The best summer movie of 2013? I’m divided between World War Z  and Elysium. Let me preface this by saying I have seen fewer movies in the theater this summer than in any summer in recent memory, but that was by choice, not the options for movies. I’ve been concentrating on other writing avenues and have taken a break from my blog. I’ve seen a few movies this summer that I probably will not review, but I’m committed to reviewing movies that will end up in my end-of-year top 10. Even with all the amazing movies this fall, I don’t see a scenario where Elysium or World War Z finish outside the top 10. I’ll venture to say they will finish in the top five.

I was about to write that Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Adjustment Bureau) was going through a dry spell and needed a hit. I was wrong. I liked Promised Land, but it was severely flawed, and it showed in its reviews (51% fresh, which is decent, but only $7.5 million at the box office). But in his four starring roles before Promised Land, each movie earned a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and $62 million at the box office. I was waiting for the Matt Damon screen presence I was used to seeing in the Bourne movies, The Departed, Rounders, The Rainmaker, etc. Well, you get that and more here in Elysium. In a movie that has it all, the movie’s driving force was Damon’s portrayal of Max, an average man working on an assembly line, trying to save enough money to get to a place called Elysium.

The year is 2154, and the earth has become overpopulated, economically ruined, and ecologically deprived. The wealthiest have moved to Elysium, a satellite space station that orbits the earth. I don’t believe it is ever said how many people live on Elysium. Imagine the world’s largest country club, and you’ll have a visual. It’s like permanently living in a resort. Those living on Elysium are citizens and are imprinted with an identification card. In addition to the posh lifestyles, the homes have medical equipment that can cure any injury, ailment, or sickness in a matter of seconds. Whether it’s a torn ACL, cancer, or anything in between, 60 seconds in this MRI-looking machine can take you back to 100%. Earth looks worse than a third-world country. It’s no wonder that those left behind will do anything to get onto Elysium. However, if you are not already living on Elysium, there is a good chance you’ll never be living there. Space is limited, so they can keep raising the ticket price.

Damon’s Max lives in Los Angeles though LA looks like the slumps. It is policed by robot officers (the same of which can be found protecting Elysium). Max has a criminal past. He has spent time in prison, but he’s trying to get his life right. Whereas most do not have jobs because the jobs are limited or they see no reason to work, Max has a lifelong plan. He intends to earn enough money to reach Elysium. Ironically, his job on the assembly line is creating the droids used to police Earth and Elysium. And it is a typical assembly line. If you aren’t willing or unable to perform a task, they’ll find someone who can. Max feels trapped between a rock and a hard place. Yet he stays optimistic. Until one day…

Without giving too much of the plot away, Max is presented with an ailment that is incurable on earth but can be fixed in seconds on Elysium. He needs to Elysium soon. Since he has nowhere close to the funds, he takes a “job” that goes awry that leaves him not just away from Elysium but running for his life. What does Max know? Why is that information so important? How will it end for Max? These questions and others will be answered for you for sure. Along the way, you’ll meet Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster – Silence of the Lambs, Panic Room), who will do anything to protect the best interests of Elysium (or will she do anything to protect her self-interests), Kruger (Sharlto Copley – District 9, The A-Team), Delacourt’s main hitman, Spider (Wagner Moura), a guy who controls the LA underground, and Frey (Alice Braga – I Am Legend, Predators), Max’s lifelong friend and the girl whom he thought he would one day marry. Foster was terrible. Braga was wonderful, though her role seemed nearly identical to her role as Anna in I Am Legend. Copley was very good. It was hard to think this was the same guy who played the lead role in District 9.

The movie was great. It was exciting. It was intense. It never felt dull. There have been many science-fiction/space/earth destruction movies lately, but none of those had been written or directed by Neil Blomkamp (District 9). This one does and tells a story that I felt could be real. The special effects are great. The scenery is fantastic. The battle scenes are intense. The acting is top-notch. I didn’t particularly care for Kruger’s character, though. I didn’t think that Copley did a bad job. I think the opposite. However, I don’t know that there needed to be that one bad guy or arch-rival who kept Max from Elysium. I would have rather seen Max battling it out with a bunch of droids instead of watching Max battling it out with Kruger AND a bunch of droids.

This is a solid summer blockbuster.

Plot 10/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 8.5/10 (ugh, Jodie Foster. Retire)
Screenplay 9.5/10
Directing  10/10
Cinematography 10/10 (stunning)
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10 (gets right into the action)
Universal Relevance 8/10
93%

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

• The Island
• Oblivion
• Snow Piercer
• Interstellar
• Total Recall