Arts & Entertainment

Elysium: Trailer and Reviews

Matt Damon's newest movie is said to be "fantastic and grounded in reality."


The premise, courtesy of the film's official website: 

In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission — one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces — but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

Here's what critics are saying: 

... along with a very topical, deeply resonant theme and premise, 'Elysium' has a hurtling momentum, with enough boom-crash-splatter explosiveness to wow even the most hardened action junkie. — Michael Sauter, Film Journal International 

The best science fiction films typically hold a questioning mirror to our society, and director Neil Blomkamp’s 'Elysium' tries to be a politically-charged allegory with the intention of showing the disparaging differences in social classes, healthcare, immigration and government corruption but only intelligently touches on them as briefly as this sentence before becoming watered down into brainless nonsense. — Justin Craig, Fox News

Director Neill Blomkamp's dystopian sci-fi thriller is absorbing, stylish and well-acted. But it doesn't fully realize its fascinating premise, or live up to the promise established by Blomkamp's riveting last film, 2009's 'District 9.' — Claudia Puig, UGA Today
Blomkamp’s plot seems contrived, but it’s been contrived with the express purpose to illustrate every facet of 'Elysium’s' future without making it feel like a digression. Moreover, no matter how convenient some of the film's plot points may be, they all exude a thick residue of desperation that coats Blomkamp’s lived-in landscapes. — William Bibbiani, Crave Online
Blomkamp deftly balances the action requirements with the issues and fills in the background with enough detail to make this multicultural dystopian split between the haves and have-nots feel logical and familiar. He manages to make 'Elysium' feel at once fantastic and grounded in reality. — Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune

"Elysium" is rated R for for strong bloody violence and language throughout. The movie runs 1 hour and 49 minutes. 


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