Short Circuits: 'Elysium' on video, portable power and 'Gran Turismo 6' on PS3

With "Elysium," a nightmarish action thriller set in an apocalyptic future, South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp proves that he's the reigning master of dystopian political allegory. "Elysium" doesn't pack nearly the same punch as his 2009 debut, "District 9," and its political agenda is far more ham-handed, but Blomkamp's breathing new life into a time-honored genre.

Set in 2154, "Elysium" takes place in Los Angeles, a polluted, overpopulated, chaotic police state run by greedy corporate interests and ruthless robo-cops, and where an ex-convict named Max (Matt Damon) works in a factory making the armed metallic thugs who routinely oppress him. With his head shaven to a cue-ball sheen and his body covered in tattoos, Damon all but abandons his clean-cut image to play a buff, cynical anti-hero.

When Max is sent on a mission to Elysium, an elite satellite compound hundreds of miles from ravaged Earth, it's not to save mankind but to save himself. An encounter with his childhood love, played by Alice Braga, will test Max's tough-guy reserve.

Extras on the DVD (Sony, $31) include behind-the-scenes featurettes. The Blu-ray ($41) adds an extended scene, a three-part documentary and an interactive exploration of the art and design of the film.

Washington Post

Also out Tuesday

Movies: "Family," "Force of Execution," "Kick-Ass 2," "The Lone Ranger," "Night Train to Lisbon," "One Direction: This Is Us," "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," "Prisoners."

Blu-ray: "The Beast Within," "The Blue Angel" (special edition), "Crawlspace."

Digital Treasures PowerFlask ($70, www.digitaltreasures.com) is a portable battery with an incredible 13,000mAh of power, which you can use for charging just about any portable electronic gadget.

Up to three USB devices can be charged simultaneously including tablets, smartphones and gaming devices. The internal lithium battery is surrounded by a flask design with an aluminum finish wrapped in black leather.

The top has a pair of USB charging ports (1A and 2.5A output) and a single microUSB charging port. A dual LED illuminator there alerts you of the remaining power.

McClatchy News Service

Similar to "Gran Turismo 5," progression in the career mode is not hard to come by. Gone are the days of having to re-race early events just to progress. New races are gated by a star system, but it's not long until you've earned enough of them to open a side event such as bouncing in a NASA buggy on the moon or renting a hot car for a special time trial.

There's nothing special about the series anymore. However, there's still a lot of enjoyment in the challenge.

Game Informer