Review of Elysium

A slow plot (especially in the earliest parts) with a wildly inconsistent tone isn't helped by slow, ugly animation, bad voice acting, and ill-fitting music. The plot jumps from place to place continuously with barely any warning, flitting from scene to scene without any sort of rhyme or reason, leaving the viewer confused as to what's going on, and what (if any) importance the previous seen just had. An overbearing narrative voice over doesn't help with the film's potential for pathos, explaining the feelings of the characters to viewers rather than showing it. A poorly written script is dragged down even further by action that lacks tension (although at points it does have some style, with the same sort of style used in hand drawn animation with a near lack of motion followed by extremely rapid movement. It's hard to explain). The best part is the machine design for the War Mechas, sporting a very rounded, almost fluid-like look.

Elysium is little more than forgettable bargain-bin material. Don't go out of you way looking for it.