The lucky folks in the US see the release of Neill Blomkamp’s futuristic action epic ELYSIUM this Friday, while us poor folk in the UK must wait for the TriStar Picture to arrive 23rd August. It’s the directors first film since the superb South African-set sci-fi thriller DISTRICT 9, once again starring Sharlto Copley, although he’s no hero this time. Instead, it’s Matt Damon who leads the mission to bring two polarised worlds together in another social commentary adventure with Copley the ruthless Agent tasked with stopping him, as witnessed with this latest goresome clip.
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.
Jodie Foster, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner and Wagner Moura also star.
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.
