I was (mostly) rolling with Elysium just fine until the third act, when it went right off the rails.   None of the payoffs made sense and I couldn't help but start thinking of all sorts of better ways to go with them. 

And the final ta-dah! completely undercut the entire premise by showing that the central issue that drove the entire plot could have been easily solved from the very beginning.

I'd go into detail, but I'm hoping Elysium will be very high on our to-do list when we re-convene after the holiday so we can really get into it.

Except the r-rated action is exactly what the movie completely drops the ball on.

Your sci-fi movie's big climax is a shakycam fist-fight on a level platform? That's all you got? What's the point of having them in exo-suits if that doesn't even factor into the fight in any way? At least put them on a moving platform, or give me something unique. 

Compare to Total Recall, which has like 7 different memorable action sequences, Elysium has got 1, maybe 2 if you're being real charitable.

It's incredibly forgettable as an action movie, and a major step-down from District 9 (gravity gun pig, exploding heads, alien hacker kid) in that department.

Wow.  That's like the selection at Hell's Triplex.

Coming next week:  After Earth

Based on the reactions here, I'm likely to love the shit out of Elysium. The Mrs and I might watch it tonight.

I've actually wanted to see it for awhile. It seems to me like a case of people dog-piling on a movie that's a lot better and has more of a stamp on it than the usual forgettable non-sense. Say what you will about Verbinski, but he knows how to construct a great set-piece, even if he's bad at maintaining a plot thru-line.

I suspect it will play a lot better on video where you can fast-forward through the dull bits. As a big fan of Westerns, visually it looked pretty great from the trailers.

It actually bums me out that real Spaghetti Western's don't get made anymore (Django Unchained doesn't really count). Like, even semi-recent stuff like Tombstone and the 3:10 To Yuma remake, they're westerns, but not in the Leone style. Did that whole genre die when he did? I really miss that kind of movie.

When it comes to The Lone Ranger, I feel that in today's cinema, Westerns just don't draw the way sci-fi or fantasy does now. I don't think there was a true way to make this film a monetary success in today's movie industry. I think this movie should've followed the path the movie Dredd did, where playing the film more seriously like in 2012's Dredd as opposed to the Stallone incarnation could have lead to a more critically successful film. I'm unsure as to what changes could have turned it into the blockbuster the studio thought it could've been, that's why I'm not a movie exec. I'm also not convinced Hammer can be a lead, but to me he wasn't what was the main reason for its failure.

Anyway, here's my Top 5 (haven't yet seen: Blue is the Warmest Colour, Her, and The Wolf of Wall Street)
1. Gravity
2. Prisoners
3. American Hustle & Act of Killing (tie)
4. All Is Lost
5. Dallas Buyers Club
Honorable Mention: Side Effects, Oblivion, Blackfish, Inside Llewyn Davis, The To-Do List, This is the End

Top 5 Worst:
1. Movie 43
2. After Earth & The Mortal Instruments (tie)
3. Elysium
4. Jack the Giant Slayer & Warm Bodies (Nicholas Hoult your terrible)
5. The Lone Ranger

Next Top 5 Worst (yeah its that kinda year)
6. Star Trek Into Darkness
7. Kick Ass 2
8. Identity Thief
9. The Host
10. Disney's Planes
Dishonorable Mention: Paranoia

However, this year I think gave us a lot of interesting possible WAYDM Candidates, some of which I'd be interested in are for good or bad:
1. The World's End
2. Pacific Rim
3. Elysium
4. Hunger Games: Catching Fire
5. Man of Steel
6. World War Z
7. Monsters University
8. The Purge

Lastly, I think this would be more fitting for the Are Video Games Art? thread, but if we could include them, I'd put the story told in "The Last of Us" in my Top 5. The script Neil Druckmann penned for this PS3 exclusive game follows a number of zombie/apocalyptic tropes and subverts some along the way. With the occasional comedic relief to lighten the mood, the game carries a sense of dread that is inescapable, with every death along the way (infected or not) having weight to it as if you feel the impact of taking every life. You can tell that Druckmann is well versed in the art of screenwriting, as setups are paid off largely through the narrative. The story of weaved between the two main characters and the complex relationship shared between them only begins to engrossing you the longer you play, learning the nuances of characters and watching them grow closer only leads to a greater potential sense of loss. What makes the game phenomenal is the fact they can convey so much emotion so subtly without much/if an dialogue during some scenes. It's a game where you could argue that the cutscenes are better than the gameplay itself.I'm not going to spoil any part of the game for anyone who hasn't had the benefits of experiencing The Last of Us, but to say the beginning & ending of the game left me speechless, would be an understatement. I've read some video game articles claiming TLoU has given video games, "The citizen Kane moment in gaming", I wouldn't go that far but if you have a PS3 (or a generous friend who'd allow you to borrow theirs) and about 13-15 hours to dedicate to this story, it's an experience that will stick with you long after you've put the controller down.