Copper Zen said:
Funny. Bob's cheering this movie on while other reviews I've read are canning it. Time gave it 2+1/2 stars out of 5 and it only gets a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Uh...is this another case where Bob's inner fanboy leaves him giddy and oblivious to problems? You may recall how he said the Captain America might be "the best movie ever". Bob has as much of a track record for going overboard liking certain directors or movies as he does for reflexively hating others (I never listen to Bob when he talks about JJ Abrahm's work, anymore).
Has anyone else seen this movie? If so I'd appreciate your opinion on it.
For the past two weeks, I've had the chance to go to a couple advanced screenings for movies. Last week I saw Two Guns, and this week I saw Elysium. And the verdict?
Elysium is hardly worth it. I went with two others for both films, and each of us left the theatre for Elysium going "Eh..." as opposed to Two Guns when we all left going "That was fun". And the only reason we left just going "Eh..." was because it was free for us to go see. If we had to pay for it, we probably would have felt more strongly about it.
This movie is no where near as smart, clever, or righteous as Bob paints it. It's a film that lacks any form of subtlety. By the end of it, I just felt I had sat down for a couple hours to be ranted at instead of entertained and maybe given some food for thought after it was all through. Not only that, but the movie itself has a lack of internal consistency, with the tech that they show in it having little sense for its purpose.
Overall, it felt like a movie that was trying far too hard to be smart when it really wasn't, with action, story, and characters that were no where near the same level as District 9. The only action seen that really impressed was one near the start, and none past that really measured up, and that one was just at the level of "That's pretty cool" and not "That's fucking awesome!". The story is flat and predictable, you know how this is going to end half way through, and after it just feels like it's killing time until it gets around to doing what you expect it to. Not to mention that really none of the characters can be latched onto. Matt Damon feels about as relatable and likeable here as he does in the Borne Movies. I really don't understand how he keeps getting leads in so many movies when he really feels to lack any charisma and charm. The supporting cast isn't really anything of note either. Only one of them has any degree of charm to them, and they get offed fairly early on in the movie without a second thought given to them.