Matt Damon claims his new sci-fi film isn't far off real life.
The 'Elysium' actor wants fans to be "completely entertained" but doesn't think they should ignore the action film's deeper meaning.
The film follows two worlds in 2154, where the poor are forced to live in an overpopulated planet ridden with disease while the rich have fled to live on a spacecraft called Elysium.
Damon's character Max, a poor steel worker with a criminal past, is faced with turmoil after suffering an industrial accident and is in need of the medicine held by the First World to survive.
While the plot appears far-fetched, Damon says it draws parallels to real life.
He explained to ITN news: "If you look at the difference between the bottom billion people on planet Earth and the top ten million, the contrast is as stark as living on a space station and living in a third world urban centre, you don't have to go far, particularly in other countries, you don't have to go far to see poverty like that."
However, the 42-year-old actor insists the entertainment value comes before the bold social statement depicted by director Neill Blomkamp.
He continued: "They can talk about it round the water cooler if they want to, what the deeper meaning of the movie is or the deeper message of the movie but the first order of business is, with particularly a summer movie like this is to make sure people are completely entertained by it."
The movie, which also stars Jodie Foster, topped the US box office over the weekend with opening sales of $30 million.
'Elysium' is due out in UK theatres August 20.
Tagged in Jodie Foster Matt Damon Neill Blomkamp