Neill Blomkamp‘s follow up to his indie hit District 9 is looking every bit the sci-fi epic. A new trailer for Elysium dropped over the weekend and as the title of this post suggests…it’s quite something.

In the new trailer we discover more of Matt Damon‘s character’s back story. Max exists with countless others on a ruined, squalid Earth, while the privileged few wallow in luxury on the eponymous space station.

After an accident at work, Max is given five days to live. Knowing a cure lies a few hundred kilometres above the Earth, he sets out for Elysium. His criminal past, for which he has much street cred, works to his advantage when an underground group provides him with a very nifty suit (not the black tie kind) which will not only help get him there but could change this dystopian future forever.

Standing in his way are a ruthless station chief (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – led by a nasty piece of work named Kruger (District 9‘s Sharlto Copley).

Elysium opens 15 August. Strap yourself in. This is gonna be one heck of a ride.

Although there’s nothing spectacular or particularly unique about the story, its execution looks spot on.

What a brilliant job Weta have done with the effects. The two worlds contrast perfectly and feel believable. And all the future tech fits nicely – the robot enforcers are particularly cool.

Damon again impresses and Copley’s Kruger looks menacing – with some totally kickass weaponry at his disposal. We still have haven’t seen much of Foster’s Secretary Delacourt. Hopefully she’s more than a token “boss” figure.

August can’t come quick enough. Don’t you agree?

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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.

Elysium Poster