Elysium trailer

[Deberg_1990]

Neill (District 9) Blomkamp


Im in!

[WhiteWhale]

I saw the film and was disappointed.

I expected to see a sci-fi action film with a large amount of left wing social commentary. I was okay with that. It's fine to express your beliefs through film. I mean forrest gump is full of it, but many people don't NOTICE the commentary because the film is good. I still like forrest gump, even though the message it's giving is total horse shit (believe in god, do what you're told, everything will work out for you...even though you're a moron...rebel and you will get AIDS and die.)

This film is not good. It's not terrible either, but that's largely due to budget and SFX. It was not visually disappointing. As a story, I'd say it crosses the thin line between social commentary and flat out propaganda. It's so busy hammering it's commentary down that the characters are left bare and the story full of holes.

There was a lot left on the table here IMO. The setting had great potential, but I wasn't impressed. Some people may enjoy it, but I was pretty 'meh'. I think the best it offered was visuals, and those were very good.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

This film is not good. It's not terrible either, but that's largely due to budget and SFX. It was not visually disappointing. As a story, I'd say it crosses the thin line between social commentary and flat out propaganda. It's so busy hammering it's commentary down that the characters are left bare and the story full of holes.

There was a lot left on the table here IMO. The setting had great potential, but I wasn't impressed. Some people may enjoy it, but I was pretty 'meh'. I think the best it offered was visuals, and those were very good.

Good assessment.

[unlurking]

I know I saw this when it came out, but I honestly can't remember much about it. It was pretty much a forgettable movie. Sad, because I expected a lot out of this one.

I just thought I'd ask about the political comments here though. Specifically (since I don't remember the movie much), which scenes make you believe the upper class were right wing? I don't want to piss anyone off or get this moved to DC, so I won't respond to comments. I'm just curious as to whether my views are based more on when I was raised or how (direct influence of family or indirect influence of event and times). As a kid Russia was usually the enemy in the movies I watched.

I'm just asking because when I see movies like this I usually see the bad government as a cross between Russia/China/North Korea. All extreme left wing styles of government with an absurd split between the upper and lower classes in terms of wealth.

[ragedogg69]

I thought the plot was pretty much rich vs poor. Same as it has been forever, like Robin Hood. Not really right vs left. And just like the Hunger Games, they present this world in the most reeruned way possible.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by unlurking

I know I saw this when it came out, but I honestly can't remember much about it. It was pretty much a forgettable movie. Sad, because I expected a lot out of this one.

I just thought I'd ask about the political comments here though. Specifically (since I don't remember the movie much), which scenes make you believe the upper class were right wing? I don't want to piss anyone off or get this moved to DC, so I won't respond to comments. I'm just curious as to whether my views are based more on when I was raised or how (direct influence of family or indirect influence of event and times). As a kid Russia was usually the enemy in the movies I watched.

I'm just asking because when I see movies like this I usually see the bad government as a cross between Russia/China/North Korea. All extreme left wing styles of government with an absurd split between the upper and lower classes in terms of wealth.

I found it more to be an allegory for immigration reform.

Space station = America

Earth = Mexico

It was NOT subtle. The evil kill bots were called 'homeland security' or something like that. I felt this was the political message being hammered home more than a 1% type of thing. It just felt more like a PSA to me than a sci fi flick...and that's pretty bad because sci fi flicks are almost always robust with social and political commentary.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by ragedogg69

I thought the plot was pretty much rich vs poor. Same as it has been forever, like Robin Hood. Not really right vs left. And just like the Hunger Games, they present this world in the most reeruned way possible.

To be fair, the entire premise of hunger games was so patently absurd I could never really immerse myself in the film.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

I found it more to be an allegory for immigration reform.

Space station = America

Earth = Mexico

It was NOT subtle. The evil kill bots were called 'homeland security' or something like that. I felt this was the political message being hammered home more than a 1% type of thing. It just felt more like a PSA to me than a sci fi flick...and that's pretty bad because sci fi flicks are almost always robust with social and political commentary.

That's pretty much how I saw it as well.

An allegory for immigration policies.

I loved the look of the film too. Blomkamp Has a real talent for creating "lived in" world building and realistic special effects. I totally dug the robots in this film.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

To be fair, the entire premise of hunger games was so patently absurd I could never really immerse myself in the film.

Hunger games is based on YA novels. Nothing about that genre could be considered realistic.

[BWillie]

Oblivion > Elysium

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

That's pretty much how I saw it as well.

An allegory for immigration policies.

I loved the look of the film too. Blomkamp Has a real talent for creating "lived in" world building and realistic special effects. I totally dug the robots in this film.

Yeah, I have no complaints about the way the movie looked. It looked great.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Oblivion > Elysium

Oblivion is ****ing terrible...

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

I found it more to be an allegory for immigration reform.

Space station = America

Earth = Mexico

It was NOT subtle.

Uh, no.

Everyone in America is not rich. EVERYONE on the station was rich.

It was a commentary on the rich lording over the poor.

Anything else is the bias of your own politics, dislikes, and projections...

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Oblivion is ****ing terrible...

I thought it was fantastic

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Uh, no.

Everyone in America is not rich. EVERYONE on the station was rich.

It was a commentary on the rich lording over the poor.

Anything else is the bias of your own politics, dislikes, and projections...

Actually he's right. It was about immigration. And to some poor Mexicans, all Americans are rich.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by -King-

Actually he's right. It was about immigration. And to some poor Mexicans, all Americans are rich.
Posted via Mobile Device

Actually, he's not.

The director is from ****ing South Africa and has made a point, at every ****ing opportunity, to point out his films reflect that situation.

He has commented numerous times on the idea that wealth equals power and poverty equals helplessness.

To make this a left vs. right argument is ignorance.

This isn't a hollywood agenda film - it's a man with hollywood money making a film...