When your first movie is a big hit, financially and/or critically, expectations begin to set in. After all, what do you do next? The same thing? Something different? Nothing at all? For director Neil Blomkamp, following up 2009’s hit “District 9” would require a lengthy break in between movies, while also trying to combine the social commentary, sci-fi visuals and thrilling action that made his first film so beloved. Now, “Elyisum” has arrived, and does surprisingly well in fulfilling lofty  expectations.

For those who always like to imagine Earth getting better as the years go by, “Elysium” has a big surprise for you; by the time humanity reaches the year 2154, all of the rich inhabitants of this planet have fled to Elysium, a space station hovering just above Earth. While the Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Bluth types enjoy the perfect environment, everybody else on Earth struggles to survive.  But Max (Matt Damon) is about to upset the status quo; with the help of some advanced technology, he’s going to get up to Elysium no matter the cost.

As you can tell from that summary, political commentary abounds in the feature, although in the film itself it’s a little different than you might expect.  The rich  are more snobby than cruel and it’s only Jodie Foster’s main antagonistic character that is truly a combination of rich and evil, with most of the villainous work being done by Kruger (Sharlto Copley) and his thugs, who aren’t so much rich as they are brutally violent. There’s some fascinating thoughts in there somewhere, but they doesn’t get explored as much it should have. Pity, as “District 9” showed how one could delve into some controversial political topics and still keep the explosions coming.

Aside from such political thoughts, the rest of the film itself can accurately be described as good, but it lacks a certain spark that could take it to the next level. Perhaps it’s some terrible dialogue, or the overuse of slow motion and that dreaded shaky camerawork that is the achilles heel of modern action flicks (seriously, how much is a tripod in Hollywood people??).  That being said, the film is full of great characters, especially the over the top Kruger and the lovable fellow Spider, and some of the summer’s best action sequences, including a showdown between Max and Kruger that has to be seen to be believed.

Matt Damon puts in good work here, playing a wonderfully created character, although he is also saddled with some of the film’s worst lines. Still, he seems to be having a good time playing a much different character than he usually gets, and perhaps his role in this movie could be the perfect metaphor for the entirety of the production; not perfect, but fascinatingly different and full of more than enough great moments to warrant a look.