, I might even pick Cam Newton for my fantasy team.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: Don’t get me wrong.  Elysium is a good movie.  It’s got a decent plot, great visual effects, and, generally, solid performances.  It just won’t blow you away like District 9 did (I hope you’ve seen it).  It’s still exciting to see some original sci-fi material making it onto the silver screen.  Some of the sci-fi reboots in recent years have been pretty impressive, but the genre is in desperate need of an influx of new blood.  Blomkamp is certainly talented enough to provide that infusion, but Elysium probably won’t get much mention in his lifetime achievement award speech.  

Sundae Rating: Two scoops