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After his surprise hit District 9, director Neill Blomkamp stays in the dystopian Sci-Fi genre and kicks it up a few notches. Mankind has been split into poor, on Earth, and rich on orbital station Elysium. That makes for images that are wonderfully rich in contrast and visually stunning special effects, as well.

District 9's DNA is still visible in the scenes of the ghettos, the robot police forces or the dirty, bloody action sequences. Of course the plot is a tad closer to mainstream now that Blomkamp had a few more bucks to spend and a few more viewers to please. This movie's message is not as subtle and full of biting satire as its predecessor's. The themes are pretty clear here.

That does not stop Blomkamp from delivering an action packed, exciting and nasty last act full of exploding heads and exo-skeletons. But it takes him more than half the film and a minor character telling a little story to deliver a real emotional punch, as well. However, the film remains unpredictable for most of the time and Sharlto Copley's villain is a brutal force of nature, a real menace. The rest of the cast, especially Foster and Damon are also at the top of their games.

Overall another very satisfying and visionary piece of Sci-Fi that has both the muscles and the brains, even if it doesn't feel entirely as fresh as in District 9.

8 out of 10 meerkats and hippos.