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Elysium

  • 20132013
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
441K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,723
132
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Matt Damon in Elysium (2013)
Set in the year 2154, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.
Play trailer3:14
11 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Drama
  • Sci-Fi

In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the pola... Read allIn the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

IMDb RATING
6.6/10
441K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,723
132
  • Director
    • Neill Blomkamp
  • Writer
    • Neill Blomkamp
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Jodie Foster
    • Sharlto Copley
Top credits
  • Director
    • Neill Blomkamp
  • Writer
    • Neill Blomkamp
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Jodie Foster
    • Sharlto Copley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 985User reviews
    • 504Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 10 nominations

    Videos11

    UK Trailer
    Trailer 3:14
    UK Trailer
    Trailer #2
    Trailer 3:20
    Trailer #2
    Version 1
    Trailer 2:03
    Version 1
    Version 1
    Trailer 2:14
    Version 1
    Undocumented Ships Inbound
    Clip 0:55
    Undocumented Ships Inbound
    "Would You Like to Talk to a Human?"
    Clip 0:54
    "Would You Like to Talk to a Human?"
    "Heist"
    Clip 0:59
    "Heist"
    "The World of Elysium"
    Featurette 2:11
    "The World of Elysium"
    "The Tech of Elysium"
    Featurette 2:06
    "The Tech of Elysium"
    "Max Vs Kruger" TV Spot
    Promo 0:46
    "Max Vs Kruger" TV Spot
    What Roles Has Matt Damon Turned Down?
    Video 3:27
    What Roles Has Matt Damon Turned Down?

    Photos200

    Sharlto Copley in Elysium (2013)
    Jodie Foster, Matt Damon, and Terry Chen in Elysium (2013)
    Sharlto Copley in Elysium (2013)
    Matt Damon in Matt Damon (2007)
    Matt Damon in Elysium (2013)
    Wagner Moura in Elysium (2013)
    Elysium (2013)
    Jodie Foster in Elysium (2013)
    Elysium (2013)
    Wagner Moura in Elysium (2013)
    Elysium (2013)
    Josh Blacker, Brandon Auret, and Sharlto Copley in Elysium (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Maxas Max
    Jodie Foster
    Jodie Foster
    • Delacourtas Delacourt
    Sharlto Copley
    Sharlto Copley
    • Krugeras Kruger
    Alice Braga
    Alice Braga
    • Freyas Frey
    Diego Luna
    Diego Luna
    • Julioas Julio
    Wagner Moura
    Wagner Moura
    • Spideras Spider
    William Fichtner
    William Fichtner
    • John Carlyleas John Carlyle
    Brandon Auret
    Brandon Auret
    • Drakeas Drake
    Josh Blacker
    Josh Blacker
    • Croweas Crowe
    Emma Tremblay
    Emma Tremblay
    • Matildaas Matilda
    Jose Pablo Cantillo
    Jose Pablo Cantillo
    • Sandroas Sandro
    Maxwell Perry Cotton
    Maxwell Perry Cotton
    • Young Maxas Young Max
    Faran Tahir
    Faran Tahir
    • President Patelas President Patel
    Adrian Holmes
    Adrian Holmes
    • Manuelas Manuel
    Jared Keeso
    Jared Keeso
    • Ricoas Rico
    Carly Pope
    Carly Pope
    • CCB Agentas CCB Agent
    Ona Grauer
    Ona Grauer
    • CCB Agentas CCB Agent
    Michael Shanks
    Michael Shanks
    • CCB Agentas CCB Agent
    • Director
      • Neill Blomkamp
    • Writer
      • Neill Blomkamp
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. Secretary Delacourt, a government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn't stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. When unlucky Max 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. —Production
    • dystopia
    • cyberpunk
    • class conflict
    • saviour
    • human versus machine
    • 378 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Rebel Against
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sharlto Copley presented an American, an Eastern European, and a British "version" of Kruger to Neill Blomkamp before they agreed that Kruger would be from their home country, South Africa, and speak with the accent of "a very specific area in Johannesburg". Accordingly, Kruger's men are played by fellow South Africans Brandon Auret (who also appeared in Blomkamp's movie District 9 (2009) with Copley) and Josh Blacker. They all incorporate numerous Afrikaans slang words into their dialogue, e.g. "Boet," an informal derivative of "brother," "Boykie," meaning "little boy," and "lekker," a slang for approval.
    • Goofs
      The original "Stanford Torus" design of a wheel-shaped space colony had an offset mirror angled to reflect sunlight onto mirrors set around the central hub and then outward to the ring. Elysium has no such arrangement and sunlight simply shines directly to the interior of the ring. This is completely impractical, as Elysium rotates (about every 6 minutes). This means that location around the habitat would have an ongoing series of periods of "day" and "night", each lasting only 3 minutes, which would be extremely disconcerting for the inhabitants. In addition, Elysium appears to have its rotational axis pointing towards the Earth, and as it orbits the Earth that would mean that (a) it rotates with respect to the Sun, and so the amount of sunlight and its angle will be continuously varying, and (b) during each orbit it will spend time in the Earth's shadow and not receive any sunlight at all.
    • Quotes

      Android Police Officer: [Referring to Max's backpack] What's in the bag?

      Max: [Max's head is shaved bald] Hair products, mostly.

    • Crazy credits
      In the soundtrack part of the end titles it says:

      "Piano Concerto No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique' - Adagio Cantabile Written by Ludwig van Beethoven"

      L. v. Beethoven wrote only five piano concertos (his eighth piano sonata is titled "Pathetique" however).
    • Connections
      Featured in ReelzChannel Specials: Richard Roeper's Red Hot Summer (2013)
    • Soundtracks
      Ghosst
      Written by Lorn (as Marcos Ortega)

      Performed by Lorn

      Courtesy of Ninja Tune Ltd.

    User reviews985

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    In the shadow of Blomkamp's District 9
    ELYSIUM is a bitter-sweet social commentary that uses brutal allegories to reiterate the alarming rate at which socio-economic and geo-political ties are disintegrating all over the planet. As a follow up to the thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining DISTRICT 9 (2009), South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp's latest offering is yet another visionary parable to mull over. And while the first half is a frightening impression of the future of humanity, the second half feels rushed and diluted. Even so, the film has a lot to offer in terms of visual effects and explosive action.

    Although Blomkamp's narrative begins in a dystopian future set in 2154, the story has a modern day setting that uses current events in cleverly hidden metaphors. Consider the following facts: The French Revolution that led to the execution of the monarchy; Derogatory sentiments deriding Android phones as "ghetto" products; Fatalities of illegal immigrants on route to greener pastures; The prospect of space tourism that only the super-rich can afford. Now imagine in the not too distant future, the extremely wealthy live on a pristine space station where state-of-the-art health care prevents people from premature death. The remaining ninety-nine percent of the population are left to suffer on the diseased, polluted and over populated planet we call Earth. Thus begins Blomkamp's setup where the premise is a thematic and often desperate struggle for equality. Amongst Earth's 'ghetto' population, blue-collar worker Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) has always dreamt of shortening the ever widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. Now diseased and dying, the only means of rejuvenating his health lies aboard the titular space station. But preventing Max from leaving Earth is Elysium's iron-fisted Secretary of Defense Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her rogue agent - the terrifying and almost psychotic Kruger (Sharlto Copley).

    Where Blomkamp excels is in presenting a bleak scenario that is not only plausible but also discomforting. Considering the real world disparity between man-made utopias and an unfed infant in so called 'third world countries', it becomes all the more unsettling that this story is not entirely make believe. This is precisely what gives ELYSIUM a powerful yet thought provoking backdrop. All else, from gritty action sequences to the CGI built paradise in space benefits from the current going rate in Hollywood. On the other hand, character development leaves much to be desired. Two-time Academy Award winning Foster is either miscast or given very little to work with, but definitely my biggest disappointment in this film. There is simply no punch in what appears to be her first antagonistic role. Foster shares this downside with William Fichtner, another underrated actor whose talents are wasted in what should have been a key role. Thankfully, Damon and Copley make up for any noticeable lapse in the acting department. Together, their characters portray the fickle polarity of the human nature while also providing the film's testosterone fuelled action, including scenes of intense shootouts and sudden blood splatter.

    In a year that coughed up quite a few sci-fi films, with some even treading into apocalyptic territory, ELYSIUM stands on firm ground as a film that tackles social issues head-on. And while this film is far from perfect, there are ample reasons why this film is still worth a trip to the cinema.
    helpful•19
    9
    • LloydBayer
    • Nov 14, 2013

    FAQ5

    • What is 'Elysium' about?
    • Is 'Elysium' based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 9, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Facebook (Brazil)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • French
      • Afrikaans
      • Ukrainian
    • Also known as
      • Kỷ Nguyên Elysium
    • Filming locations
      • Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
    • Production companies
      • TriStar Pictures
      • Media Rights Capital (MRC)
      • QED International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $115,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $93,050,117
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $29,807,393
      • Aug 11, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $286,140,700
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Auro 11.1
      • Sonics-DDP
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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