Elysium

This is another one of those if you haven't seen it yet, don't look, cause I'm gonna blab and blab and blab.

So, it was really, really well done and I really enjoyed it.  Awesome acting, great visual effects and I really enjoyed the filming.  (I apologize for saying really so often).

Do you know what my favourite part was though?  The fact that Max, who's dying, actually struggles with it for the whole movie.  And this is why it made me so... I think happy is the wrong term for this situation, so let's use relieved.

There are times when you're reading a book, watching a show (I find it happens more in anime), where suddenly during a scene a character suffers some form of bodily harm or illness or fill in the blank.  The author/director carries it on for a couple of scenes, and then suddenly, despite being on the verge of collapsing, the character can keep going for the rest of the episode.  Sometimes two.... Sometimes even longer.  And every time that happens I go: Oh frig really?!  What happened to: oh man I'm gonna pass out soon!

If you're character's wounded and about to pass out and you describe them having blurred vision.  Frig have them pass out ten seconds after that.  Otherwise it's just a cheap trick for suspense that actually kills the realism in a story.  Which for me, kills the mood that was trying to be put into place in the first place.  Urgency.

I was worried going into Elysium that it would be another one of these cases.  If you've seen the trailers, you know that he's sick and needs to get to Elysium so he can get better.  And they show lots of fight scenes and action and yadda yadda, so I was very concerned he'd get sick, but be able to walk around doing whatever.

But no!  No! Not only does he not magically regain amazing stamina, he never fully regains his full strength.  First he's given medication that'll will keep him functioning till he dies, then he's outfitted with the exoskeleton cause he can barely stand, let alone walk and forget fighting in that condition.

And not only that!  Not only that!  He still, still needs help because his body is shutting down and at very inconvenient times.  Like when being chased by one very scary psychopath who's very determined to kill him.  Apparently he took offense to getting his face blown off.

So, as odd as it may seem, it seriously fills me with glee when a story incorperates something like this, and employs it perfectly.  If a character is dying, make me scared that he'll die before he succeeds.  Keep reminding me that he's dying.  Worsen their condition.  Keep me at the edge of my seat wondering how it'll all turn out.

So, I highly, highly recommend seeing this movie.  It was awesome!  Well written, great actors, vfx very well done and just all around, a great movie!

Plus Matt Damon without a shirt.  Just saying.