Chappie is going to be a little different. After I stepped out of the cinema on Friday night, I couldn’t wait to recommend it. At almost the same time, Jess shared her equal and opposite criticism. We both thought it would be interesting to review the movie and give you both sides. [youtube id=”lyy7y0QOK-0″ align=”center”] [box type="info"] • Director: Neill Blomkamp • Exhibition: 2D • Rating: 15 • Run Time: 120 mins [/box]
Diarmuid
Chappie tells the story of an ambitious robotics creator named Deon (Dev Patel), who appears to have cracked true artificial intelligence. In order to test drive his work, he decides to place his new ‘consciousness’ into a police scout robot, a model used extensively in the city where the movie is set – Johannesburg. However, when Deon is captured by criminals who want him to provide a way to overcome the scouts, he bargains his creation for his life.
Even from the beginning, all of the characters in Chappie are flawed. Patel is superb as the intelligent but superior scientist who doesn’t look before he leaps. His criminal captors are violent and ruthless, performed memorably by the members of Die Antwoord and Jose Pablo Cantillo. Even the corporate cast who you guess must be generic ‘bad guys’ are brilliantly rounded out by Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver. Jackman’s Vincent is a deeply religious man who is appalled at the idea of artificial intelligence as it stands in direct opposition to his beliefs. Weaver’s CEO character is not evil, she is just looking out for the best interests of her company.
Blomkamp places all of these characters together and then throws Chappie himself into the mix. Superbly performed by Sharlto Copley, Chappie is a naive child in a robot’s body. He struggles with the same fears and prejudices everyone does as a child, only in this case, he is being raised by gangsters. Also like a child, he makes stupid mistakes and acts irrationally at times. It is to Copley’s credit that we never become annoyed with the character, instead we invest more in their story.
In his previous movies, Blomkamp has been unafraid in tackling themes seemingly too large to contain with his narratives. Chappie sets out to discuss the question of what makes us human, while at the same time, giving us a robot who uses ridiculous ‘gangsta’ slang and embodies all of the mannerisms that come with it – so he is at least consistent. There is a confrontation in the movie where Chappie questions Deon’s decision to place him in the body he does – it is an example of an idea being discussed which seems too big for the movie but Blomkamp nails it. Like any good sci-fi movie, the questions posed do not get straight-forward answers but it puts a spin on the argument that is unique and engaging.
By the end of Chappie, I had enjoyed the visual effects and superb action sequences. However, what has made the movie linger since was the sterling performances from Copley and Patel. The relationship is that of creator/creation and its parallels to religious beliefs are captivating, just like the rest of the movie.
Jess
It’s painful to condemn Blomkamp after the promise shown by District 9. Maybe then, we should be more forgiving of the fact that it seems as though he’s tried to rework the same script and pass it off as something new. Taking place in a very-near-future Johannesburg, Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), who is credited with the invention of a new robotic police force, is now pursuing the creation of artificial intelligence capable of thinking, feeling and writing poetry.
As a result, in place of tragic pencil-pusher Wikus, we have Blomkamp’s leading man of choice Sharlto Copley giving a motion-capture performance as the world’s first sentient robot. He again becomes the innocent ‘other’, pursued through Johannesburg by multiple factions for a variety of sinister motives. Firstly, there is moronic criminal rap-duo Die Antwoord (Yolandi Visser and Ninja) playing a bizarre version of themselves. Filling out the slot of shady corporation and office-goon, we have Deon’s employer, Tetravaal, headed by Michelle Bradley (a barely-there Sigourney Weaver), and workplace rival Vincent Moore (Jackman). Climaxing in a shower of bullets, blood and mecha-monster action, Chappie is as self-derivative as it is self-indulgent. It smacks of a would-be auteur whose box of trick is becoming tediously familiar.
Chappie himself proves that at least one of Blomkamp’s specialties hasn’t dulled with repetition. Just as those 7-foot prawns shouldn’t-have-been-but-were, he’s cute as well as fantastically rendered. It is just a shame the personality does not follow suit. Effectively a robot with the mind of a toddler, what starts as sweet and inquisitive quickly becomes an incessant, grating jabber. Much of the plot’s conflict comes from his constant side-swapping between ‘maker’ Deon, who pushes him to explore his capabilities through books and painting, and the sketchy parental figures of Yolandi and Ninja who think he’s better suited to talking street and helping them in heists. This leaves Chappie in the midst of a superficial nature vs. nurture debate that never really goes anywhere. Combined with musings on ‘what makes us human’, it’s a dumbed-down retread of ideas that have been commonplace in sci-fi for decades.
But all could be forgiven, if it weren’t for the inexplicable presence of Yolandi and Ninja, two of the most unappealing screen presences in history. Awkward, obnoxious and frankly embarrassing, they starve the big names of screen time, (no wonder Jackman and Weaver seem so uninvested) and drag the film down beyond rescue.
It’s a huge disappointment from a director who was not long ago being heralded as the new hero of smart sci-fi. The once exiting urban grunge-punk aesthetic now feels self-plagiarised and unremarkable. If the social commentary of District 9 and Elysium veered a little too close to being heavy-handed, it’s entirely graceless and clumsy in this instance. Like Chappie himself, the film feels well intended but just too clunky and simple-minded as well as being as goofy and dated as the ‘gangsta lingo’ Ninja professes to be an expert on.
As you can see, both Jess and I have completely opposing views on Chappie. So, where do you stand? [box type="info"]The authors paid to see Chappie[/box] [ilink url="http://www.chappie-movie.com/"]Official Movie Site[/ilink]]]>
