Elysium 
Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alica Braga, Diego Luna, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Brandon Auret, Josh Blacker
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
Rated: R
Run Time: 109 mins
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Sci-Fi
Opens August 9th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! Opening this week is the latest film from “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp, “Elysium” stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Diego Luna.
Set in the year 2154, the dystopian state that most of the Earth’s population lives in is pretty gross. Most of the remaining inhabitants live in poverty, shanty sq housing and The wealthy elite live in space in a colony called Elysium, a star shaped paradise that orbits the Earth.
As a child, Max (Matt Damon) was told by the nuns at the orphanage that he had a special purpose in life. As an adult, his life so far has been less than ideal. On parole for stealing cars, Max works in a factory assembling droids that police the population. When he is injured in an accident at work, taking in a lethal dose of radiation, Max has less than 5 days to live.
Located up on Elysium, there is a healing technology that if one is a citizen of the wealthy utopia, enjoys the benefits of perfect health or rapid healing. Max, always wanting to go there, unfortunately, has a reason to go. The only one that can make it happen is human traffic smuggler Spider (Wagner Moura), who has been able to forge identities to get illegals on to Elysium to be healed.
If Max does one last job of stealing information out of Corporate giant John Carlyle (William Fichtner), Spider can get him up on Elysium, which would be beneficial not only for him but the world. The only person that could stop Max is Secretary of Defence Delacourt (Jodie Foster), who has arranged a military coup for the leadership of Elysium. Will Max be able to beat Delacourt at her own game or will he die a painful death?
If you ever wanted to see “Good Will Hunting”, The Bourne Identity” and “District 9” all in one shot, check out “Elysium”. This film is full of so many plot holes that it was difficult to get into the story. Another distracting aspect to the film was Jodie Foster’s interpretation of a wealthy elite accent. It comes across as part robot, parch French and part snooty British. It was as if she was confused as whom she was playing. Foster is usually such a powerful actress that it is surprising that never quite finds her footing in her character. Matt Damon’s character is a cross between Will Hunting and Jason Bourne which works decently. The story theme lacks originality as it feels like a recycled version of “District 9”, pinning the poor against the wealthy. You be the judge when “Elysium” when it opens in theaters starting Friday August 9, 2013.
