On Elysium

On the back of 2009’s District 9, Neill Blomkamp has been given more money to tell a similar story. District 9 was an allegorical science fiction film exploring themes similar to apartheid. It was lauded on its release and is certainly a fresh addition to the sci-fi genre, incorporating a documentary style approach via the inclusion of a talking heads segment. District 9 does suffer a little from repeat viewings, losing some of its subtleties and suffering from the performances of a largely unprofessional cast.

Elysium does not suffer from the latter, in fact it is Matt Damon that drags us through this heavy-handed film, proving once again he is one of the most versatile American actors. In its story of an apocalyptic Earth where the rich are encased in a Green Zone like space station, Elysium lacks any subtlety in telling this simple parable. The characters are thinly drawn and wear their personalities on their sleeve, as if the audience are too uncivilised to muddle through the complexities of good versus bad, rich versus poor. The dialogue feels forced in the mouths of most of the characters and the Hollywood shine added to the opening and closing sequences negates the impressive, dirty mise en scene of Earth. Blomkamp’s two features are further proof that more money negates creativity.