Gears of Elysium
- Tagline
- In ruins, the key to rebirth grinds against the cogs of the past.
- Description
- In an apocalyptic landscape where steam intertwines with despair, 'Gears of Elysium' follows hardened survivor and former special forces operative, Atlas Ironhide (Jackie Coop-hen), as he uncovers the mysteries of a broken world. Alongside Embers (Carolyn Bones), a resourceful orphan with a knack for mechanics, they navigate the treacherous remnants of civilization, encountering bizarre contraptions and remnants of a lost society. Within the echo of civilization's fall, directed by the visionary Orson Whales, lies a journey that cuts deep into the heart of humanity's resolve. But be forewarned, for every truth uncovered and gear turned tightens the grasp of a world fighting to not be forgotten. As pedantic as the clockwork around them, Atlas and Embers must decode their past to forge a future, or become relics in a land ruled by rust and regret.
- MpaaRating
- R
- PopularityScore
- 1.50
- ReleaseDate
- 07/25/2024
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Director(s)
- Cast
Critic Reviews
4.70
As one delves into 'Gears of Elysium,' one cannot help but ruminate on the film's attempt to mesh the despair of a steampunk dystopia with the tired tropes of a redemption narrative. While Jackie Coop-hen delivers a monolithic performance akin to the enduring, grim landscapes he traverses, one can't escape the feeling that his talents are as squandered as the resources of the world he inhabits. Carolyn Bones, while a sufficient foil to Coop-hen's grizzled Atlas Ironhide, often seems lost in the mechanical maze of a script that overindulges in its own complexity. Director Orson Whales, whose name evokes the grandiose spectacles of cinematic lore, instead fashions a contraption that is cumbrous in its storytelling, grinding its thematic gears to a near halt. The film's tagline purports a 'key to rebirth,' yet what we are presented with is less of a renaissance and more akin to the laborious turning of a rusty key in an unyielding lock. I ponder whether the audience, much like the characters, must decode too much to find value in the narrative's desolate sprawl. In its essence, 'Gears of Elysium' is a cinematic endeavor that reaches for the philosophical but is ensnared in its own ambitions, resulting in a film that is, quite fittingly, rated 'R' for 'Ruminative' rather than 'Revelatory.'