Class act

When Neill Blomkamp's directorial debut came out in 2009, it felt like a bit of fresh air within the sci-fi genre. Finally we had a movie that gave audiences something more than your normal creature feature. With his follow-up effort, Elysium, Blomkamp has once again attempted to blend a social class allegory with science fiction.

Elysium refers to a large space station that hovers over Earth and houses the wealthiest, most elite people while everyone else remains on Earth, which has turned into one big third world country. Elysium's inhabitants not only live a posh lifestyle, they have access to the most advanced technologies, including machines that can cure you of any disease you have. Making sure that those perks remain used by only the privileged is the head of Homeland Security, Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster). She stops at no cost to keep Elysium pure, even if it means shooting down ships filled with people trying to sneak into their paradise.

On Earth, things are particularly are particularly grim for Max (Matt Damon). Raised in an orphanage, Max grew up running afoul of the law several times while bouncing from one dead end job to the next. While working at a robotics factory, Max is involved in a machine malfunction that leads to him receiving a lethal dose of radiation. With only five days left to live, Max sets out on a mission to get to Elysium so that he can cure himself.

The set-up for the movie offers tremendous promise. It offers a tantalizing future that is rooted in current day issues of immigration and class warfare. Damon, as always, is terrific in this role as you can sense the weariness his character has for his lifestyle even before he's given a death sentence. The film also has a lot of fan establishing this futuristic Earth that is run by robotic cops and a few corporate leaders who only periodically stay on Earth to make sure their businesses are still functioning properly.

The back half of the film cannot quite live up to the promise established in the beginning unfortunately. Max's quest to make it to Elysium is filled primarily with a lot of noisy action. In order to get on a ship headed to Elysium, Max aligns himself with Julio, a well-connected criminal who wants Max to get him some important information that could take down Elysium and its people. To help him with this mission, Julio fits Max with a robotic exoskeleton that makes him look like a beta version of Robocop. Standing in Max's way is Secretary Rhodes' hired gun, Agent Kruger. Kruger is a rogue thug played by a nearly unrecognizable Sharlto Copley.

Kruger and Max go toe-to-toe on a couple of occasions as the movie progresses. I will admit that Blomkamp's filming of the scenes is impressive. He has a true visual flare for shooting action sequences that feel fresh and engaging. It's just a shame that the scene did nothing for me on an intellectual level. I kept wishing that those scenes would have been balanced out with more scenes of political discourse regarding Elysium's policies. With that said, a little of Foster's Secretary Rhodes goes a long way in this film. Foster is an Oscar winner and has delivered several great performances, but I have no clue what she was going for her as she takes on a baffling accent that is borderline laughable. Any potential for political intrigue is undercut by her performance.

At a time when so many films play it safe or give us the same old story, I respect Blomkamp for providing us with something that feels different. I just wish he would have had the guts to see it all the way through instead of relying on sheer action at the back end of the picture. While the movie may have some flaws, I'm certainly recommending it because I want to see films that takes risks like this get rewarded with viewers. Blomkamp may thumb his nose at the 1 percenters, but with Elysium, he is quickly proving that he belongs in an elite class of directors. Grade: B+

Privileged planet

Fans of the sci-fi film District 9 have been anxious to see what director Neill Blomkamp has in store for a follow up. Well wait no more as here's the first look at his new film, Elysium due out this August.

RBR: Carnage

Directed by Roman Polanski, this is an adaptation of the play God of Carnage. It centers around two pairs of parents who have come together to discuss a recent altercation that occured between their two sons. As their conversations escalate, more gets revealed about their relationships and who they are as individuals. Based on the trailer, this looked like it would share some of the uncomfortable, yet unpredictable fun that is often depicted in bottle episodes of sitcoms. Unfortunately, what worked in a 2 minute trailer becomes unbearable when expanded into a feature length film. Despite a great quartet of actors (Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christophe Waltz, and John C. Reilly) none of them come off looking great here. What might have served as compelling on the stage just comes off as annoying here as you wonder why these two couples continue to be with each other as their animosity for the other grows. As a viewer it becomes futile trying to side with anyone here as none of them are relatable or sympathetic. The only clarity the situation brings is that the incident between the two kids is a clear reflection on their upbringing or lack thereof. That's just a sad social commentary that I took no pleasure in witnessing. I feel bad being so negative toward a film that has a cast of actors whose work I typically enjoy, but this simply is not a good effort from anyone. Do yourself a favor and avoid the Carnage. Rating: **

Quarreling Quartet

Here's a trailer for Carnage, based on a play titled Gods of Carnage. The film centers around a pair of parents who agree to meet after their sons were in a fight. With such a low concept premise, you need strong performances to drive the narrative and based on this first look, it seems like we have that.