Things have been brewing for a long time on Neill Blomkamp's second feature film, Elysium. The full trailer was released on Yahoo, this past Monday and the Internet has been going crazy for it. If you've haven't been keeping tabs on the production at all, here's a little refresher to bring you up to speed.
Who's behind it...
The man who's bringing us this wonderful looking sci-fi film, happens to be the same man that gave us District 9. Neill Blomkamp was supposed to make a Halo film with Peter Jackson, but those plans fell through when a deal with the studio couldn't be made. Peter felt bad and asked Neill if there was any other project he wanted to do. His answer was District 9, an expansion of his short film, Alive in Joburg, which Blomkamp made in 2006. With a budget of 30 million, Blomkamp managed to make a sleeper hit film, that resonated with audiences all over the world and made him a household name in the sci-fi genre. With its astounding visual effects and motion capture performances, District 9 made a huge impact and left people wanting more.
Who's in it...
Elysium contains an all star international cast, with the likes of Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga and Carly Pope. The film is centered around the notion of the former rich and wealthy inhabitants of Earth now living on Elysium, a space habitat that is an absolute paradise. The rest of the population still live on Earth, which is an overpopulated wasteland. Matt Damon plays Max Da Costa, an inhabitant of Earth that decides to risk his own life by taking down Elysium, in order to bring balance back and destroy the major divide between the two classes. Standing in his way is Jodie Foster, playing Secretary Jessica Delacourt, Elysium's mayor, who has an army of robots and bounty hunters at her disposal to stop Max, at any cost.
Why should you care...
The sci-fi genre has always tried to be socially aware and tried to explore the problems of today, under the guise of tomorrow. District 9 did this exceptionally well, with its allusions to apartheid in South Africa and Elysium looks to do the same. With its nods to the Occupy movement and immigration issues, Elysium is shaping up to be an action packed ride, with something truly to say. While its a shame that Blomkamp was never able to utilize his vision to bring the Halo series to life, its awesome that he has been able to give us some astounding original content. Even if you don't care about the controversial themes and its important issues, Elysium still looks like one of the years most entertaining films, with its action and special effects, that's making us count the days until August 9th gets here.
