Review: Elysium
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| YouTube |
The film Elysium is an example of what is known as a "Jesus Christ Narrative". Now allow me to explain.
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| Jesus Christ, or Judas Iscariot? |
Mythology geeks might probably recognise the title as the place where the gods would send immortal heroes. But since the name "Elysian Fields" or "Elysian Plain" wouldn't be appropriate for a revolving space station slash colony, we're stuck with the name Elysium.
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| Meh. Doesn't look "Elysium" enough to me. |
And if you thought that the visual look of Elysium would be utopic, think again: Most of the action doesn't take place on Elysium, but on Earth, which looks like a post-apocalyptic wasteland where Spanish is the language of the lower class. In Elysium, they speak French. Those bastards.
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| Led by their bitch leader, played by Jodie Foster. |
Like all Jesus Christ Narratives, the hero must die in order for everyone else to live. But in order for the death to have maximum effect, the hero's character must be completely fleshed out. The audience should be able to relate to the hero's origins, to undergo the hero's struggles, to experience the hero's conflicts, and to be faced with the hero's choices. Only then can the hero's death be truly meaningful, and hopefully will be powerful enough to move the audience to tears.
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| "That's right! Show me how angry you are that Affleck's the new Batman!" |
Sadly, Elysium falls short in terms of the hero's character development. Too bad.
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| Doesn't fall short on the gore, though. Eew. |
The film tries to make up for that by having a great supporting cast, led by my favourite actor William Fichtner. Jodie Foster was great, too, save for her accent.
Also, what the hell is that accent you're using, Mr. Sharlto Copley?
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| "It's like a mix of Gaelic, Kiwi, Aussie, and South African." |
Elysium. USA. 2013.
Original rating: 6.8 / 10
Neill Blomkamp's directing: + 0.2
Neill Blomkamp's writing: - 0.1
William Fichtner: + 0.1
Diego Luna's pigtails: - 0.1
Matt Damon's Damon-ness: - 0.1
Final rating: 6.8 / 10
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