Neill Blomkamp's Elysium

pixelburp

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

You're not alone, although perhaps for different reasons - personally, I thought such a pantomime villain was an incredible waste of Copley's obvious screen charisma. Personally, I tend to find villains that are recognisably human much more menacing. Here, it was just a cartoonish psychopath.

I kinda disagree; Copley had the right idea to chew the scenery to pieces. The film needed a bit of levity and a splash of color, and it sure as hell wasn't to be found in the paper thin, po-faced characters on Elyisum - they were far cruder caricatures than Kurger was. Fichtner, Foster et al played their characters with such earnestness, the weaknesses in the script became all the more apparent by their flat performances. Copley went for broke and it paid off.

Besides, I'd be pretty effed up & psychotic if I had my face / arms / legs blown off and reassembled multiple times. Can't see how technology like that is conducive to well-adjusted minds.

Mickeroo wrote: »

Hell of a beard though. :pac:

Between his beard and Javier Bardem's unique hairstyles, the time is surely right for a specialist award at the Oscars for best / worst hair.

Otacon

Unfortunately I can't find a link to it at work but you should all listen to the Empire Podcast where they interview Blomkamp and Copley. They go into the character a bit more and discuss some pretty funny stories too.

sxt

"cam on, take eet out ,eeetz unleee a flesh wooond !"

Sharlto Copley rules with an ironfist. Best thing about the movie

Fysh

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Some good visuals, the shuttles in space were nice. There was a good stupid action movie in there somewhere starring Copley and Damon. There was a good SF dystopia in there, too.

But it didn't come together.

And Elysium as shown would not work without some magic to keep the air in.

I was disappointed we didn't get more than a couple of brief hints about how people in Elysium live - the divergence of language was a nice starting point, but they'd have to have people at least preserving, and at best creating, culture for them to consume. There's only so far you can get sunbathing and standing around having afternoon drinkies.

As for the station's atmospheric setup, it could work - the station is probably using rotation to simulate gravity via centripetal force, and that same simulated gravity would also act on the air. There are problems though, like why on earth you'd let anyone earthside fire projectiles at you when that will guarantee high-speed shrapnel chunks tear through either your station walls or your civilians (since they didn't bother with any protective layer over the open-to-atmosphere sections).

A Neurotic

Halfway through this film, during a Jodie Foster scene, my friend leaned over and asked, with genuine concern, "can she not act?".

Any explanation for the dire performance?

Roar

A Neurotic wrote: »

Halfway through this film, during a Jodie Foster scene, my friend leaned over and asked, with genuine concern, "can she not act?".

Any explanation for the dire performance?

On the Mayo and Kermode podcast Kermode reckoned she filmed her scenes with an accent, then in post they decided to change it hence her weird voice and it looking horribly ADR'd in places

Zubeneschamali

Fysh wrote: »

As for the station's atmospheric setup, it could work - the station is probably using rotation to simulate gravity via centripetal force, and that same simulated gravity would also act on the air.

If they simulate one Earth gravity, how high would the atmosphere extend above the deck? Well, how high does it extend above your head right now?

Unless the sidewalls are many miles high, the atmosphere will spill out.

senordingdong

Found this to be a hollow re-hash of District 9.
Complete with sincere attempt to play satirical jabs at social and class structures, while descending into generic sci fi shooter.

Mickeroo

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

If they simulate one Earth gravity, how high would the atmosphere extend above the deck? Well, how high does it extend above your head right now?

Unless the sidewalls are many miles high, the atmosphere will spill out.

I was expecting the shuttle that got through at the start to slam into a forcefield or something. Kruger had a hand held one so it wouldn't have been beyond believability.

Zubeneschamali

Mickeroo wrote: »

I was expecting the shuttle that got through at the start to slam into a forcefield or something. Kruger had a hand held one so it wouldn't have been beyond believability.

Yes, some magic/tech needed to keep the air in and the plebs out.

Dermighty

ror_74 wrote: »

I think I'm alone in finding Copleys character very annoying - his accent was like a cheese grater on my ears.

The visuals were stunning and the pervious poster is right, Elysium could have been fleshed out a lot more. I liked Foster, she has a natural glacial quality ( those razor lips maybe ) and Damon does the tough guy with a trampled soul very well.

It was a good film that could have been a great film, but I guess with summer blockbusters things have to be kept simple.

Copley sounded like Tobias from the Simpsons, Bart calls Australia and pretends to be the Springfield drainage commission.

Gbear

pixelburp wrote: »

I kinda disagree; Copley had the right idea to chew the scenery to pieces. The film needed a bit of levity and a splash of color, and it sure as hell wasn't to be found in the paper thin, po-faced characters on Elyisum - they were far cruder caricatures than Kurger was. Fichtner, Foster et al played their characters with such earnestness, the weaknesses in the script became all the more apparent by their flat performances. Copley went for broke and it paid off.

To a degree I think it was the right call. Not saying they nailed it but if your life is perfect and you never face any adversity then I could see you becoming this droning,unempathetic mutant like some of those on Elysium.

It was pretty much by the numbers in terms of plot and all that but it was just so damn pretty and everything felt so vibrant it had me hooked in quite quickly.

Found it hugely enjoyable on the whole, even if you could pick holes in it here and there. That's the main thing for me.

Deisler

Thinking of catching this in cinema before its gone. Is it worth the trip?

Starscream25

Deisler wrote: »

Thinking of catching this in cinema before its gone. Is it worth the trip?

Ya it's worth seeing alright, wasn't gone on it but the visuals of the film alone were quite spectacular, I'd like to see it again as the girl I went with to see it wasn't into it and didn't like it which eroded any possible enjoyment I could of gained from it.id be surprised if it still in tho.

expectationlost

was there ever response to how disappointing this was from blokamp

Mickeroo

expectationlost wrote: »

was there ever response to how disappointing this was form blokamp

How do you mean? Do you want him to apologise or something?

expectationlost

Mickeroo wrote: »

How do you mean? Do you want him to apologise or something?

i wonder if anybody asked him about it atleast, or reported on what happened.

FortuneChip

expectationlost wrote: »

i wonder if anybody asked him about it atleast

It was a slightly generic by-the-numbers sci-fi.
It wasn't District 9: Part 2 but it was an entertaining action movie with a clear, straightforward narrative.
Doesn't owe me an explanation.
Look forward to 3rd feature

Mickeroo

expectationlost wrote: »

i wonder if anybody asked him about it atleast, or reported on what happened.

How do you mean reported on what happened? It wasn't like it was an unmitigated disaster or something. Sure it was no district 9 and it under performed a little at the box office but it still got reasonably good reviews and plenty of people enjoyed it for what it was. It's not like this was some established franchise he killed or something.

Zubeneschamali

Mickeroo wrote: »

It's not like this was some established franchise he killed or something.

I was disappointed with it, especially the mad ending, but just look at the selection of "original" SF movies this year:

After Earth: I didn't even bother,

Oblivion: Caught it on DVD, was OK. Plot was "original" in the sense that it was made from bits of different movies cut together into a new one,

Elysium: the one you are expectationlost is apparently offended by,

and my favourite:

Pacific Rim: unashamedly unoriginal Kaiju movie with characters, plot and dialogue straight from the Hollywood Dept. of Cliché.

Maybe Gravity will be good and original.

B.A._Baracus

One plot hole about this movie...
On earth, they still have technology to get ship codes, even to augment matt damon up... But yet there isnt one medi-bed on earth