Elysium **1/2 out of 4

Seen in theater.  Released 2013.
Directed and written by Neill Blomkamp
With Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Brandon Auret
Cinematography by Trent Opaloch

I am a sucker for Sci-fi films.  Not books as much.  I like to see the worlds that are created by film makers.  I guess my imagination isn't as good as some of these film makers, though in theory it should be better. That's why, we are told, books are better than film.

This one is definitely better than average.  I like the worlds it creates.  Elysium is a satellite that orbits Earth.  The rich and powerful live there.  On the dead and used up Earth are the poor, criminal and the immigrants Mostly Mexican - A none too veiled criticism against some policies and political views held today.

 Elysium is beautiful, green and idyllic.  Earth in gritty, brown and violent.  Jodie Foster is chilling as the officer (Delacourt) who is assigned with keeping the riff raff out of Elysium (Homeland Security?).  The riff raff want in mostly for the technology that Elysium has that heels any physical ailment or disease, which they won't share with the people on Earth.

There is one particularly interesting scene when the hero Max (antihero - he was a criminal) played by Matt Damon is hiding from the soldiers.  Knowingly, an old Mexican woman has him hide in her cart filled with pigs.  She understands.

The movie is by no means perfect.  Like all Hollywood pictures, it descends into a flurry of action and fighting.  But that's pretty much par for course.  I would have also liked to see life on Elysium more.  I would have liked to see some fatal crack or flaw in that society, signifying that that life style is not all it is cracked up to be.  Something like Logan's Run.

But all in all enjoyable. A pretty long trailer.