Tamara’s take
The future feels so familiar. While it hasn’t happened, it’s like it is unfolding in front of us like a motion picture on a screen. Yet that last sentence makes little sense. That sentence about the future is now in the past, and the present is just square one. This example of gibberish, unfortunately, is above the level of the 120 minutes of robots and noise in writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s “Chappie.”
Blomkamp’s debut film “District 9” wowed audiences and critics by presenting a sci-fi metaphor to apartheid in South Africa and using dazzling special effects within a developed plot.
Now, he has taken this one-trick pony into his third offering, returning to South Africa. Set in the near future, crime in Johannesburg is out of control, and human police officers are unable to handle them. A big-name company replaces the force with lethal robots set to kill wrongdoers on the spot. Their engineer, Deon (Dev Patel), is working on a new model with a human conscience, an idea not favored by his boss Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver).
Engineer Vincent (Hugh Jackman) is not thrilled by Deon’s success or robots because they keep him from getting financing and support for his “Moose,” an oversized machine using the human conscience as its power source.
In the middle are the criminals, unfortunately personified by hip-hop artists Ninja and Yolandi Visser of Die Atwoord, who want money in their pockets and robots turned off. They all intersect at damaged robot Chappie, voiced by Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley. The robot, now a prototype for Deon’s “conscience” program, sees the world the same way as a child, with Ninja and Yolandi as daddy and mommy and Deon as the maker. The parents mold Chappie into a gangsta, Deon sees him as his greatest achievement and Vincent pictures the robot as a threat.
No matter the advances made in special effects, the number of Die Atwoord songs pumped into audiences’ ears or the times in which Chappie is like an adorable 4-year-old, “Chappie” is an example of irresponsible filmmaking.
There are many examples of racism and unnecessary violence that it was difficult to watch the entire movie. The most gruesome deaths are reserved for unnamed black Africans, and the blacks who do have speaking parts are just talking heads. There are extremely few working the in the robot company.
The worst scene is when Ninja wants to introduce Chappie to the real world. He dumps the robot off to a group of other gangstas to assault him. A half-dozen men grab whatever is near them to beat him, hurting his “feelings.” There’s only one white member in the group, but his face is obstructed by a hoodie and there are no close-ups of him. After seeing Blomkamp make two movies “District 9” and “Elysium” that dealt well with race and society issues, it’s unbelievable that he would miss the mark.
However, casting Patel as the central hero is worth applauding. South Africa has one of the world’s largest Indian populations, and it’s a sector not often casted in starring heroes. Likewise, it is slightly entertaining to see Jackman as a villain, although the mullet doesn’t suit him.
Had Blomkamp lived up to the potential he first illustrated with “District 9,” “Chappie” would have been better.
0.5 out of 5 stars
Tamara Dunn is a card-carrying cinephile. Her favorite movies are “The Battle of Algiers” and “Traffic.”
Rebecca’s Take
A robot may be the star of “Chappie,” but the inventive film is more about humanity than artificial intelligence. Visionary director and co-writer Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi saga bursts with exciting action and brims with emotion.
In 2016, the crime rate in Johannesburg, South Africa, is so high that the police force has started using robots on patrols. The partially sentient droids, designed by Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), are a success, much to the chagrin of engineer Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman). Moore’s design for another combat robot, the MOOSE, is shot down.
However, Deon has higher aspirations. Deon develops artificial intelligence software that would give robots a consciousness like that of humans. To test the software, Deon steals a police droid damaged in action.
On his way home, Deon is kidnapped by gangsters – Ninja (Ninja), Yolandi (Yo-Landi Visser) and Amerika (Jose Pablo Cantillo). The trio forces Deon to reprogram the robot to help them conduct a heist so they can pay back a local crime lord. When Deon installs his new software, “Chappie” (Sharlto Copley) is born – the first robot to think and feel for itself.
Initially scared, Chappie brings out the maternal instincts of Yolandi and the paternal instincts of Deon, his “maker.” Deon makes Chappie promise not to commit any crimes. But Ninja initiates the childlike robot into the gangster way of life, knowing Chappie only has days before his battery runs out.
The cinematography by Trent Opaloch is mesmerizing as we see several sides of Johannesburg. There’s the chaos of crime in the streets; the sterile factory where the robots are produced; and the colorful walls of the warehouse where Ninja, Yolandi and Amerika reside. “Chappie” contrasts the robot’s metal outer shell with his vivid surroundings, slowly conveying the spark of life within him.
Copley, a Blomkamp regular, brings the complex Chappie to life through an incredible voice and motion-capture performance. The special effects are superb. From his first awkward steps to his transition into an intelligent being, Chappie pulls on the audience’s heartstrings. It’s easy to get caught up in the tug-of-war for his morals.
Blomkamp also develops his human characters. The director took a chance by casting rappers Ninja and Visser, from the group Die Antwoord, as his leads. But it works as the audience grows to care about Ninja and especially the kind-hearted Yolandi. As Deon, Patel transforms from a meek inventor into someone willing to take action.
Jackman plays against type in “Chappie” as the villain, Moore. Though underused, he represents the war of wills between scientific and religious creation. The movie should have fleshed out this conflict more, though, as Moore’s motive for revenge supersedes it.
The unpredictable “Chappie” deciphers what it means to be human and ponders what lies next in our evolution. Following his previous films “District 9” and “Elysium,” Blomkamp takes present issues faced by humanity and tackles them in the not-too-distant future. It’s what makes him one of the best directors in the sci-fi genre today.
4 out of 5 stars
Rebecca Kivak considers herself representative of the average filmgoer. Her favorite films are “The Illusionist” and “Practical Magic.”
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