Elysium (film)
Elysium | |
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Directed by | Neill Blomkamp |
Written by | Neill Blomkamp |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Trent Opaloch |
Edited by | |
Music by | Ryan Amon |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[2] |
Language | English |
Budget | $115 million[3] |
Box office | $286.1 million[3] |
Elysium is a 2013 American
The film was released on August 9, 2013, by
Plot
In 2154, Earth is overpopulated, diseased, and largely polluted. The planet’s citizens live in extreme poverty while the rich and powerful live on Elysium, an orbiting space station just outside of Earth’s atmosphere.
Spider, a hacker living on Earth in
On Earth, parolee Max De Costa is working for Armadyne Corp as a laborer when he is accidentally exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. He is only given medication for the side effects and told he has five days to live after being fired by Carlyle. Max and his friend Julio approach Spider and make a deal: if Max can successfully steal information from a powerful Elysium citizen, in exchange Spider will give Max a shuttle ride to Elysium to use a Med-Bay to cure his condition. Max demands that the target be his former boss, Carlyle. Due to his health, Spider provides Max with a powerful exoskeleton via surgery to significantly increase his strength and stamina.
Max and Julio shoot down Carlyle's shuttle to Elysium; Carlyle is lethally injured in a shootout against his security robots. Max and Julio successfully extract the program from his brain, but the data becomes unexpectedly scrambled, locked behind a security program. Delacourt sends a
Max seeks help from his childhood friend and nurse, Frey, who patches him up. Max goes to Spider, and realizes that the data in Max's head is a program that can reboot the entire Elysium
Spider lands on Elysium and finds Max. Spider makes a deal with Max to have his men protect Frey and get her daughter to a Med-Bay in exchange for the data. They make their way to the computer core, where they are confronted by Kruger. Max and Kruger engage in combat, which ends with Max managing to disable Kruger's connection to his suit; Kruger responds by attempting to kill them both with a grenade, but only kills himself. Spider and Max connect to the computer and Spider realizes that the data will kill Max if he downloads it. Max says his goodbyes to Frey and initiates the download, which kills him. The Elysium computer reboots, allowing Frey to heal her daughter. The robot police arrive but are unable to arrest Spider, as everyone on Earth is now considered a citizen of Elysium. Medical shuttles loaded with Med-Bays are dispatched to Earth to begin healing everyone who needs help.
Cast
- Matt Damon as Max De Costa, a former criminal now on parole. Max was raised in an orphanage with Frey and promised her that one day he would take her to Elysium.
- Maxwell Perry Cotton as young Max
- Jodie Foster as Defense Secretary Jessica Delacourt. She is responsible for the security on Elysium and resorts to illegal means to keep immigrants off the torus.
- Sharlto Copley as Agent M. Kruger, a black ops agent working secretly for Delacourt. He is a psychopathic killer with a reputation for using extreme measures.
- Alice Braga as Frey Santiago, Max’s childhood best friend. She works as a nurse and is a single mother to a daughter with leukemia.
- Valentina Giron as young Frey
- Diego Luna as Julio, Max's best friend.
- Wagner Moura as Spider, a hacker and information thief who runs clandestine flights to Elysium.
- William Fichtner as John Carlyle. He is CEO of Armadyne Corp, the company that designed and built Elysium.
- Brandon Auret as Drake, one of Kruger's soldiers.
- Josh Blacker as Crowe, one of Kruger's soldiers.
- Faran Tahir as President Patel, leader of Elysium.
- Emma Tremblay as Matilda Santiago, Frey's daughter who is dying of cancer.
- Jose Pablo Cantillo as Sandro, one of Spider's hackers.
- Adrian Holmes as Manuel
- Jared Keeso as Rico
- Carly Pope, Ona Grauer and Michael Shanks as CCB agents
- Terry Chen as CCB Technician
Production
Elysium was produced by
Although the film's story is set in 2154, Blomkamp has stated that it is a comment on the contemporary human condition.
The main role was first offered to Watkin Tudor Jones, a South African rapper, who, despite being a fan of District 9 and having a D9 tattoo on his inner lip, did not take the role.[11] The role was then offered to rapper Eminem, but he wanted the film to be shot in Detroit. That was not an option for the two studios and so Blomkamp moved on to Damon as his next choice.[12]
With a production budget of $115 million,
Futuristic designs were executed by Philip Ivey after long periods of researching and studying older science fiction films. Ivey has continuously cited
The film's music score was composed by newcomer Ryan Amon and recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Philharmonia Orchestra.[17] The soundtrack was released on August 6, 2013.
Lawsuit
In October 2013, a lawsuit was filed by Steve Wilson Briggs accusing the producers of
Release
When the film was first announced, Sony intended to release it in late 2012.[10] It later set an official release date for March 8, 2013,[20] before moving one week earlier to prevent competing against Oz the Great and Powerful.[21] In October 2012, Sony then announced they had pushed back the release date to August 9, 2013.[22] In April 2013, Sony also announced that the film would be specifically reformatted for IMAX theaters. By that time, two theatrical trailers and a TV spot had already been showcased.[23] Elysium was originally released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 17, 2013, and later released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 9, 2021, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Reception
Box office
Elysium grossed $93.1 million in North America and $193.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $286.1 million, against a production budget of $115 million.[3] It made a net profit of $18 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film.[24]
The film opened on August 9, 2013, and grossed $11.1 million on its opening day, ranking No. 1. It proceeded to rank No. 1 for the weekend, grossing $29.8 million.[25][26]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 65% based on 262 reviews and an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "After the heady sci-fi thrills of District 9, Elysium is a bit of a comedown for director Neill Blomkamp, but on its own terms, it delivers just often enough to satisfy."[27] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[26]
In February 2015, while promoting his newest film, Chappie, director Neill Blomkamp expressed some regrets regarding Elysium, commenting:
I feel like I fucked it up, I feel like ultimately the story is not the right story... I still think the satirical idea of a ring, filled with rich people, hovering above the impoverished Earth, is an awesome idea. I love it so much, I almost want to go back and do it correctly. But I just think the script wasn't... I just didn't make a good enough film is ultimately what it is. I feel like I executed all of the stuff that could be executed, like costume and set design and special effects very well. But, ultimately, it was all resting on a somewhat not totally formed skeletal system, so the script just wasn't there; the story wasn't fully there.[29]
In a research article entitled "Elysium as a Critical Dystopia", Tanner Mirrlees and Isabel Pedersen argue that "Elysium communicates a 'critical dystopia' that illuminates and interrogates present day global capitalism's worst social, political, ecological and technological conditions, but shows them being resisted and changed, for the better."[30]
Awards
- Art Directors Guild 2014
Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Excellence in Production Design Award | Fantasy Film | Philip Ivey (production designer) Don Macaulay (supervising art director) Nancy Anna Brown (set designer - Canada unit) Ross Dempster (art director - Canada unit) Hania Robledo (art director - Mexico unit) Catherine Ircha (assistant art director - Canada unit) Luis Antonio Ordoñez (assistant art director - Mexico unit) Syd Mead (conceptual artist) David Clarke (set designer - Canada unit) Mira Caveno (set designer - Canada unit) Ravi Bansal (concept artist) Ron Turner (concept artist) Mitchell Stuart (concept artist) Christian Pearce (concept designer) Leri Greer (concept designer) Stuart Thomas (concept designer) Aaron Beck (concept designer) Ben Mauro (concept designer) TyRuben Ellingson (concept designer) George Hull (concept designer) Brent Boates (storyboard artist) Robert Pratt (storyboard artist) Ray Lai (illustrator) Rob Jensen (illustrator) Andy Chung (previsualization artist) Peter Lando (set decorator - Canada unit) Gabriela Matus (set decorator - Mexico unit) |
Nominated | [31] |
- Golden Schmoes Awards 2013
Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Golden Schmoes | Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year and Biggest Disappointment of the Year | Nominated | [32] |
- Hollywood Film Awards 2013
Award | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|
Hollywood Movie Award | Neill Blomkamp | Nominated |
- IGN Summer Movie Awards 2013
Award | Category | Result |
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IGN Award | Best Sci-Fi Movie | Nominated |
- Jupiter Award 2014
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jupiter Award | Best International Film | Neill Blomkamp | Nominated |
- Leo Awards 2014
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Leo | Best Visual Effects Motion Picture | Peter Muyzers Andrew Chapman Shawn Walsh Cabral Rock |
Won |
- Satellite Awards 2013
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Satellite Award | Best Sound (Editing & Mixing) | Christopher Scarabosio Craig Berkey Dave Whitehead David Husby |
Nominated |
- Visual Effects Society Awards 2014
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
VES Award | Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture | Jean Lapointe Jordan Benwick Robin Hackl Janeen Elliott |
Nominated |
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture | Votch Levi Joshua Ong Barry Poon Kent Matheson |
Nominated |
Soundtrack
- Ghosst – Performed by Lorn
- Robot Eater – Performed by Gambit
- The Pining Pt2 – Performed by Chris Clark (as Clark) with Martina Topley-Bird
- We Got More (Kilon TeK Remix) – Performed by Brendan Angelides (as Eskmo)
- Metropolis (Dan Le Sac Remix) – Performed by PRDCTV
- Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique' – Adagio Cantabile - Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
- Suite For Solo Cello No.1 BWV 1007 – Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Kou Kou – Performed by Palms Down Percussion
- Twitch (It Grows and It Grows) – Performed by Raffertie
- Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major – Rondo Vivace - Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
- Bio Techno – Written and performed by Audio Android
- Loner – Performed by Burial
- New World Disorder – Performed by Arkasia
- Six Degrees – Performed by Kryptic Minds
- Stjernekiggeri – Written and Performed by Mike Sheridan
- Sierra Leone – Performed by Mt Eden
- Elysium – Performed by Ryan Amon
See also
- List of films featuring space stations
- List of films featuring powered exoskeletons
- List of films featuring drones
- List of science fiction films
- Grey: Digital Target
References
- ^ "ELYSIUM (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Elysium (2013)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ Amazon.com. December 17, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "First Look at Sharlto Copley in Neill Blomkamp's 'Elysium'". Rogue (company). Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media, LLC. July 20, 2011. Archived from the originalon September 4, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (April 8, 2013). "Elysium: Matt Damon's Action Movie for the 99%". Vulture. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (January 20, 2011). "3RD UPDATE: Sony Pictures Snaps Up Neill Blomkamp's 'Elysium'; Matt Damon And Jodie Foster Set To Star". Deadline. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Sean (August 2, 2013). "Future Shock". Entertainment Weekly. New York, New York. pp. 36–43.
- ^ "The Future is Now: 'Elysium' Mega-Trailer and Two More Clips". Rogue. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Kit, Borys (January 19, 2011). "Sony Snags 'District 9' Director Neill Blomkamp's 'Elysium'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- TheGuardian.com.
- ^ "Matt Damon stepped in for Eminem in 'Elysium'". CNN. August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
- ^ "Neill Blomkamp talks 'Elysium'". YouTube. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (October 10, 2012). "Matt Damon Has a Small Part in Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem". Vulture. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Eisenberg, Eric (October 10, 2012). "Matt Damon Takes A Small Part In Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem". Cinema Blend. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ "Creating the Details of Elysium's Luxury World". CreativeCOW. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (June 2013). "'Elysium' Composer on How to Write an 'Organic' Score (Hint: Hire Monkeys and Mosquitos)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 9, 2013). "'Elysium' Director Neill Blomkamp, Sony, Producers Sued for Copyright Infringement". TheWrap. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Mazumdar, Anandashankar (October 15, 2014). "Matt Damon Film 'Elysium' Not Substantially Similar to Posted 'Butterfly Driver' Screenplay". Bloomberg News. Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (March 9, 2011). "Neill Blomkamp's 'Elysium' Has a Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (June 9, 2011). "Luna in talks to join 'Elysium'". Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (October 15, 2012). "Sony Pushes 'Robocop' to 2014, Moves 'Elysium' to Summer 2013". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Elysium New Trailer". Film-Summary. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
- ^ "Sony Hack Reveals Top-Secret Profitability of 2013 Movies". The Hollywood Reporter. December 5, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- Amazon.com. August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "Elysium's' Final Weekend Cume: Less than $30 Million". Variety. August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Elysium (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ "New 'Alien' and 'Chappie' Director Neill Blomkamp On 'Elysium': 'I F*cked It Up'". uproxx.com. February 26, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- .
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 8, 2014). "'The Great Gatsby,' 'Gravity,' 'Her' Win Art Directors Guild Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Golden Schmoes Winners and Nominees (2013) | JoBlo.com Movie Network". Retrieved April 8, 2024.
External links
- Elysium at IMDb
- Elysium at the TCM Movie Database
- Elysium at Box Office Mojo
- Elysium at Rotten Tomatoes
- Elysium at Metacritic