Elysium Trailer

Neill Blomkamp is back! District 9 is an awesome film and I am really excited to see a return to Blomkamp's world. As a big fan of science fiction, I am always open to something original, it is unclear how Elysium links in with District 9, all we know is that it isn't a sequel, it is a stand-alone film. 

Watch the trailer below:

The film stars Matt Damon (you may remember him as Jason Bourne in The Bourne Trilogy), Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley (Wilkus in District 9), Wagner Moura, Carly Pope and Alice Braga. Elysium takes place on a ravaged Earth and a luxurious space habitat named Elysium. It will explore political themes such as "immigration, health care and class issues". 

The plot:

In the year 2154 the very wealthy live on Elysium, whilst the rest 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 Da Costa, an ordinary man in desperate need t 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. He could save not only his own life, but billions of people on Earth as well.

My Opinion: Warning contain spoilers from District 9
This film looks great! Science fiction has always been used to bring real life problems like poverty and social hierarchy into the publics sight. From what I've seen Blomkamp do with racial dividing in District 9, I am looking forward to see what he does with this new direction. I am also interesting to see how it fits in with District 9, if it does at all. We know that the prawn Christopher Johnson planned to return to Earth in ten years to help Wikus. The end of District 9 raises question about whether or not Christopher will seek revenge and bring an army. Elysium is set over one hundred years in the future, so it could be set well after Christopher returns, which could explain why Earth is so desecrated. Plus the human technology in the film looks influenced by prawn technology. One big question that has been raised is who does Sharlto Copley play? His character name is Kruger, there are rumours hovering around that he is Wilkus after the prawns returned and cured him, but it is over one hundred years after the events in District 9, so he would surely be dead by then. So perhaps he is a relative of Wilkus. This question won't be answered until the film is released.

In conclusion, I am excited, Blomkamp is a fantastic visionary, and even if this film has nothing to do with District 9, I imagine it will have the same, if not a larger, impact on science fiction.

Check out the poster for Elysium below:

Elysium is scheduled for release on August 9th, 2013.