Neill Blomkamp’s next project... ELYSIUM?

[terry78]

We get it Friday, you get it when?

 

[nite-owl]

A week later.

 

[BlackFox]

A week later.

Ah thanks I was told not until September, good to know

 

[Persona]

lots of reviews popping up now. if i were to be reductive, you could group them as follows:

POSITIVE REVIEWS: it works great as a piece of genre entertainment but it's a bit heavy-handed.

MIXED REVIEWS: it has a lot going for it as an action flick but the heavy-handedness of the storytelling undermines it too much.

NEGATIVE REVIEWS: it's heavy-handed and heavy-handed.

interestingly, i think there's a phenomenon occurring critically where Elysium is generally being appreciated by nearly everyone for its technical craft but losing points on both sides of the political divide because conservative reviewers are bugged to no end by the film's obvious political elements while liberal reviewers can empathize with those elements but are annoyed because they feel like the movie presents those ideas in a very unsophisticated, unrefined way, like they're mad at the movie for giving a straw-man argument of their own worldviews...which, i mean, it's a big-budget action movie that's trying to emphasize the visceral, i'm not expecting a ton of nuance and narrative deftness. as someone who's somewhat politically moderate, i'm wondering how much the allegory could possibly bother me, personally. it'd have to get really ham-fisted in the final act with multiple characters going off on minute-long, moralizing monologues for me to find it a big detraction.

heck, that kind of happens in TDK--though less politically, more just thematically--and that movie is still in my Top 50 of all time because it's such an effective and principled piece of genre filmmaking with some resonant ideas and Ledger's iconic performance. i'm not expecting as much from Elysium, but even if i can get mostly just the first part, "effective, principled genre filmmaking" to some degree with a small side of resonance, i will take that in a heartbeat. cuz, to me, that's a rarity.

 

[Tanin]

I expected heavy handed... after all.. District 9 comes at you with a sledge hammer.

 

[Kaleb]

latest tv spot


Elysium - Sharlto Copley Featurette

 

[redhawk23]

That pic is awesome sauce.


And yeah, while I haven't seen the film, the reports of the "heavy-handedness" as well as Blomkamp's own comments regarding what he was going for and how he approached it, it all sounds rather 70's scifi-like, as is the design of Elysium itself for that matter. I seriously doubt I'll mind.

 

[Project862006]

hey i'll take heavy handed over simple minded

atleast he is bringing themes to his story he created and has something more to say than just cgi and sfx

 

[Marvin]

I make no reservations about my feelings towards the modern critical establishment. I do feel Drew McWeeny is my guy though. Always seem to see eye to eye with that man.

Curious how "heavy handed" this film can be, I mean District 9 must have either got a hell of a pass, critics are doing that hyperbolic thing they do from time to time, or this film is bloody heavy handed.

 

[terry78]

I think you don't wanna sway too far into preachy since that can turn off people just as much as mindless spectacle.

 

[ThePhantasm]

What's the heavy-handed "message" of Elysium supposed to be, anyways?

 

[Poni_Boy]

Rich people are white and bad. Poor people are Hispanic and good.

You're reminded of that every ten or so minutes.

 

[Rowsdower!]

If this winds up with a lower RT score than Pacific Rim, I'm seriously going to be pissed. I don't care how heavy-handed it is; it HAS to be better than that mess of a movie.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

If this winds up with a lower RT score than Pacific Rim, I'm seriously going to be pissed. I don't care how heavy-handed it is; it HAS to be better than that mess of a movie.

Glad to see you are impartial. t:

 

[Rowsdower!]

LOL, always.

 

[Poni_Boy]

I give it the same rating as Pacific Rim 2/4 stars. The parallels between the two are pretty obvious. It's like a Bell Curve. PR is on the lower end of it in terms of depth and Elysium is on the opposite end. Both still rely on the visuals to sell the movie, there's no balance between effects and storytelling. Sadly the visuals are not enough.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I give it the same rating as Pacific Rim 2/4 stars. The parallels between the two are pretty obvious. It's like a Bell Curve. PR is on the lower end of it in terms of depth and Elysium is on the opposite end. Both still rely on the visuals to sell the movie, there's no balance between effects and storytelling. Sadly the visuals are not enough.

I am not sure I can trust you after the 3rd act of the Wolverine.

 

[redhawk23]

Rich people are white and bad. Poor people are Hispanic and good.

You're reminded of that every ten or so minutes.

You know, even though the protagonist is about as lily white as you can get.

Isn't the president of Elysium played by Faran Tahir?

 

[Poni_Boy]

You know, even though the protagonist is about as lily white as you can get.

Yup. But he's literally the only white person left in Los angeles. Every other person is Hispanic. and his name is Dacosta so he could be Hispanic too. Wouldn't be the first time they white washed a role.

Isn't the president of Elysium played by Faran Tahir?

Yup. but he only has three short scenes. The rest of the Elysium residents are portrayed by nameless, faceless, bathingsuit clad white people.

 

[Poni_Boy]

I am not sure I can trust you after the 3rd act of the Wolverine.

Sorry I didn't like the third act. Don't really care either way, it didn't take away my enjoyment of the movie as a whole.

 

[redhawk23]

Yup. But he's literally the only white person left in Los angeles. Every other person is Hispanic. and his name is Dacosta so he could be Hispanic too. Wouldn't be the first time they white washed a role.



Yup. but he only has three short scenes. The rest of the Elysium residents are portrayed by nameless, faceless, bathingsuit clad white people.

Everyone Blomkamp considered for the role has been white, and its not like they were just going for big names considering the other two were both rappers.

 

[Poni_Boy]

FYI Elysium was my most anticipated movie of the year by a very wide margin (here's my top five list from last year). I was ready, willing and able to overlook many missteps as long as I was entertained. Saying that it wasn't good enough pains me.

 

[Poni_Boy]

Everyone Blomkamp considered for the role has been white, and its not like they were just going for big names considering the other two were both rappers.

Doesn't matter if the character was always going to be played by a white guy. Max looked like he was supposed to be a Hispanic character. Acted Hispanic. Even has a Hispanic last name. That's what white washing a character is. You present someone and allude to an ethnicity but the actor is Caucasian.

 

[Kansiov]

Doesn't matter if the character was always going to be played by a white guy. Max looked like he was supposed to be a Hispanic character. Acted Hispanic. Even has a Hispanic last name. That's what white washing a character is. You present someone and allude to an ethnicity but the actor is Caucasian.

You do realize that Hispanic isn't a race right?

 

[Poni_Boy]

You do realize I said ethnicity and not race, right?