I went to
see a movie that featured a conflict between sacred sci-fi concepts, the dystopian
future, and the technologically advanced utopian society. I went expecting to see this conflict
played out through the filter of human turmoil and struggle. I was not disappointed.
There are
many who did not like Elysium.
There are many out there who did not like the special effects. There are those who did not like the
melodrama. There are many who said
the acting was less than par.
There are many who could not suspend their disbelief and simply enjoy
themselves. Some of these people
are national film critics. Some of
these people are regular moviegoers.
I firmly believe these people don’t like movies.
I must
digress on this point from the subject matter in order to clarify my
statement. We go to the movies to
be entertained, to enjoy ourselves.
We look for messages and meaning.
We often seek a greater understanding of ourselves. However, though lofty ambition for high
art and rationalization of existence can be sought and should sought in the
entertainment we create we must not lose sight of the fact that most often we
go to the movies to have fun, to engage in the fantastical.
With that
basis I return to the subject matter and declare Elysium a tremendous success. The clash of cultures, the maximization
of the divide between haves and have-nots that is so dramatic in our own
reality gives rise to the ultimate disunity in this movie. The rich or so damn rich they’ve left
the whole planet behind. They rest
of us live on Earth, in the trash.
Still, in
this trash of a world there is beauty, there is love, and there is hope. We persist against those that use the
labor of the masses to preserve their control and perpetuate their
existence. Unfortunately, their
avarice has not improved their morality and the base nature of our very
existence defines a path to ruin for the stratified higher society.
See Elysium
and know that hope hungers and grows amongst the criminals and monsters who
seek a better life, conflicted with a desire to be good even as they engage in
criminality.
See Elysium
and know that ambition flowers in the cold warrens of the elite, and that those
with power wield it against the teeming masses, and themselves, giving rise to
betrayal and eventual defeat.
See Elysium
and know that Matt Damon is the unfortunate hero, filled with desire, needing
to be good, striving to live, destined to do a great thing as a matter of
circumstance.
These are
lofty words for this sci-fi film, but I feel they are justified. I thoroughly enjoyed Elysium from start
to finish. It was poignant,
loving, loud, and messy. It satisfies the need for action and tugs at the heart
strings for a hoped-for higher humanity.
It was an excellent ride.
If you like movies, if you like sci-fi, if you enjoy seeing the
fantastical when it’s done well, you will enjoy this movie. Go see Elysium.
The Aspiring
Critical Thinker,
D.S. Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment