In case you haven’t been on the internet in the past 24 hours, Sony has broken open the doors on Neill Blomkamp‘s until now secretive sci-fi “Elysium.” Press got a dose of ten minutes of footage yesterday (read our breakdown right here), along with the trailer you’re about to see below. And even more, Blomkamp talked up the movie, his desire for “Aliens“-style slime and eggs in his next movie and his thoughts on “Halo” and taking on pre-existing franchises already.
Okay, now it’s time for the big show, and “Elysium” is here. What you need to know: It stars Matt Damon as Max de Costa, one of the 99%, a down on his luck ex-con looking to go straight on a ravaged and scarred Earth in the year 2154. Up above in outer space, the 1% live on the pristine ship Elysium with all the latest comforts and cures. However, when a workplace accidence leaves him with cancer and five days to live, Max goes sorta cyborg with some help from Wagner Moura and embarks on a mission to Elysium, where cancer-curing procedures could very well save his life. But first he’ll have to get past Sharlto Copley, the nasty agent hired by the government to keep guys like Max out (and he apparently gives a helluva performance).
So yes, it’s hella ambitious, with lots of real world issues being played upon. But does it work as a popcorn spectacle? It sure looks like it and if you’re wondering who helped with all the futuristic design, it was none other than “Blade Runner” designer Syd Mead.
Co-starring Carly Pope, Diego Luna and Alice Braga, “Elysium” launches on August 9th.
This movie has nothing to do with Nolan.
Nolan has made one sci-fi movie.
Who gave Nolan the monopoly on thinking blockbusters?
Oh, and by the way, if you REALLY think about it Nolan's Batman franchise is ultimately about protecting the status quo, vigilante justice and money funneled into military weapons to protect the status quo, the elite, and oh if you give the poor a chance all they will want to do is drag the rich out into the street and kill them, we must protect ourselves from the poor! They wanna kill! Oh, and the only poor people worth helping are orphans.
I am just saying all that to say — sci-fi, politically, etc — this movie (and District 9) are going to be (are) different than Nolan's films.
I actually like Nolan fine, but his ardent fans are the worst, especially when they call him Kubrickian. Let Nolan be what he is: an entertaining director. Let's not call him the best of all time. His stories are spectacle, but c'mon, they don't hold up. I mean Bruce Wayne is in a prison without any access to money, in a pit, seemingly in Siberia or something, but he's able to show up at just the right time that the poor people are killing the rich?!
Looks fucking A-MA-ZING!
Jason Bourne in the future! Elysium looks sleek, Damon looks ripped, the tech is awesome. Take down some evil, Matt! YOWZA!
Surely looks like a dam sick spectacle. Theres no denying it looks EPIC!!!
For the concerned….
– Damon has a keen eye on script so I believe the story WILL BE THERE, the visuals are amazing!
– Nolan is > Blomkamp (I mean come on fan boys lol)
Extremely looking forward to this, looks like it will even top Oblivion & World War Z.
IM predicting this right now to be a major box office smash hit & admired (however not loved like District 9), by critics as well
Epic!!!
How are you all comparing Nolan to this filmmaker? Now if you want to compare him to Duncan Jones, both have two sci fi films completed, go right ahead.
This looks great! And now Matt come back and do a Bourne movie! Please!?
Kinda funny and sad but this trailer looks very similar to trailer for Bioshock Infinite…
Looking forward to this for a long time and I'm sure it is going to be fantastic but I don't think the trailer was cut together very well. I've noticed that seems to be characteristic of Sony trailers that they don't always show their movies in the best light.
Oh and a bonus. You know that BWAAAMM sound? Yeah, that same sound from Prometheus is the same one from Alien. So Nolan didn't invent it.
Pamela has it right. Don't compare the two. Nolan has what like 7 or 8 films now and Blomkamps 2nd one isn't even out yet and you're comparing the two? Watch this as a Blomkamp movie, not as a Nolan movie. Geeze.
sometimes nolan fans are just as annoying as twihards, neill blomkamp doesn't have anything to do with nolan, district 9 was just an amazing film, so i'll wait until the release of the movie to give an informed opinion, because a 2 minute trailer is not enough to start destroying a film!
Not sure how his suit, or lack thereof, makes him an indestructible super soldier. Looks like one bullet to the head would still kill him. I sure hope this movie is smart sci fi and not another Lock Out.
This just looks terrible bwahahaha, earth is a shithole AGAIN!!!! What the freakin hell is wrong with hollywood and their boring sci-fi films the last good sci-fi I watched was The Matrix because it was actually awesome and totally new this just looks laaaaaaammmmmeeee.
I forget, why was this delayed for a year again? I remember it was supposed to come out in late 2012.
Looks like Transformers 4. Very disappointing.
How is it hella ambitious?
Blomkamp is trying so hard to be Christopher Nolan with this project. But what he doesn't realise is that Nolan actually puts story first then visuals. This movie has visuals but looks like a complete mess to be honest in the story department. Also the acting looks generic, did I not mention that the designs in this film are also imitations from so many other designs, just look at Mass Effect and Halo and you'll know what I'm talking about. Diss…diss…disappointed.
Do you think Damon and Foster realize that they are part of the 1% in real life ? Not the 0,001%, but still the 1% ?
Blomkamp>Nolan.
Great trailer! alot of tense momentum brewing. I'm excited(:
Looks pretty tight to me. There's always some weak group of cynics who hate. F them. This joint looks GREAT! C'mon man … Matt Damon teamed up with Syd Meade designer of Blade Runner. This can't go wrong.
Looks pretty great.
Seems pretty tame to me. Lots of money poured into SFX, but where's the story? The Island was a beautiful looking film too, but had absolutely no substance whatsoever. Judging by the trailer for this film, it might not be far off from that.
Kick ass. I've been looking forward to this, but my god you'd think audiences would be sick of the "Earth is an abandoned shithole" Hollywood movie conceit at this point (Oblivion, A.E., World War Z, this)