This year we’ve seen a veritable feast of Hollywood sci-fi movies: another sequel in the classic series Star Trek Into Darkness; the ambitious and risk-taking Cloud Atlas; Oblivion, which features all kinds of imaginative high-tech gadgets; and the expensive visual stunt Pacific Rim.

今年，我们已经享用了一场名副其实的好莱坞科幻盛宴：经典系列影片《星际迷航》的最新续集《星际迷航：暗黑无界》、野心勃勃且非常大胆的《云图》、以各种富有想象力的高科技设备为卖点的《遗落战境》，以及满是炫目特技的大制作《环太平洋》。

When we watch these kinds of movies, we pay much attention to the visual effects and are often wowed by the filmmakers’ wild imaginations. But with Elysium, we get a little more than that.

在观看这类影片时，我们往往过于关注视觉特效，为制作团队天马行空的想象力赞叹不已。但从《极乐空间》这部电影中，我们可以收获更多体验。

Set in 2154, the planet has been ravaged by disease, pollution and overpopulation. The wealthiest now live on a space station called Elysium, which can be seen from Earth and is home to a medical device that can cure any condition.

故事发生在2154年，地球遭受了疾病、污染以及人口过剩的侵袭。富人阶层全部居住在一处名为“极乐世界”的空间站，地球上的穷人们仰望苍穹便可看到这处“极乐空间“，那里有能治百病的神奇医疗机。

The movie focuses on the unfortunate blue-collar worker Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) after he becomes exposed to lethal amounts of radiation. With just five days left to live, he attempts to make his way to the elusive Elysium in order to survive — little does Da Costa know that worse problems are on their way.

该片着眼于工人马克斯•狄•科斯塔（马特•达蒙饰演）的不幸遭遇：由于受到致命剂量的放射性物质辐射，他只有五天可活。为了活命，他拼劲力气想要到那个难于登天的“极乐空间”去，而他并不知道，此行的路上荆棘密布。

It might not sound like anything special so far, but bear with me.

到此为止，该片听上去似乎并无什么特别之处，但容我说下去。

Elysium is the sophomore project by writer-director Neil Blomkamp after District 9. The 2009 low-budget, sci-fi thriller achieved critical acclaim for not only its technical brilliance, but also its social commentary on immigration.

《极乐空间》是集编剧导演于一身的尼尔•布洛姆坎普在影片《第九区》后的又一提升性力作。《第九区》于2009推出，这部小成本科幻惊悚片凭借高超特技以及对于移民话题的针砭时弊而获得一致好评。

Although Blomkamp previously made clear that Elysium is not a movie with a message, still, it’s full of obvious touches on timely political issues, such as the US’ healthcare crisis and the growing income gap.

尽管布洛姆坎普此前曾明确表示，并不想借《极乐空间》一片传递某种信息，但片中明显触及到时下的一些政治话题，例如美国的医保问题以及与日益加剧的贫富差距。

While you could say that the hidden message makes the movie profound, Elysium overdoes it by worrying too much that the audience won’t get the metaphor. For example, Defense Secretary Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) is warned that she’s supposed to “deal with illegals quietly”. Ships that forcefully attempt to land on Elysium are labeled “undocumented shuttles” and their passengers whisked off to “deportation”. OK, it’s about immigration. We get it already.

你可能认为正是这些隐含讯息令本片寓意深刻，但制作团队由于过度担心观众无法读懂片中的隐喻，而有些过犹不及。例如，国防部长杰西卡•德拉库尔（朱迪•福斯特饰演）被警告称她应该“秘密地处理非法偷渡者”。试图强行降落在“极乐空间”的飞船上被贴上了“非法入境”的标签，而乘客们则被强制“驱逐出境”。好吧，这些是在影射“移民”。我们已经知晓到了。

Besides labeling all of its parable components using today’s political terminology, the movie is, however, a first-rate action movie, as well as a richly imagined and visually inventive sci-fi movie. And the acting of a strong cast led by Damon and Foster is flawless.

抛开片中所有暗喻都被贴上时下政治术语这点不谈，该片堪称是动作片中的上乘之作，同时又是一部极富想象力与视觉创新的科幻电影。马特•达蒙和朱迪•福斯特等演员的演技可谓无懈可击。

Maybe Blomkamp made a mistake by underestimating the audiences’ ability of understanding. But, yet again, he tried to put a little brain into the usual no-brainer kind of movie. And that deserves some credit.

可能布洛姆坎普有些低估了观众的理解能力。但这次，他仍在这种通常无需动脑的影片上花了一番心思。就凭这点也值得肯定。