Most sci-fi and action movies since “Star Wars” have left us bored or dismayed, and the arbitrary explosions of director Michael Bay (the man behind the “Transformers” films) haven’t helped either.

Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, the creator behind the groundbreaking movie “District 9,” “Elysium” takes place in the year 2154. Earth is barely surviving, and is rotting away with billions of people still on it. They are all gazing at the man-made space station, Elysium, created by Earth’s wealthiest, _for_ the wealthiest.

When Max (Matt Damon) suffers an accident at work, it becomes imperative that he get up there to be healed. Elysium’s Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster) keeps the poor out in extreme ways, using a disavowed bounty hunter, Kruger (Sharlto Copley), to do her dirty work. As Max continues his quest for Elysium, he becomes entangled in a deadly mission that could not only save his life, but everyone on Earth.

Unfortunately, the plot becomes cluttered with the storytelling of New Earth and other subplots, and as the main conflict is revealed about 45 minutes in, it’s easy to miss it. But once you can get past the overdrawn expositions, it’s hard to look away. 

In his second film with Copley (who was also “District 9”), Blomkamp was successfully able to incorporate the softer and simple undertones of humanity and equality with the grisly shooting, explosions and action sequences that we’ve all wanted from Matt Damon since the “Bourne” trilogy.

_MOVE gives “Elysium” 3.5 out of 5 stars._