Neill Blomkamp’s Incredible Vision of the Future is Unleashed with New “Elysium” Trailer

Here is the first look at the trailer for Neil Blomkamp’s new movie Elysium from the Io9 website. Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley, we see the Earth of 2159 where the rich live in luxury on a man-made station above the planet. The residents of a ruined Earth below struggle to survive and it is one of these residents that takes on a mission that could change the balance of both of these groups and bring equality to the polarized worlds. Below is the brand new trailer.

The first thing that catches your eye is the incredible realism of this future Earth. In all of Blomkamp’s work he has always had a talent of making the science fiction elements of the story blend into the real world we live in today. The Earth of the future looks very much like an exaggerated version of parts of our world. The huge ultra modern buildings and technology of the elite class mixed with masses of floral surroundings makes the harsh, war like life the people living on Earth have to suffer seem that much more tragic. The rich here have a flair for decadence that makes their world seem breath-taking and the poor people on Earths struggles seem a little too much like life on our planet right now. The trailer clearly defines these class struggles and felt a lot like the alien residents plight in District 9.

Certain parts of the trailer felt like the scenes following the human survivors from the Matrix movies, the bald head, modern and very rough looking technology, dirty clothing and wrecked housing probably helps to enforce that look. Matt Damon looks great sporting the above look and the insertion of his robotic Exo- Skeleton into his flesh was an incredible moment, as were the scenes where Matt Damon is smashing and blowing up his robotic foes. Sharlto Copley looks great in the same suit and has some great scenes where he to gets to blow stuff up. The mix of action and class struggle is handled fantastically and adds an exciting story to the trailer. The robots also look great. Neil has always had a soft spot for technology in his work, especially robotics and this film seems to be no different. The fact that he handles this interaction between CGI and live action so well is cause for celebration and certainly blew me away when I was watching this trailer.

This trailer has everything a fan of science fiction could hope for. The only downside is the lack of Jodie Foster, who only pops up in a few scenes and gets very little trailer time. But this is a very slight fault. Futuristic class struggles like Elysium shows have been around since films like Logan Run brought them to the cinematic masses in the 70’s and Neil is continuing that tradition with his own unique brand of science fiction action. The film is released on August 9^th of this year and that time seems to far away for this reviewer. Keep checking Grizzly Bomb for regular updates on this superb looking movie.

‘Elysium’ from the director of ‘District 9’: Plot & Images

Elysium in case you haven’t heard of it yet, is an upcoming science fiction film written and directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9). The film will star the following massive actors; Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Wagner Moura and Alice Braga. The film is currently scheduled to be released on March 1st or 8th, 2013.

Elysium is set on another planet in the far future. The film will combine socio-political ideas and action! We haven’t had something like this since Minority Report, so we hope it does very well.

If you think it’s a bit weird that you haven’t heard a thing about this big production Sci-Fi with lots of popular stars, you’re not alone as the director (Neill Blomkamp) has been keeping everything about this film very close to lip. Hopefully this film will release more information soon, so keep an eye out.

Plot

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, built by the Armadyne Corporation, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky ex-con Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Source from Collider.

This film looks to be going down the same path as District 9 with Social upheaval, but this isn’t really shocking considering a lot of films (The Hunger Games, Dark Knight Rises) and TV shows (Continuum, Legend of Korra) recently have pointed to this genre, it is very relatable in our world (rich get richer, poor getting poorer).

Images

If that’s not enough to tide you over then we have some great still that raise some questions, such as what’s that tech on these guys?, Why is Matt Damon bald?, and finally why can I not get more pictures? Well that’s because it’s a super-secret production without any leaks or spoilers.

Is that a Katana on his back, I think it is!

So finally what are your thoughts? Did you like District 9? Do you think Neil Blomkamp can repeat his earlier success? Or, do you think it will just suck? All views are welcome.

Stephen King’s “Carrie” Remake Finds it’s Lead

And so we just keep rolling down Remake Road. This time the Brian De Palma masterpiece needs for some reason to be redone. Much like the new Total Recall, this seems to be another movie no one was asking for. Now, most likely what will decide if it’s watchable or not will be who they cast as the infamous Carrie White.

The remake of the 1976 film based on the Stephen King novel “Carrie” will be directed by Kim Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry). The casting was full of up-and-coming possibilities. The list of  ladies who have read for the role of Carrie White are as follows: Haley Bennett (Marley & Me), Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), Bella Heathcote (In Time), Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror), and the winner of this coveted star role: Chloë Moretz. Ms. Mortez is no stranger to the whole remake craze as she was in the updates of The Amityville Horror, The Eye, Let Me In, and the upcoming Dark Shadows. She is also building up quite the impressive geek-resume outside the remake game with movies like Kick-Ass, (500) Days of Summer, and a reoccurring role as Jack Donaghy’s nemesis Kaylie Hooper on 30 Rock.

Chloë has said she is a big fan of Kim Peirce’s work. The 1976 adaptation of Carrie is going to be tough to follow. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie were both nominated for Oscars for their part in the film. According to Vulture, Peirce has approached Julianne Moore and Jodie Foster about the movie, both of whom are past Oscar winners.

The remake is said to be releasing some time in 2013. No word yet on if John Travolta will reprise his role as ‘Asshole High Schooler’…

#25 – Countdown to Halloween: SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

The Silence of the Lambs is one of the greatest and most influential horror films of all time. Based on the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris, the movie was released in 1991.Not only did it shock and disturb audiences everywhere, but it set a new standard for horror movies. This was not just another gore-filled hack-and-slash. This is a complete mind-blowing thriller, and one of my favorite movies of all time.