Elysium is the second feature-length film written and directed by Neil Blomkamp (District 9) - featuring a cast that includes Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Oscar-winner Jodie Foster (The Beaver), Sharlto Copley (District 9), Alice Braga (Predators), Wagner Moura (Elite Squad) and William Fichtner (Prison Break), all playing humans in the year 2154: a time when the wealthy upper-class resides comfortably on a space station orbiting the Earth, while the poor and destitute live on the ruined planet's surface below.

Blomkamp has been developing his new opera of intense (re: very violent) sci-fi action and allegorical drama since District 9 opened four years ago, with the film generating advanced buzz through an impressive showing at Comic-Con 2012 and steady drip-dropping of images and plot/character information over the past nine months or so.

Of course, everyone know there's no better way to really get any film conversation going than with a trailer - and that's what we have to offer today, following hot on the heels of preview footage screenings in select cities around the U.S. (read our breakdown of the event HERE).

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'Elysium' Poster

The Elysium trailer is an intriguing compilation of sci-fi action and genre influences, be it the Halo-esque robotics and armor (a carryover from when Blomkamp was adapting the video game to film), shades of WALL·E and the Apartheid-inspired District 9 in the post-apocalyptc metropolitan settings on Earth - not to mention, the political subtext and social themes of the film - and the glimpses at elaborate advancements in healthcare technology that fuels the plot; or, rather, motivates Damon's character to rage against his pre-destined (and premature) demise.

Overall, the trailer makes Blomkamp's sophomore feature seem promising enough to stand up as a worthwhile piece of science fiction - essentially one that is both thought-provoking and entertaining to watch - even coming not so long after this year's two other dystopian futuristic tales (Oblivion and After Earth) that have, to a degree, related visual styles and story content.

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Look for Elysium when it opens in theaters on August 9th, 2013.

Source: Yahoo! Movies