Elysium (2013)
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In a future where the wealthy live in luxury on a space station, a man with a terminal illness must risk everything to secure a place among them.
The story
In the year 2154, the overpopulated and ravaged Earth is inhabited by people living in extreme poverty, while the wealthy elite reside on Elysium, a luxurious orbiting space station equipped with advanced medical technology. Max Da Costa, a man suffering from a fatal radiation exposure, teams up with a smuggler named Spider to infiltrate the station. Their goal is to secure a spot in a Med-Bay to cure Max's condition. However, their mission becomes complicated when they acquire a piece of data that could potentially overhaul the entire Elysium system, drawing the attention of the station's ruthless security forces.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2154, Earth is a dying wasteland where the poor suffer from disease and pollution, while the wealthy live in luxury on the space station Elysium. Max Da Costa, a man with only five days to live after radiation exposure, teams up with a smuggler named Spider to reach Elysium for a life-saving Med-Bay. They successfully steal a data chip from the wealthy CEO John Carlyle, but the data is scrambled and guarded by a ruthless security agent, Kruger. After a series of dangerous maneuvers and a crash landing on Elysium, Max and Spider must navigate the station's defenses. Max eventually confronts Kruger and the station's leadership. In a final act of sacrifice, Max connects his own mind to the station's mainframe to upload the data, which reboots the system and declares all people on Earth as citizens of Elysium, allowing medical supplies to be sent to the planet below. Max dies from the process, but his actions ensure the survival of those on Earth.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Neill Blomkamp
- Writers
- Neill Blomkamp · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Max Da Costa; Jodie Foster · Defense Secretary Jessica Delacourt; Sharlto Copley · Agent M. Kruger; Alice Braga · Frey Santiago; Diego Luna · Julio; Wagner Moura · Spider; William Fichtner · John Carlyle
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction; action
- Themes
- social commentary; class disparity; capitalism
- Tone and mood
- action; dystopian
- Premise and plot tags
- space station; exosuits; medical technology; rebellion
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews but was considered a disappointment compared to the success of the director's previous film, District 9. It was noted for its critical dystopia and social commentary.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 262; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 47
- Production trivia
- The role of Max was offered to rapper Eminem before being given to Matt Damon.; The film's music score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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