In the year 2154 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. When unlucky Max, Matt Damon, is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Writer and Director Neill Blomkamp, after all of his success with District 9, tries to recreate that incredible sci-fi magic in Elysium. The only problem is that he fails to do that. If you enjoyed District 9 you will find that this movie is not as good. And if you did not like District 9, then you will find a lot of the same problems with this movie. It is filled with allegory, that is not too hard to spot. Everything from economic disparity to medical care access. Don’t be surprised if this movie becomes a talking point on either Fox news and MSNBC sometime in the near future.

Matt Damon does a decent job in this one, but it is not even close to one of his best jobs. Although Jodie Foster may have given us one of her worst performances we have ever gotten from her. A two-time Oscar winner did acting more fit for a high school short film than a multi-million dollar summer blockbuster.

As a whole Elysium is not the worst movie ever made, it does have the foundations of what should be an OK sci-fi movie. There is a lot of room for improvement. If you are going to see it, don’t. Watch District 9 instead it is the much better option.

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