Neill Blomkamp says he 'fucked up' Elysium, wishes he could go back and do it right

[ElectricSquid]

It's refreshing to hear him act so... [I]human[/I], regarding this, but I still can't help but feel wary about the Chappie movie. Not because of him as a director, just some of the sense of campiness I got from the trailer. Really hoping Die Antwoord can come across convincingly and the robot isn't annoying as hell.

[BenJammin']

The script was rough

but it was the editing and cinematography that completely ruined the movie for me.

I need to see it again, but I really felt as if the movie had a ton of ADHD going on and the pace was just awkward in some places in general.

[JBarnes]

The movie had great visuals and a fucking sweet soundtrack, and it proved Copley can play a right bastard really well as opposed to his role in D9 as a mousey paper-pusher. But past all that was as "so-so" plot & besides Damon I really didn't care that much about the other characters. I literally forgot most of their names like a week after I saw the movie.

Chappie looks promising & news of the new Alien is encouraging. Hopefully Blokamp can dig himself out of this small slump and soldier on. He's a cool director.

[Curls]

I liked it.

[demoguy08]

[QUOTE=minilandstan;47222345]The biggest issue is that the rich people could have just spent some of those billions of dollars that they had that meant nothing to them if they were the only individuals of actual worth on the planet, and build a few more of those insta-heal things that can practically bring you back from the dead.

Like, would that have hurt? It was the only reason people bothered risking their lives to try and get there, it'd stop the immigrant problem altogether.[/QUOTE]

In real life rich people can just spend some billions of dollars and literally end things like world hunger and wealth inequality. Is that happening though? No. See the allusion?

[SupaBastad]

I felt like if he had re-done the script it could have been way heavier on the themes and truly been a cyberpunk film.

[Memobot]

Elysium was a bit of a step down for him, but it's still a pretty good film.

[Novangel]

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;47222602]Stuff like Elysium and Halo are called ringworlds, after the original Ringworld novel by Larry Niven[/QUOTE]

It's more an [url="]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder"]O'Neill cylinder[/url] mixed with a rotating space station.

[Cuon Alpinus]

I found it amusing how a shitty old laptop could hack into and completely redefine an entire database of information on a machine technologically light years ahead within just a few minutes. The social commentary also wasn't subtle enough either. It's one thing if you can incorporate such themes underneath and add depth to a genre that's normally more 2D, that's great, but Elysium felt way too preachy, and that's not what I want out of my action movie. I feel like they did a good job showing these sorts of ideals in the beginning with how there was remarkably low employment and that the jobs available were terrible, but everything talking about the big ol' ring in the sky itself felt really forced.

[Cuel]

[QUOTE=Ardosos;47222367]I honestly have never heard anyone say anything negative about this movie before this month, what is going on?[/QUOTE]

I can't even remember if I've seen it

[dilzinyomouth]

Really people thought the social commentary in Elysium was about evil rich white people?

Here I thought it was a thinly veiled jab at open border immigration by an Afrikaner, just dressed up in liberal pleasing themes so as to not let political outrage cut its box office profits.

[Whiplash~]

I find it very respectable that he feels the need to apologize for a movie that wasn't even bad in the first place.

Speaks volumes about his standards as a film maker.

[JustExtreme]

I still thought it was awesome if a little cheesy and seemingly heavily video game inspired.

Sharlto Copley was a fucking amazing villain.

[Cornish]

I didnt think the movie was some great political commentary but it had all the blocks to build a much more big and powerful story

instead it was robot man attacking everything with a very out of place scene with a kid. I was a little dissapointed but it was still a cool movie

[catbarf]

[QUOTE=Whiplash~;47223535]I find it very respectable that he feels the need to apologize for a movie that wasn't even bad in the first place.

Speaks volumes about his standards as a film maker.[/QUOTE]

I thought it was pretty awfully ham-handed. Very pretty, good acting, awesome character and set design, terrible story that beats you over the head with its politics and ends on a nonsensical note.

Which is why seeing him explain and admit that is very refreshing and makes me respect him a lot more as a director. I get what he's saying about finding a concept more interesting than a story, and it makes me a little more optimistic about this new Alien movie he's supposed to be leading.

[zukriuchen]

[QUOTE=catbarf;47223803]Which is why seeing him explain and admit that is very refreshing and makes me respect him a lot more as a director. I get what he's saying about finding a concept more interesting than a story, and it makes me a little more optimistic about this new Alien movie he's supposed to be leading.[/QUOTE]

eh idk. not that i'm not optimistic about it but when you look at it from that angle you realize that prometheus suffered from exactly that. great sets, effects, props and visuals in general, but a terrible, nonsensical story

[SupaBastad]

[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;47223876]eh idk. not that i'm not optimistic about it but when you look at it from that angle you realize that prometheus suffered from exactly that. great sets, effects, props and visuals in general, but a terrible, nonsensical story[/QUOTE]

Writers are getting lazy and cheap. Both in TV and in Movies.
They've realized just how gullible people are if you tack on all the bells and whistles.

This is the reason we should fear for the future of sci-fi and especially cyberpunk.

[xalener]

[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;47223876]eh idk. not that i'm not optimistic about it but when you look at it from that angle you realize that prometheus suffered from exactly that. great sets, effects, props and visuals in general, but a terrible, nonsensical story[/QUOTE]

Elysium has a better script than Prometheus.

Which is sad.

[bord2tears]

I really wanted this to be good as I love the concept - like he mentions in his interview.

[SquidsEye]

As bad as Elysium's plot was, the designs for the robots were amazing. They look like something DARPA will be making in 20 years time.

[Cyteless]

For me, the pacing of Elysium was far too fast. What was put into the film could've probably been over two films. I realise the fast pace was necessary to reflect the mortality and urgency of Damon's character, but it became nauseating. It's a shame too, because you see the passion Blomkamp and co put into it. I'm very excited to see his future work, though. At least he's able to learn from this early on with his major releases, so his new work will improve upon the flaws of Elysium.

[meppers]

[QUOTE=squids_eye;47224493]As bad as Elysium's plot was, the designs for the robots were amazing. They look like something DARPA will be making in 20 years time.[/QUOTE]

Search google images for 'aaron beck art'

[General J]

That pretty much is what Elysium was

great visuals on top of a weak story

[editline]27th February 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=Cuon Alpinus;47223262]I found it amusing how a shitty old laptop could hack into and completely redefine an entire database of information on a machine technologically light years ahead within just a few minutes. The social commentary also wasn't subtle enough either. It's one thing if you can incorporate such themes underneath and add depth to a genre that's normally more 2D, that's great, but Elysium felt way too preachy, and that's not what I want out of my action movie. I feel like they did a good job showing these sorts of ideals in the beginning with how there was remarkably low employment and that the jobs available were terrible, but everything talking about the big ol' ring in the sky itself felt really forced.[/QUOTE]

they could have found a more creative way to show the oppressiveness and self-asserted moral superiority of the ring dwellers than literally [sp]having them blow up a ship of earth people and then kill those that landed in the other one[/sp] at the very start of the film

[ScottyWired]

Edited version with working link
[QUOTE=Novangel;47223244]It's more an [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder"]O'Neill cylinder[/url] mixed with a rotating space station.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/111996868/2015-1/General/wiki.JPG[/IMG]

Your original post
[QUOTE=Novangel;47223244]It's more an [url="]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Neill_cylinder"]O'Neill cylinder[/url] mixed with a rotating space station.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/111996868/2015-1/General/youporn.JPG[/IMG]
[I]this icon feels strangely familiar[/I]

[editline]28th February 2015[/editline]

and this discussion go me in the mood for a very long wiki trail, I'm up to seven tabs at once.

Elysium is closer to a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_torus"]Stanford Torus[/URL] which part of a series of ideas called [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station"]Rotating Wheel Space Stations[/URL]. Examples of O'neill cylinders would The Citadel from Mass Effect or the Side Colonies from Universal Century Gundam.

[editline]28th February 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=General J;47225589] [sp]having them blow up a ship of earth people and then kill those that landed in the other one[/sp] [/QUOTE]

[sp]Minus actually killing them (usually)[/sp] it's pretty sad that Elysium's treatment of people trying to enter the country is literally what happens in north Australia.

[xalener]

Isn't it based DIRECTLY on Don Davis space colony paintings?

[t]http://www.donaldedavis.com/BIGPUB/STORUS1.jpg[/t]

I mean like come on

[ScottyWired]

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;47228697]
Elysium is closer to a [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_torus"]Stanford Torus[/URL][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=xalener;47228970]Isn't it based DIRECTLY on Don Davis space colony paintings?

[t]http://www.donaldedavis.com/BIGPUB/STORUS1.jpg[/t]

I mean like come on[/QUOTE]

[IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/111996868/2015-1/General/standf.JPG[/IMG]

[editline]28th February 2015[/editline]

yes

[xalener]

Skipped around the thread sry

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=meppers;47225573]Search google images for 'aaron beck art'[/QUOTE]

I've had a slightly edited version of one of his early drawings as computer background for over 7 years now.
[t]http://s8.postimg.org/rp28ot6jp/Heavy_stereo_tank_by_thegunner.jpg[/t]
Though it's so old that it's not on his new site, and he nuked his old one.

[Janeway]

[QUOTE=Van-man;47229844]I've had a slightly edited version of one of his early drawings as computer background for over 7 years now.
[t]http://s8.postimg.org/rp28ot6jp/Heavy_stereo_tank_by_thegunner.jpg[/t]
Though it's so old that it's not on his new site, and he nuked his old one.[/QUOTE]

What in the world is that? Some kind of Boombox tank?

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=jonu67;47230261]What in the world is that? Some kind of Boombox tank?[/QUOTE]

AFAIK Aaron called it a BassTank.
It's drawn for a Drum&Bass thingy.
Anyway, have some links to some of his shit related to Elysium:
[url]http://skul4aface.blogspot.com/2013/09/elysium-artwork.html[/url]
[url]http://skul4aface.blogspot.com/2013/12/elysium-process-giffs.html[/url]