Who doesn’t love a science fiction cautionary tale? Something that looks at the world as it is and imagines how the advancement of technology will only serve to make every problem worse. It’s an open acknowledgment that humans don’t learn lessons, and the only thing we’re any good at is escalating. Neill Blomkamp’s second feature carried an unsurvivable burden, butElysiumdeserved better.
Blomkamp is an abnormal talent. Fans know his backstory. Peter Jackson tapped him to direct a big-budgetHalomovie after a series of successful short films.That project fell through, leading Jackson to fund the full-length adaptation of Blomkamp’s short filmAlive in Joburg. That film becameDistrict 9, one of the most celebrated sci-fi films of the last 20 years. He’s never topped his outstanding debut, and his perceived drop in quality has been a wonder to watch.
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What isElysiumabout?
The year is 2154.Earth is dying underthe crushing weight of tremendous overpopulation, all-consuming disease, and the never-ending greed of the wealthy. Life on Earth is miserable. Poor, hungry people work thankless dead-end jobs to survive. Criminals take what they can and kill whoever gets in their way. The rich are lucky enough to avoid the unpleasantness of the world they created. Aristocrats live on Elysium, an orbiting ring-shaped settlement that floats outside Earth’s atmosphere. Elysium provides its citizens with plenty of land and beautiful simulacra of nature. Their resources are plentiful, and their lives are easy. The government of Elysium exists to prevent those less fortunate from reaching the vessel. Elysium hasaccess to medical carethat can treat previously incurable illnesses. This leads to an active industry of smugglers working to sneak sick Earthlings onto Elysium.
The hero of the piece is Max Da Costa, a parolee working an unfulfilling factory job. A workplace accident leaves Max with a deadly case of radiation poisoning. He’s told he has only five days to live. Max makes a deal with a criminal. If he can steal some valuable information from an Elysium citizen, his new friend will send him to the station to cure his illness. Max gets asuit of powered armor bolted to his skeletonto get the job done. Max uncovers a plot at the highest levels of Elysium, bringing him into the crosshairs of a corrupt bureaucrat and her sociopathic mercenary. Max must fight his way through the most powerful security state in the future to save his life and the lives of others.
Why is Neill Blomkamp only celebrated forDistrict 9?
Most critics and audiences agree thatDistrict 9is one of the finest modern science fiction movies. It’s intelligent, brutal, subversive, technically brilliant, and comprehensively impressive.ElysiumfollowedDistrict 9by capturing much of the same angst. Its script wasn’t as tight, and it wasn’t as surprising asDistrict 9, so its reception was mixed. Blomkamp then directedChappie, which was seen by most as a cataclysmic downgrade. Most critics hated it. He spent six years away from the director’s chair before putting outDemonicwhile in quarantine. Critics broadly despised his first full-fledged horror effort, but almost no one saw it. The big difference between his latest efforts andElysiumis thatElysiumis a good movie with some problems, while the other entries are bizarre messes. One wonders how its cultural impact would have changed if he’d released the films in a different order. It’s hard to imagine how excited fans would be to see Blomkamp reach near his peakafter something likeChappie.
The real world hasn’t gotten any kinder to its underclass since 2013. In 10 years,Elysiumhas only become a more accurate glimpse intoa nightmarish possible future. Its action remains compelling, its characters remain relatable, and its social commentary is as brutal as ever. If anything has changed over the decade, it’s in the film’s favor. Some calledElysiumunrealistically pessimistic or needlessly cruel toward its targets. The past ten years have made it much easier to believe that the rich will be on the next ship off this rock as soon as they get the chance. MaybeElysiumwill become valuable as a strategy guide in another ten years.
