Many are looking at The Wolverine as the last of the summer blockbusters, but is there perhaps room for one more? Neill Blomkamp's Elysium may not have the comic book pedigree or the mammoth budget to match, but it's big, bold, ambitious, gorgeously constructed, and charged with sociopolitical commentary. It's that last bit that may keep some moviegoers at bay, but for those looking for a film that is smart and thrilling, Elysium looks like the best way to go.
The first clip has been released, and it's a pretty good example why this film has a chance to be something special. In it we see Matt Damon as ex-con Max De Costa, expressing frustration as he's forced to negotiate with a robot about the extension of his parole. In less than a minute we see not only the complexities of Damon's character, who clearly isn't a saint but a man trying to be better, and some of the more ridiculous aspects of a heavily bureaucratic society.
Along with the clip there are also a handful of posters. The most dull of these is an official one that is so generic it could have been used for The Bourne Identity or Green Zone and nobody would bat an eye. The far superior Mondo poster features some slick hand drawn art, and give us a look at the characters played by Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley. Elysium hits theaters on August 9th.
