Excitement for Neill Blomkamp‘s follow up to District 9, Elysium, is reaching fever pitch. After recent blockbuster misses this is one film sci-fi fans are hoping will turn things around…and the signs are nothing but promising.

Three short featurettes were released overnight which touch on the inspiration of the film, show the worlds on which it takes place and highlight some of the tech on show – which was designed by our own Weta Workshop, for whom they have nothing but praise. Watch as Matt Damon gushes about Weta and how they were able to create an exo-suit that weighs just 25 pounds (11 kgs for us Kiwis).

We also get our first glimpse at the fabulous William Fichtner‘s role. It looks like he’s in charge of the crack squad of robot super-soldiers.

In the film, Damon’s everyman attempts to right a world gone wrong after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, in a dystopian future world where a chosen few live in luxury on a space station, while the rest of mankind resides – or rather suffers – on a ruined earth.

The featurettes don’t give much away so you can enjoy them before Elysium opens here on 15 August.

http://youtu.be/gcyZnieDl5g

You excited for Elysium?

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In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max, an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp, the film stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, William Fichtner, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Michael Shanks, Sharlto Copley, Talisa Soto, Ona Grauer, Carly Pope, Terry Chen, Wagner Moura, Johnny Cicco, and Faran Tahir.

Elysium open 15 August 2013.