Escape to the Movies: Elysium

[NeedsaBetterName22]

So another "dirty poor rebel heroes against EVUL rich white strawmen people" movie? Yea I'll pass,. Not only do I hate that kind of plot with a burning passion for a host of reasons, I really don't feel like paying to sit down and be told I'm shit.

And here's where I reiterate my point. Why do you feel as if a fictional sci-fi movie is specifically telling you what you are worth in this world?

Seriously? You're wondering why a movie you wouldn't want to go see a movie that constantly demonizes you in a pandering manner. That's like wondering if some black people might be a little uncomfortable with Birth of A Nation. When you, personally, are shown in fiction as part of whatever group (race, gender, class, etc.) it's natural to feel alienated when the portrayal is entirely negative. I mean, this is the Escapist, we've had discussions for months over people who feel alienated about the portrayals of women in media for god's sake. When a director or artists is DIRECTLY borrowing concepts from reality, which is the core of Elysium (class warfare, immigration, healthcare) in a ham-fisted manner it alienates the people it portrays as, say, cartoonishly evil capitalists. That might mean certain people just don't want to see the same subjective media that you do. Major Chaos is being completely reasonable, he feels alienated by it and doesn't want to see it.

 

[Coreless]

Absolutely amazing movie, easily one of the best science fiction movies I have ever seen...just wow. Neil Blomkamp is a true visionary and he captures exactly what I love about Sci-Fi movies, the visual style, the tech, the vehicles, the action...all of it. While the message comes off a little strong at points, I can see why people are upset about it because it hits a little close to home I just can't get over how awesome his movies are and Sharlto Copley....man that guy is awesome to watch in crazy mode.

 

[geier]

O wow, what novelty, a villain that has a german name.
I'm already bored by this movie and it didn't even run in my country or even on my continent.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

Anyone else get a laugh out of the "OH MOTHER ***BEEP!" bit?

I want to see this. Seems like I would enjoy this.

 

[Yojoo]

So another "dirty poor rebel heroes against EVUL rich white strawmen people" movie? Yea I'll pass,. Not only do I hate that kind of plot with a burning passion for a host of reasons, I really don't feel like paying to sit down and be told I'm shit.

And here's where I reiterate my point. Why do you feel as if a fictional sci-fi movie is specifically telling you what you are worth in this world?

Seriously? You're wondering why a movie you wouldn't want to go see a movie that constantly demonizes you in a pandering manner. That's like wondering if some black people might be a little uncomfortable with Birth of A Nation. When you, personally, are shown in fiction as part of whatever group (race, gender, class, etc.) it's natural to feel alienated when the portrayal is entirely negative. I mean, this is the Escapist, we've had discussions for months over people who feel alienated about the portrayals of women in media for god's sake. When a director or artists is DIRECTLY borrowing concepts from reality, which is the core of Elysium (class warfare, immigration, healthcare) in a ham-fisted manner it alienates the people it portrays as, say, cartoonishly evil capitalists. That might mean certain people just don't want to see the same subjective media that you do. Major Chaos is being completely reasonable, he feels alienated by it and doesn't want to see it.

Comparing this to Birth of a Nation is ludicrously unfair. The black characters in Birth were criminals because they were black; the villains in Elysium just so happen to be white. Elysium's political message condemns the actions of people who happen to be white, but the condemnation has nothing to do with the color of their skin. Unless you're an ultra-elitist 1% snob who spends their free time hunting endangered species and rolling illegal cigars out of hundred dollar bills, you have nothing to be offended by.

Let us not forget that the main protagonist is white and the president of Elysium (admittedly a minor character, but with a major position within the power structure) is Pakistani.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

So another "dirty poor rebel heroes against EVUL rich white strawmen people" movie? Yea I'll pass,. Not only do I hate that kind of plot with a burning passion for a host of reasons, I really don't feel like paying to sit down and be told I'm shit.

And here's where I reiterate my point. Why do you feel as if a fictional sci-fi movie is specifically telling you what you are worth in this world?

Seriously? You're wondering why a movie you wouldn't want to go see a movie that constantly demonizes you in a pandering manner. That's like wondering if some black people might be a little uncomfortable with Birth of A Nation. When you, personally, are shown in fiction as part of whatever group (race, gender, class, etc.) it's natural to feel alienated when the portrayal is entirely negative. I mean, this is the Escapist, we've had discussions for months over people who feel alienated about the portrayals of women in media for god's sake. When a director or artists is DIRECTLY borrowing concepts from reality, which is the core of Elysium (class warfare, immigration, healthcare) in a ham-fisted manner it alienates the people it portrays as, say, cartoonishly evil capitalists. That might mean certain people just don't want to see the same subjective media that you do. Major Chaos is being completely reasonable, he feels alienated by it and doesn't want to see it.

Comparing this to Birth of a Nation is ludicrously unfair. The black characters in Birth were criminals because they were black; the villains in Elysium just so happen to be white. Elysium's political message condemns the actions of people who happen to be white, but the condemnation has nothing to do with the color of their skin. Unless you're an ultra-elitist 1% snob who spends their free time hunting endangered species and rolling illegal cigars out of hundred dollar bills, you have nothing to be offended by.

Let us not forget that the main protagonist is white and the president of Elysium (admittedly a minor character, but with a major position within the power structure) is Pakistani.

Technically, you could easily point out there there would be far more issues of unspoken messages in a white protagonist being the only one who could save the lower Hispanic commoners from the evil overlords.

I bring that up only that it's easy to nitpick the analogy someone creates to make a point while entirely missing the point. Said point is that people have a right to feel offended when they're quite wrongly portrayed in a film.

 

[Yojoo]

So another "dirty poor rebel heroes against EVUL rich white strawmen people" movie? Yea I'll pass,. Not only do I hate that kind of plot with a burning passion for a host of reasons, I really don't feel like paying to sit down and be told I'm shit.

And here's where I reiterate my point. Why do you feel as if a fictional sci-fi movie is specifically telling you what you are worth in this world?

Seriously? You're wondering why a movie you wouldn't want to go see a movie that constantly demonizes you in a pandering manner. That's like wondering if some black people might be a little uncomfortable with Birth of A Nation. When you, personally, are shown in fiction as part of whatever group (race, gender, class, etc.) it's natural to feel alienated when the portrayal is entirely negative. I mean, this is the Escapist, we've had discussions for months over people who feel alienated about the portrayals of women in media for god's sake. When a director or artists is DIRECTLY borrowing concepts from reality, which is the core of Elysium (class warfare, immigration, healthcare) in a ham-fisted manner it alienates the people it portrays as, say, cartoonishly evil capitalists. That might mean certain people just don't want to see the same subjective media that you do. Major Chaos is being completely reasonable, he feels alienated by it and doesn't want to see it.

Comparing this to Birth of a Nation is ludicrously unfair. The black characters in Birth were criminals because they were black; the villains in Elysium just so happen to be white. Elysium's political message condemns the actions of people who happen to be white, but the condemnation has nothing to do with the color of their skin. Unless you're an ultra-elitist 1% snob who spends their free time hunting endangered species and rolling illegal cigars out of hundred dollar bills, you have nothing to be offended by.

Let us not forget that the main protagonist is white and the president of Elysium (admittedly a minor character, but with a major position within the power structure) is Pakistani.

Technically, you could easily point out there there would be far more issues of unspoken messages in a white protagonist being the only one who could save the lower Hispanic commoners from the evil overlords.

I bring that up only that it's easy to nitpick the analogy someone creates to make a point while entirely missing the point. Said point is that people have a right to feel offended when they're quite wrongly portrayed in a film.

But who is being wrongly portrayed here? Elysium doesn't equal "white people". Yes, the residents of Elysium are mostly white, but that isn't a jab at every white viewer. That's a jab at elites who deny aid to those who need it out of spite and greed. If the previous sentence doesn't describe you, there's not much to be offended by here.

Is the alternative for white people to only watch movies in which we're portrayed in entirely positive lights? So Django Unchained or Glory are too offensive to be good movies now?

 

[Hexenwolf]

I feel like this review revealed WAY too much about the movie...

 

[NeedsaBetterName22]

Comparing this to Birth of a Nation is ludicrously unfair. The black characters in Birth were criminals because they were black; the villains in Elysium just so happen to be white. Elysium's political message condemns the actions of people who happen to be white, but the condemnation has nothing to do with the color of their skin. Unless you're an ultra-elitist 1% snob who spends their free time hunting endangered species and rolling illegal cigars out of hundred dollar bills, you have nothing to be offended by.

Let us not forget that the main protagonist is white and the president of Elysium (admittedly a minor character, but with a major position within the power structure) is Pakistani.

Missing the point, it's not about race, it's about grouping. Birth of a Nation was just an example of a piece of media that might alienate a black audience because it alienates them as a group. But there's less controversial examples all over the place. What Women Want, a comedy with Mel Gibson, presents women as emotional and unbalanced, mostly focused purely on their sexuality and presentation. Some women might feel alienated by such a piece because of their portrayal. This is how group mentality works, I can do it with anything that pursues a real-world 'us vs. them' dynamic.

If your narrative goal is to demonize a specific group based on race, class, gender, etc. it should not be a surprise that people from that group MIGHT not want to be told their scum for two hours by a preachy movie. It can be 'rich people are evil', or 'women are too focused on emotions' or 'Americans are all fat bigoted idiots', whatever.

Elysium takes a real world issue and tries to fit it into the Hollywood frame. It demonizes all rich people as either greedy or cartoonishly evil, and then inserts metaphors about current political events. Perhaps if the movie wasn't so focused on being a blunt and unfair metaphor for the modern economic system (yep, because a magical medicine machine that costs almost nothing is the same thing as universal healthcare) it could appeal to a broader audience.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

So another "dirty poor rebel heroes against EVUL rich white strawmen people" movie? Yea I'll pass,. Not only do I hate that kind of plot with a burning passion for a host of reasons, I really don't feel like paying to sit down and be told I'm shit.

And here's where I reiterate my point. Why do you feel as if a fictional sci-fi movie is specifically telling you what you are worth in this world?

Seriously? You're wondering why a movie you wouldn't want to go see a movie that constantly demonizes you in a pandering manner. That's like wondering if some black people might be a little uncomfortable with Birth of A Nation. When you, personally, are shown in fiction as part of whatever group (race, gender, class, etc.) it's natural to feel alienated when the portrayal is entirely negative. I mean, this is the Escapist, we've had discussions for months over people who feel alienated about the portrayals of women in media for god's sake. When a director or artists is DIRECTLY borrowing concepts from reality, which is the core of Elysium (class warfare, immigration, healthcare) in a ham-fisted manner it alienates the people it portrays as, say, cartoonishly evil capitalists. That might mean certain people just don't want to see the same subjective media that you do. Major Chaos is being completely reasonable, he feels alienated by it and doesn't want to see it.

Comparing this to Birth of a Nation is ludicrously unfair. The black characters in Birth were criminals because they were black; the villains in Elysium just so happen to be white. Elysium's political message condemns the actions of people who happen to be white, but the condemnation has nothing to do with the color of their skin. Unless you're an ultra-elitist 1% snob who spends their free time hunting endangered species and rolling illegal cigars out of hundred dollar bills, you have nothing to be offended by.

Let us not forget that the main protagonist is white and the president of Elysium (admittedly a minor character, but with a major position within the power structure) is Pakistani.

Technically, you could easily point out there there would be far more issues of unspoken messages in a white protagonist being the only one who could save the lower Hispanic commoners from the evil overlords.

I bring that up only that it's easy to nitpick the analogy someone creates to make a point while entirely missing the point. Said point is that people have a right to feel offended when they're quite wrongly portrayed in a film.

But who is being wrongly portrayed here? Elysium doesn't equal "white people". Yes, the residents of Elysium are mostly white, but that isn't a jab at every white viewer. That's a jab at elites who deny aid to those who need it out of spite and greed. If the previous sentence doesn't describe you, there's not much to be offended by here.

Is the alternative for white people to only watch movies in which we're portrayed in entirely positive lights? So Django Unchained or Glory are too offensive to be good movies now?

Personally, I have no issue with Elysium's portrayal of race considering I have yet to see the movie. I am also in the same camp with you that I also have the discernment to see past the superficial portrayal of a generalized group of people to the malicious intentions behind the individual characters rather than the group itself.

With that in mind, it's very easy to chalk it up to the characters having bad intentions and that there is no commentary on the people they seem to represent in the real world. I would not blame someone for being offended by this movie similarly that I would not blame a member of the NRA to be upset over their portrayal as a bunch of gun-toting terrorists willing to kill anyone who threatens to take away their massive phallic symbol as they were in White House Down (another movie I did not see but heard quite a lot about). I would discuss it with them and try to allow them to see it through my viewpoint as the condemnation of an extremism rather than an entire group of people, but I still would not blame them for being offended. And they have that right.

Also, the movies that you listed are period pieces about times long past, and Elysium is a movie that seems to be based entirely around current-day liberal agenda (again, haven't seen the movie, but everything I've seen up to now hardly boasts subtlety).

 

[RedDeadFred]

This sounds like an American film for Americans only.

Care to explain? Are you saying that only Americans will like it or that the message specifically deals with systems in their country? I don't live in the US and thoroughly enjoyed the movie so I'm assuming you're referring to the latter. And if that's the case, so what? What's wrong with a cautionary tale about capitalism and shitty healthcare? Just because it doesn't apply to your country I'd hardly say that the movie isn't for you...

 

[tmande2nd]

Just once I want to see a rich vs poor movie where the poor people are the villains in it.

Like have some giant disaster happen and the poor people resort to cannibalism of rich people who they blame.
Just for variety's sake at least.

 

[RedDeadFred]

A Hollywood triple-A production involving plot elements of class struggle?

Oh, this will get ugly...

Oh it has... I think a lot of people have made a trip over from R&P (I have vowed never to go there but it seems that it has found me here) specifically for this movie. I don't understand why if a movie's message isn't subtle, people immediately think it's shit. Can people really not just go with it and enjoy the movie for what it is? Hell, I didn't agree with a certain part of the message (I'm not going to say which part because, like the R&P forum, someone will jump down my throat over it) but I wasn't going OMG stahp hitting me over the head with this message. Besides, it's not like the movie painted all of the upper class as evil. The President seemed like a fairly amiable guy.

 

[crimson sickle2]

Something about the setting is telling me to not watch this movie. I'm guessing it's the same "all of government/leaders are evil" theme that District 9 brought as well. Not even every Nazi was pure evil, yet future government employees are all evil,(District 9 examples) willing to perform autopsies on living subjects and use aliens as target practice for reasons...unknown other than to show just how evil they are? Although, from just the trailers, I don't understand why Earth is so shit, do they explain that? Do all geniuses move to Elysium at birth? Does global warming cause everything to turn into a desert? Why are there no future hospitals on Earth, if there are so many willing patients?

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Nothing on Planes? I wasn't expecting a full review of it, but I thought maybe it would at least get a post credits joke.

I have no interest in seeing Elysium (because I'm poor and have to pick and choose my movies very carefully, I've only gone to see 4 movies so far this year) but I do remember seeing the trailer for this and finding something interesting about it. Glad to know it was alright.

Also does anyone else find it incredibly odd that a lot of the things that people seem to just insult MovieBob over are the same thing that Yahtzee does, but no one seems to complain when he does it, in fact they often celebrate it. Whether it's plugging his book (and hey, the special announcement wasn't just a book plug, guys. It was to plug a special signing, since when is that not allowed?) calling a movie lowest common denominator, using that to insult the audience (how often has Yahtzee actually called people twats or cunts for liking a certain game?) or letting his bias get in the way of things?

If you don't want an opinion based show to be covered in personal opinion, than stop watching it. It's not a hard concept.

Yahtzee is using a persona for comedic value. Bob is just being Bob.

 

[Username Redacted]

We're never gonna get that Battle Angel Alita movie, are we? :'(

Nope This pretty much killed it, just as Promethius killed The Mountains of Madness one.

I wouldn't say never because James Camerson seems like the type to give zero fucks about what others think and/or want. That said it's probably pretty close to never as Avatar made too much money to not try to cash in on. Hell, Cameron's IMDB page has writing credits listed for Avatar's 2-4. -_- I, given the fact that I don't particularly like most of what he's done recently, am not super thrilled that James Cameron is the one holding the rights to Battle Angel.

/sigh! I actually don't mind the idea of Cameron making Battle Angel Alita. Yeah he seems like a bit if a jerk, but the man does have an incredible eye for and timing with these types of movies. And I love that Cameron is one of the last of the big genre filmakers that has not succumbed to washing everything out with blue and orange digital color correction. Love or hate Avatar for the acting dialog and story, but the filmmaking in it is spectacular.

I cry because it will at a minimum be years before we see such a movie. Can you imagine if it could be in production now using the girl from Pacific Rim? Or the chick that played Yukio in The Wolverine?

Unless a movie's special effects are shitty enough to actually be a serious distraction then I don't really care how pretty something is. 'What Dreams May Come' is one of the most gorgeous movies I've ever seen but it's story is such garbage that I've never managed to finish watching it. Also looking at James Cameron's IMDB page it's been 19 years since he wrote, directed or produced anything that I give a fuck about (True Lies, 1994) so I'm not exactly a big fan of his work.

Regarding the casting of Alita from what I heard was that the plan was to use the technology that eventually went into making the blue wankers in Avatar to have her be a digital character and then to have pretty much everyone else played by real people. So no worries (probably) about what actress is cast for Alita rather hope that whoever they have doing motion capture is good at their job.

 

[Aardvaarkman]

I literally could not watch that review because I can't handle the Bawstin accent.

I appreciate the Boston accent's return. It's a great accent, and it's way better than when he tries to cover it up.

What I did not appreciate was that the "special announcement" touted at the beginning of the episode just turned out to just be a book signing. Did we really need to be told twice that Weirs Beach, New Hampshire is beautiful? Does he get paid by the New Hampshire Tourism Board to say that?

 

[Aardvaarkman]

When I first heard about this movie, I'd considered going to see it. However, the more I hear about it, the less I want to, because it sounds like it's going to be Avatar levels of heavy-handed, left-wing preaching about illegal immigration and ecenomic disparity among social classes. God forbid they take it with an even hand and, I dunno, handle both sides fairly with a message like "some say the economic system is unfair and keeps people from making their lives better in order to benefit the privileged few...but others think that you can get ahead and the fact that some don't succeed is just an unfortunate, but unavoidable fact of life and trying to homogenize prosperity is going to be about taking away what some have rightfully earned and giving it to those that haven't earned it."

It's sad that I think I can say without fear of disagreement that we're not likely to see a movie with that kind of message anytime soon. Instead we're going to keep seeing movies where the message is where the only people who are successful and rich are the dishonest and those born into privilege and that successful, wealthy people have no virtues because they're all selfish and cruel.

Possibly because that message would make no sense? The vast majority of the wealthy have not worked hard to earn it, they simply inherited it because they were born in the right place at the right time. And they do tend to be selfish and cruel to those who they consider lesser than them.

The majority of the the world's population is poor, and they work a lot harder than the entitled wealthy people do. While the wealthy are actively trying trying to hold them down. Have you ever seen how most of the more fortunate members of "society" treat the service workers who are vital to their indulgent lifestyles? You almost definitely have, but probably never noticed.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

Has anyone else seen this movie? If so I'd appreciate your opinion on it.

I saw it this afternoon. It was pretty decent. Very similar to District 9 in tone and feel. I'd personally give it a 7/10. It's a little self-righteous, it's a little light on the 'action' for a summer action movie, and I didn't think the political message it was trying to get across was all that relevant in the end. I still enjoyed the movie though.

 

[Luminous Chroma]

You know -- and this is just based on the information presented in the review -- if "the one percent" can just up and move to a space colony removed from the rest of humanity where they never have to work again, and the result is that everything goes to hell down below... doesn't that kind of validate the ideas presented in, of all things, Atlas Shrugged? You know, where all the rich people pack up and move to Rapture Galt's Gulch and everyone else is like "Oh noes, the people who actually knew how to run things are all gone, whatever shall we do?" because apparently "the 99 percent" are all idiots who need to be led by the hand by their, ahem, intellectual superiors.

OT, but I'd like to comment on the reference to Atlas Shrugged because, as usual, it's being misrepresented.

The setting in Atlas is a semi-dystopian world where things are going steadily to hell. Those responsible for the dystopian status are, by and large, the wealthy and powerful. The problems arise not because they're wealthy, but because they're greedy, selfish, cowardly and short-sighted. Those who suffer the most are the middle and lower classes. Several of the wealthy characters are vile enough to intentionally inflict misery upon the less fortunate in order break their spirits, strengthening their own power and influence as a result.

The characters who flee to Galt's Gulch are inventors, industrialists, artists, actors, and assorted others who want nothing more than to lead free, productive lives. Not all of them are rich or even unusually intelligent. They aren't the so-called One Percent, they don't rule vast empires or command armies of downtrodden slaves. They're normal people who decided not to live beneath the heel of a jackboot. By escaping to the Gulch, they've effectively gone on strike from the corrupted world. Those left in the world outside Galt's Gulch are encouraged, by John Galt himself, to go on a similar strike. By doing so, they're able to force the corrupted infrastructure to collapse, paving the way for reconstruction.

The point of Atlas is not, as so many people seem to think, that the rich are inherently superior.
The point is not that poor people are stupid and require the rich to lead them by the hand.
The point is not that life is only worthwhile if you're rich.

The point is that freedom and individual rights are the cornerstones of life and happiness, regardless of how much wealth they produce. Yes, a lot of the characters are rich, but that's because their professions (industrialists, physicists, philosophers, politicians) provide a necessary vantage point for what's happening to the world over the course of the story. You could tell the same story from a ground-level, as Elysium partially does, but it wouldn't be as effective.