The theme of Elysium has already been laid out by those who basically knew it before they entered the theater: This is a movie about income inequality that is meant to make a statement that is egalitarian in the eyes of some and socialist in the eyes of others. And there is some of that here.
But what makes Elysium even more interesting is that its reach is broader than any one issue. Not only is this a movie that deals with income inequality, it also touches on illegal immigration and health care. There are even faint echoes of questions about the military-industrial complex and the steps our nation has taken to secure itself in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Beyond that, though, there’s a broader problem with viewing this as primarily a political film: You can lose sight of the fact that it’s a very well-done movie, regardless of what you think of the issues at play. At the same time, what director Neill Blomkamp and the rest of the creative team do here is less make a movie about those political issues and more use those issues as a backdrop for a gripping and complicated story.
(The movie also has some individualistic themes to it, which makes the argument that it is a socialist film somewhat problematic. But that’s an argument for another day.)
The premise: Matt Damon plays Max, a man who has never been content with being bound to Earth while the wealthiest people live on the satellite of Elysium. Eventually and because of a plot point I won’t give away here, he decides to try to find a way to get to Elysium.
At the same time, the satellite’s defense minister, played by Jodie Foster, is trying to shore up her power base and defend the quasi-planet from perceived threats. Their paths, as well as the paths of several other characters in the movie, collide through a series of events that seems at times to be both coincidental and inevitable.
It is a lavish and sleekly-produced film, if you are either able to accept or get past the politics of it. Both the earth of 2154 and Elysium are sharply drawn places, and the action sequences are beautifully produced. That said, it is also a violent and intense movie; the R rating is more than fair based on some of the gorier parts.
In short, Elysium is a movie too complicated to be pigeonholed. But because we live in an over-politicized and hyperpartisan era, and because of the movie’s willingness to confront touchy issues about our world, your ability to enjoy the movie will likely be tied to what you think about its politics.
