Neil Blomkamp follows up his auspicious
debut District 9 with Elysium, a science-fiction that's
just as violent and icky as his first feature but without the
deftness of story or subtext to justify it.
150 years in the future, Earth has
deteriorated into a cesspool of disease and poverty. The wealthy 1%
jumped ship long ago by inhabiting a glorious space station –
Elysium – with all the pristine comforts money can buy; including
magic medicare machines that can instantly cure any ailment. Just
like that! Desperate immigrants from Earth are eager to jump aboard
illegal shuttle flights to the orbiting utopia, much to the chagrin
of its steely defense secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster), who would
sooner eschew the rulebook and blast everything within 100 miles of
her precious paradise than allow one disease-riddled earthling to set
foot on it.
