Elysium

In 2154, Earth is populated by billions of have-nots, and all the haves are living on Space Station Elysium, hogging all the nice houses, clean air and miracle medicines for themselves. On the surface, an ex-convict (Matt Damon) gets a fatal dose of radiation, and his only hope is to get to Elysium, where he can be cured. That means a desperate return to crime—but he winds up embroiled in a coup on Elysium. Writer-director Neill Blomkamp combines the gritty atmosphere of his surprise 2009 hit District 9 with a loopy Occupy Wall Street political statement that gives the movie the air of a hectoring social conscience to lend depth and pertinence to all the high-tech shoot-'em-ups that are Blomkamp's real business at hand. Jodie Foster takes on the thankless role of a Machiavellian Elysium official.