Sci-Fi Elysium

Tim

Creative Writer
Was looking at some Wagner Mousa film listings (star of Elite Squad I and II) and came across this scifi film he is in to be released in 9 months.

Elysium (2013) - IMDb

Director Neill Blomkanp (District 9)

Stars:

Matt Damon
Jodie Foster
Michael Shanks
Wagner Mousa

No synopsis as of yet, and since so close to release perhaps it's all about the storytelling and we'll see another interesting film like District 9 hit the cinemas. It's got my interest!!!
 
I'm surprised this hasn't come up in conversation yet since it is Blomkamp's first project since District 9.

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station that is disguised as a massive floating city called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max Coburn (Matt Damon), a 29 year-old ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s mayor, Secretary Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.​

Now that description may have seemed similar because the general premise sounds a bit like Oblivion, the other movie being released in 2013 that deals with a high-tech floating city above a devastated Earth with city citizens living in luxury while those below are barely surviving. The major difference is that Oblivion's hero, Tom Cruise, comes from the sheltered city while Elysium's hero, Matt Damon, comes from the rag-tag survivors. Neither of these should be confused with After Earth, starring Will Smith & his son, that is also being released in 2013 and deals with a devastated Earth. As far as I know the only humans in After Earth are courtesy of a crashed space ship, no floating cities.

Here's the poster for Elysium...
ELYSIUM-POSTER.jpg
 
It's certainly going to be a Sci-fi year in cinema. I like that. Unfortunately, everything I've seen about these movies is filling me with a feeling of "vague interest." Unlike John Carter which I was jumping up and down to go see. Hopefully some better trailers will be out soon that will get me excited for them.
 
Saw this last night. IMO, the best Sci-fi movie of the year so far.
It's not necessarily as much fun as Pacific Rim, but overall, a better film.

I only had 4 problems with it, and two of them are fairly minor.
1 - There's a couple of patches where they ditch the usually high quality special effects, and switch to full CGI. It's obvious, but small.
2 - I had heard that the film was a bit preachy about wealth distribution. It IS a bit heavy handed with the whole Poor people = Good, Rich people = Bad thing, but not to the extent that the reviews I'd read had made out.

The big problems I had though, are not unique to this film.
3 - SHAKY CAM!!!! I wish Hollywood would stop using shaky cam. It looks ugly, it's hard to follow, and it adds nothing to the film. Fortunately, it's minimal in this film, but unfortunately, that just highlights it when it's used.

4 - Music. What is with the BWOAR! Noise that keeps being used in blockbusters these days? Batman, Inception, Every Other Sci-Fi film in the past 5-10 years! It's starting to really get to me. Come up with some new sounds!

The film itself though, is beautiful. Special effects for the most part are fantastic, acting is great, story is good enough. Over all, it's a strong film that should set the standard for sci-fi films for the next few years.
 
ELYSIUM

Part 1:

Elysiumis a 2013 American dystopian science fiction actionthrillerfilm. It was written, directed, and co-produced byNeill Blomkamp, and starringMatt Damon,Jodie Foster,Alice BragaandSharlto Copley.It was released on 9 August 2013, in both conventional andIMAX Digitaltheaters; I saw the film on TV on 9 July 2015 here in Australia. In my 16 years of retirement from a 50 year student and paid employment life, 1949 to 1999, I have found that, if I wait, the movies and DVDs that come onto the market eventually turn-up on television.

This film takes place on both a ravagedEarth, and a luxuriousspace habitaton a rotating wheel space station called Elysium. The space station reminded me of the one in 2001 Space Odyssey. The film explores political and sociological themes such as immigration,overpopulation,health care,exploitation, the justice system, andsocial classissues. Although the film's story is set in 2154, the director-producer has stated that the film is a comment on the contemporary human condition."Everybody wants to ask me lately about my predictions for the future," the director said, "No, no, no. This isn't science fiction. This is today. This is now."

Part 2:


I leave it to readers with the interest to find the details about the plot, cast, production, critical reception, and general details. Wikipedia has an informative overview of the film. I have taken an interest in the leading science fiction authors of the last two centuries from Mary Shelley to George Lucas.In many ways these authors have predicted and, accordingly, influenced the development of scientific advancements by inspiring many readers to assist in transforming their futuristic visions into everyday reality. The stories of these two centuries of science-fiction are now told in cyberspace through: film clips, re-enactments, illustrations and interviews.

Back in the 1950s I joined the Baha’i Faith which, among other things, is a religion with the very future in its bones. In my 60 years of association with this newest of the Abrahamic religions I have found it has often been criticized as far too utopian with an unrealistic picture of the future. Perhaps this is yet another reason why I have taken an interest in the genre of science fiction.

Part 3:

You’re getting older Jodi,
but there is still plenty of
bloom on the rose. Matt’s
in his element pushing his
body, his exo-skeleton, as
far as it could be pushed.

I said to myself, as I watched
this film: “this is not 2054…
this is now.” Science fiction
& fact into conversation with
one another. I tried to write
sci-fi back in the late 1980s,
but it was not for me, and
neither was novel-writing.

I settled for essay-writing,
poetry, autobiography, &
internet posting on 1000s
of topics with millions of
words. I was not a writer
of sci-fi: no Isaac Asimov,
no Robert Heinlein, nor a
Jules Verne…We all have
to find our place in space,
our skills, our abilities, our
raison d'etre for living in this
time, this climacteric of history.

Ron Price
11/7/’15.
 
internet posting on 1000s
of topics with millions of
words
LOL - In that sense, I too am a writer.

I'll never make money and fame but my presence, my opinions, thoughts, beliefs, fears and humor are all written for others to consider. I like to think that my personality is present on the internet.
After I die, my legacy will continue on.
 
The fact that I can write out my thoughts and feelings, desires and fantasys makes me a writer. I've tried writing a book but never was able to put it together into a meaningful story. I guess I lack writer's discipline. I tend to write when I have the possibility of a discussion. Most of the stories I write die off because nobody comments on them. I think if people were to comment and show interest I could continue the story. Kinda similar to how I was driven in my work ethic. I would do a really good job, go above & beyond and when I got positive feedback on it I always tried to out-do what I did. I respond very well to positive reinforcement. I also respond well to clarification. Showing an interest but not understanding me causes me to go into teaching mode. I do very poorly with negativity. Its my preference to always find the 'good' in everything. When people point out only the bad - it turns me off and makes me think they are close-minded. Anything I wrote that you wish to discuss is fine by me. Just quote what I wrote so I know what you are referring to. Plus, understand that my opinions change as new information is gained.
 
I have taken an interest in the leading science fiction authors of the last two centuries

You might find an interest in the website Technovelgy
Inventions and Ideas from Science Fiction Books and Movies at Technovelgy.com
The Website said:
Explore the inventions, technology and ideas of science fiction writers at Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) - over 2,500 are available. Use the Timeline of Science Fiction Invention or the alphabetic Glossary of Science Fiction Technology to see them all, look for the category that interests you, or browse by favorite author / book. Browse more than 4,300 Science Fiction in the News articles.

Science Fiction
Technology
Alpha List :

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Science Fiction
Technology
By Year:

1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's


Select
Technovelgy
And News By Topic

Agriculture
Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
 
I didn't care for Elysium much. I'm not a utopian or dystopian dreamer. I like scifi that is as close to realism as possible. Utopian and dystopian scenarios are more of a fantasy genre for me. Reality is a mix of the two - sometimes in some places & ways more one way or the other but never saturated. Good Scifi has both elements.
Elysium has both but they are shown to be separate. The story is driven by the fusion of the two. That is such a cookie cutter staple in storytelling I find it old and busted.
Many never realize that the dystopian traits at Elysium and the utopian traits on the Surface are predictable. The story unfolds as predicted and even the 'twists' are predictable. Perhaps I lost something by watching so many movies?
The construction and implementation of the movie is okay. I usually don't have issues even with bad acting and poor set design - this is not the case with this movie - everything is ... filmed okay. Its the premise, the ... practicality of the story that disappointed me.
Just because I didn't find the movie good by no means diminishes yours or others opinions of it.

I like Star Trek but I have issues with many ideas that were introduced. Not for morality reason but for practicality and pretense. There are many facets of the series that start to explore some wondrous concepts but they always fall short of the expected fruition. I find that even the extreme elements are not really that extreme. For example, the Q, The Borg and The Caretaker are depicted as mega-advanced but their depiction and the abilities shown are IMO very limited.
 
Thanks for your posts and that link to the technology site, Tom. Your personality is certainly present on the internet. After you die, your legacy will continue on, as will mine, in cyberspace. I wish you well in the years before you pass from this mortal coil.-Ron
 
Currently my interests lie in Nanotechnology, the A.I. Singularity and realistic Space Exploration.

The Nanotechnology was inspired by reading:



The A.I. Singularity by reading:

3DsinJacketFLAT.jpg

The Singularity is Near &raquo Homepage

The Singularity is an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful than it is today—the dawning of a new civilization that will enable us to transcend our biological limitations and amplify our creativity.

Realistic Space Exploration from reading and watching NASA and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Science fiction that explores these realms seems to always be in my interest. Some are okay and some have promise but nothing yet has come close to exploring the depth of the fields.

Transcendence had a close but limited story of Transhumanism and Nanotechnology.
400 Days is a movie I've been waiting:
In preparation for a journey into deep space, a group of 4 astronauts spend 400 days in an incredibly realistic space capsule simulator - only to discover that their mission may not be as simulated as they were led to believe.
 
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