ELYSIUM PREDICTS A FUTURE FOR PLANETARY LIFE
Science fiction often depicts boring we/they action films, and that’s what Elysium offers for the most part. But director Neill Blomkamp also provides a more serious agenda in which global warning has made life difficult, machines do the policing, and the rich have left for Elysium, a new satellite constructed not far from earth. Leading an idyllic Beverly Hills life, they count on Delacourt (played by Jodie Foster) and the ruling elite to keep order. Meanwhile, those left on earth hope to save enough money to fly to join them but otherwise suffer in various ways. The plot develops around Max (played by Matt Damon), who is desperate to get better treatment for himself on Elysium. Had the film focused on the latter more than the action, the film might have served as a “global warning.” MH