Comments on: Robots, Spaceships & Jodie Foster: The Good, The Bad, And The Wildly Uneven Of ‘Elysium’ https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/ Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 By: Derek https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47745 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47745 Futurists Past would be a fuckin' rad band name.

]]> By: Adam Scott Thompson https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47754 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47754 That's the Machine's mantra: Keep it simple, stupid.

]]> By: cirkusfolk https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47753 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47753 So which is better, Elysium or Prometheus (last years promise of smart R rated sci Fi)? I see fanboys felt both let them down, but I enjoyed Eylsium more than it seems most did. It had good action and a fast pace. Both Kruger and Jodie Fosters characters could have been fleshed out more but I dont think the director wanted to give Foster much sympathy because he might betray his own message in the process. I didn't mind the flashbacks of the kids, and felt it gave us all we really needed to know about Damon's character. This and Star Trek were the best movies of the summer.

]]> By: RC https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47752 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47752 Thank you, Drew. Could hardly believe that last review. Script was so overwrought with conveniences, sledgehammer messaging, and one dimensional characters. Very disappointed. I still get a good chuckle though when I think how the leader of the underground revolutionary group deciphered all that hi-tech encrypted code in mere seconds without even looking at it ("you know what this is? The key to Elysium!") and then changed the fate of the 99% by simply replacing the unencrypted word "illegal" with "legal". I nearly fell out of my seat. Perhaps Blokamp, who I still think is a very talented director, should' be hired a programmer to go along with Mead. Hopefully next go around he'll hire a writer too.

]]> By: Just Me https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47751 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47751 Drew, I don't know who you are but this was the best review ever. You hit every single point (pros and cons) we tried to discuss on the car ride home from the theater. Excellent review. Liked it. Didn't love it. Think I would have absolutely loved it if those flaws could have been fixed on the front end. Thanks!

]]> By: Aticlurus https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47750 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47750 It's not without faults, no movie is, but I found it a terrfic thrill ride and very enjoyable. I thought Damon carried the whole contraption on his back and it was much less effective when he was off screen. The flashbacks with the kids were sentimental, but in spite of the fact they were written rather clumsily I also felt they gave the final scene a nice payoff, so the sentiment worked for me. The "racist" charge is ring thrown around on some right wing web sites and I am astonished to see it repeated here, since it should be perfectly clear to anyone who has seen the movie that the president of Elysium is Indian. In my one viewing I also saw at least two Asians and one black dude. And, yes, the exoskeleton gives Max added strength. That's why he's wearing it. Bizarre article.

]]> By: Planesrhere https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47749 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47749 Who's gonna break it to the Asian/mixed race chick in the red bathing suit that she's white?

]]> By: Its alive https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47748 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47748 As a young immigrant brought to Canada from a disintegrating South Africa, it seems obvious that wealth disparity, issues of human equality, and the dangers of environmental degradation are "tightly woven" into Blomkamp. So it's perfectly natural that they are also tightly woven into his movie. Which is all right if you're comfortable looking at these things. My suspicion is that the reason the world was more comfortable with his Apartheid metaphor is because it's an issue the rest of the world doesn't have. It's far easier to judge others than to be asked to judge ourselves. It makes us uncomfortable (that's good, that's our conscience talking). As a Christian and a westerner the movie did make me think again: how fair is "the system"? What if we really DID treat everyone exactly the same? What if we didn't place an arbitrary value on this vs that person? What steps could we practically take right now to make the whole thing a bit fairer? I think these are healthy, good questions. The kinds of questions Rod Serling would be proud of.

]]> By: Tugg boat https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47747 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47747 "…in the third act, she suddenly grows a 10-sizes-too-late conscience and decides to die"

Funny, I didn't perceive it that way. I saw her decision to die as a refusal to live without power. Essentially, another selfish gesture.

"… many of them appear to be criminals and terrorists"

This is lazily incorrect. Nobody is a terrorist because nobody is seeking to create a climate of fear through violence. Frey and the others working at the hospital are caring people doing their best. There is no indication the people working at the plant with Max are criminals. Spider is a criminal engaging in kidnapping for a specific one-time purpose. Max is an ex-criminal trying to go straight.

]]> By: Ian Peterson https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47746 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47746 I have just returned from the theater and all I feel is embarrassment for Neil and poor, poor actors who signed up for it. It was obvious that poorly written material could not be saved by the stars or the merits of the concept itself. At least, it is now obvious that Terri Tatchell's screenwriting talent was the reason behind "District 9" success.
Yes, Neil is a "world builder" but next time he builds a world I hope he hires a good writer. And maybe even a director.

]]> By: Glass https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47744 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47744 Honestly, one of the best parts for me was the shot of Diego Luna & Matt Damon's car flipping from the bombs that got stuck to the hood with Sharlto Copley's middle finger sticking into the edge of the frame. I laughed. Him and the other 3 assassins were so good in this.

]]> By: Jen https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47743 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47743 So in other words, Foster was terribly directed and her part, as far as the script goes, sucked. That sounds more like Neill's fault than Fosters. It's always discussed that Jodie is one of the easiest to work with in Hollywood, so I can't imagine her manhandling Neill to the point that he was afraid to direct her. Power hungry and manipulative. Isn't that how all dictators are? And her dress was to be futuristic and designed and tailored by Armani. And mentions of her hair? So you review her clothes and hair. Very sexist. Why not discuss the hair and clothes of the male characters? Aside from the fact that Damon has no hair. Anyway, I will see it but this is one reason I hate critics and never let them determine what I see, read or listen to. Critics jobs really serve no purpose.

]]> By: charla https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47742 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47742 Dear lord, what a spectacle it was – not unlike the giveaway trailer. Foster was atrocious, Damon is a way better actor than to be in these moronic summer specials, and, no, Foster – as the actress, is supposed to be/ nay responsible for providing the drive and instinct for the character. Film directors don't often spend much time on the set directing every move ( this is not the theater)- they depend on the professional actor to do this otherwise filming would take forever. There is a certain expectation for professionals and she flopped. This has nothing to do with being sexist. Why does everything have to be considered sexist? If she was bad, then she was bad – don't blame someone else, it's demeaning actually to her like her every move depends on the director. It's his fault for using her if she couldn't nail it. I think the critic hit the nail on the head – and anyone who wants entertainment can go enjoy this but it doesn't make it a masterpiece or oscar calibre. It's a money maker and the special effects not-with standing, it will do fine. I found it 'entertaining' and it will proudly go on my compiled 'best of the worst' list for the year.

]]> By: P. https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47741 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:44 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47741 I actually agree with Blomkamp and Damon. There is no message. The only thing that even remotely resembles a message is 'oppressing the poor is bad'. But that's not a message, that's lip-service, and a pleasant, friendly and neutral lip-service at that. EVERYONE agrees that oppressing the poor is bad, it's when people start pointing out the mechanisms that contribute to oppressing the poor and the price that the rich would need to pay to stop the oppression that you start actually saying something. But what does Elysium do? At first it concentrates on how the robots themselves are bad, because their programming does not allow any retreat from the protocols, any heart, any allowance for circumstances or simple human kindness. But the end – the end is only happy because the oblivious robots have been reprogrammed and are now told to save the oppressed masses, even though their creators don't want them to. So what's the problem? The robots or the people who programmed them? Either question has a say and a political point and either question is an interesting science fiction concept to explore, but the movie isn't interested in these questions. It's the same with the flashbacks – we've got the nun who is basically repeating the same structures that are meant to stop the poor from questioning or fighting the upper echelons. Those childhood flashbacks, what they portray is the mechanism of indoctrination to make sure the rich stay rich and the poor are content with being poor. Except… this is presented as a good thing? This ties back to Foster's character. It's always easy to have one bad guy, because then you don't have to examine the mechanism of society that give power to people and allow them to do what they want. So Foster is the bad guy, and we don't need to see what's going on in Elysium itself and how that society even works. It's not just that Damon and Foster have a non-character, it's that Elysium, which could have been a fantastic character all by itself, is non-existent.

It's interesting to compare Elysium to Isaac Asimov's Caves of Steel and the Naked Sun (and I'm sure these were a huge influence on Blomkamp – there's just too many similarities to be a coincidence). Asimov took the time to actually construct the society, the inner mechanisms, the logic, and therefore he could use this as a powerful metaphor on class relationships and technology. Blomkamp is using shorthand and while doing so he just destroys any possible later except for the most superficial one. There's a number of interesting science fiction stories and characters in Elysium, but they keep on being discarded in favour of the next explosion.

Speaking of Foster's accent, did they re-dub parts of it in post production? It's not just that the accent changes (I think it's meant to be French?) but that sometimes it's out of sync with her lip movements. Which was jarring as hell, if the changes in accent weren't jarring enough.

]]> By: KERRY https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47736 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:43 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47736 Elysium seems like a great premise for a series of sci-fi fiction novels. There are just too many elements involved that need attention, to be able to fit it into a 2 1/2 hour movie. It would a terribly interesting series.

One of many what-the-hell complaints: That Matt Damon's character's apartment had running water and wastewater services. For such a screwed up shanty-town future, how in the heck is that city providing utility services? If they can do that, and put together a hospital, then why is the place such a mess?

Blomkamp should have had patience and made this movie about 3-5 movies from now, when he had more experience. And instead of pulling a George Lucas, he needs to hire the writers next time.

]]> By: nerdo https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47740 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:43 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47740 They committed the worst cinematic crime of all: it was boring. It seems that 9 out of 10 times big budgets kill creativity because everything needs to be "locked in" before they start and there is no chance to be creative or clever along the way because it is too expensive. Shame, expected a lot more, boring, mediocre and boring.

]]> By: Patrick https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47739 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:43 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47739 I was disappointed for all the above points, but also how lazy Blomkamp was with the 'future' world. We're told this is 2154, some 141 years in the future yet we see them use a car and a pickup truck used in a scene, we see Damon's head being hooked up to a 'wire' in fact there are wires and monitors everywhere but in the same minute we're treated to machines that can cure everything.

I almost walked out after being introduced to 'Spider' and his LA gang, sat around burning oil drums drinking beer like something out of Escape from New York.

Also, where were the Elysium security forces? You only need to look at the levels of security in the US today to see this place would be totally inaccessible yet 'Spider' and his mates just 'rock up' and get out of their ship. Was everyone on lunch? Why are all the houses constantly empty? Why is a zillion $ spacestation's only guarded by Jodie Foster, some nutter with a missile launcher and a few guys in balaclavas?

]]> By: Roy Griffis https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47738 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:43 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47738 Nobody would say that "District 9" was subtle, but if D9 was Noel Coward's "Blythe Spirit," then "Elysium" was "Porky's Revenge."

]]> By: Sami https://staging2.theplaylist.net/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-20130812/#comment-47737 Fri, 13 May 2016 09:17:43 +0000 http://www.indiewire.com/2013/more/uncategorized/robots-spaceships-jodie-foster-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wildly-uneven-of-elysium-94906/#comment-47737 I agree with most of this review. The premise of Elysium was very strong but poorly presented. One of its core themes was the human-robot relationship. Robots patrol the streets, matt Damon works at a robot factory, robots act as bodyguards and humans can acquire super human strength through a robotic exoskeleton. But this theme is not fully explored or developed (Prometheus android de ja vue??) and once matt Damon arrives at Elysium is totally forgotten. Wasnt there countless robot security teams stationed there? Were they busy on a lunch break??

The Kruger character was a little out of place and to evolve into the main villain had me cringing in my seat. But I guess removing Jodie Foster's character was not a bad thing either. I ended up watching Fosters scenes thinking 'has she lost the ability to act?'.

Finally as stated by the above review Matt Damon's sacrifice did not pull at a single heart string. His character did not develop beyond radiation sickness. This review could go on but I think we get the point

5.5/10

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