It was recently and surprisingly confirmed that rapper Eminem was Neill Blomkamp’s first choice for the lead in his futuristic follow-up to political sci-fier DISTRICT 9. We now know that Matt Damon ultimately landed the lead and we’re desperate to see if the epic-looking ELYSIUM can match, or even top, the director’s stunning debut.
We’ve a brand new ‘critics’ television spot giving the major names their chance to heap praise of the film, as well as a featurette centred on the main villain of the piece, Sharlto Copley’s Agent Kruger.
In the year 2159 two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.
ELYSIUM co-stars Jodie Foster, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga and Carly Pope. It arrives in US cinemas from the 9th August and the UK 23rd August.
Craig was our great north east correspondent, proving that it’s so ‘grim up north’ that losing yourself in a world of film is a foregone prerequisite. He has been studying the best (and often worst) of both classic and modern cinema at the University of Life for as long as he can remember. Craig’s favorite films include THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, JFK, GOODFELLAS, SCARFACE, and most of John Carpenter’s early work, particularly THE THING and HALLOWEEN.
