It is always challenging for a filmmaker who broke through with their debut film to land a second feature, as they will be assessed on whether they lived up to their own hype. Neill Blomkamp had a more difficult time of it than most, considering that his first feature, 2009’s District 9 , was a word-of-mouth hit that felt like a completely new spin on the science fiction genre, and earned surprising Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. So expectations were sky-high for his second film, 2013’s Elysium, which presented a grounded look at a not-so-distant future in which class discrepancies have resulted in mass inequality. Elysium was criticized at the time for being too pointed and obvious in its political criticisms, but the film has held up remarkably well when considering the dramatic changes to the U.S. healthcare system that have occurred within the 13 years since it was released. Now more than ever, Elysium isn’t just an entertaining cyberpunk thriller with appropriately gritty action, but a searing indictment of the consolidation of power in crisis situations.
Set in the year 2154, Elysium imagines an Earth that has become overpopulated and devastated by environmental damage, meaning that most citizens have to work under laborious conditions to keep producing technology. Pollution and the depletion of resources have made the planet largely inhospitable, as it is ravaged by disease; in response, the wealthiest and most powerful members of the human race have escaped to the space station Elysium, which circles the Earth and contains advanced medical supplies. Elysium is only accessible to those who can afford it — it’s designed to exclude people like Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), who has been denied any opportunities to cure his life-threatening illness because of his criminal history. Elysium looks at the differences between the haves and have-nots in a direct way, but Blomkamp’s exhilarating, visceral sci-fi mythology ensures that it is still a riveting genre film.
‘Elysium’ Is an Eerie, Terrifyingly Dystopian Story
Though it’s sci-fi, Elysium succeeds at creating a story audiences can identify with because the circumstances that Max is dealing with are relatable, regardless of whether they are connected to any sci-fi themes. Max is simply a man who is desperately looking for work to support both himself and his childhood friend, Frey (Alice Braga), whose daughter Matilda (Emma Tremblay) has leukemia. Although Max recognizes that he is competing against other poor people who are in the same position, and that he will have even more difficulties finding work because of his criminal history, injuries he sustains in the midst of performing manual labor soon make his own health status equally pressing. That average citizens would be stripped of the resources that they need to survive, let alone not be offered any dignity, is not a concept that is based in science fiction, as it reflects present reality far closer than anyone watching Elysium in 2013 would have expected. Blomkamp makes a smart environmentalist point by showing that it may be corporations and conglomerates that pollute the world, but it will be average people who have to pay the price.
Elysium uses its sci-fi premise to show how those with wealth can create their own reality because they are not burdened by any directive to show compassion. The notion of pooling medical resources for those of the upper class is not a science fiction concept, as the only “imagined” component in Blomkamp’s universe is that this would extend to the monopolization of space; today, it’s a much less farfetched concept than it appeared to be in 2013. Another smart link that Blomkamp makes is between the healthcare systems, the government, and the military-industrial complex, as he implies that they’ve all conspired to rig the market so that class ascension is impossible. This explains why characters like Max feel so powerless, and why they must resort to extreme measures in order to protect themselves; even if they spent a lifetime living by the rules of Earth’s governments, they could never hope to be among the select few allowed to live on Elysium.
‘Elysium’ Features a Compelling Moral Dilemma
Elysium thoughtfully considers what kinds of desperate situations could turn someone into a revolutionary figure, but the film is also a visceral action thriller that makes use of all the brutality allowed by an R-rating. There’s a significant disparity within the style of filmmaking used when depicting Earth and Elysium; the planet is dirty and damaged, feeling like a never-ending wasteland, whereas the space station has a slick, nearly retro-futuristic feel. The opulent beauty of Elysium is effective because it is infuriating to see the gross excess within a society that only allows a select few to enter, giving it an Imperialist feel. At the same time, the film paints a realistic portrayal of what Earth may look like should ecocide continue, and it’s a future that feels far more plausible in the aftermath of the U.S.’s exit from the Paris Accords.
Elysium presents a dark future that is sadly identifiable, but the film still works as a piece of summer entertainment because it does believe in heroes. Max is not just the perfect redemptive protagonist because he ends up learning that there is more to fight for than just himself; he becomes a symbol that the rest of those on Earth can get behind. Elysium showed in no uncertain terms what Earth could transform into if it headed on its current trajectory, but its most radical decision may have been its faith in human kindness.
Elysium
- Release Date
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August 9, 2013
- Runtime
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109 minutes
