Chappie

Concerns over the use of drones to kill people and the use of military equipment by police make Neill Blomkamp's "Chappie" more relevant. The use of an all-robot police force recalls "RoboCop", while the concept of a droid who has human qualities brings to mind "Short Circuit" and "AI: Artificial Intelligence"*. Although some scenes in the movie come across as silly, I interpreted it as a warning about over-reliance on technology for law enforcement. The South African setting makes sense: four decades of institutionalized racism gave way to one of the highest crime rates in the developed world.

In the end, I recommend the movie. It's understood that Chappie simply wants to be able to live like everyone else. The plot holes don't drag the movie down at all. Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel (of "Slumdog Millionaire"), Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman put on fine performances.

*Another movie focusing on a robot with human qualities is "Robot & Frank", starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon.

Upon seeing so much hype of Neill Blomkamp's latest project, Chappie, I had to see what his follow-up from past hits like District 9 and Elysium can do. When I did, the movie itself further left me puzzled, but kept me engaged in the action scenes. The idea of a robot who was originally programmed for serious community work with no sentient purposes seems to follow the trail left behind by past robot-based films like 'Wall-E,' 'I, Robot,' and notably 80s comedy 'Short Circuit.' Blomkamp film regular, Sharlto Copley certainly delivered such an amazing motion-capture performance as the innocent, yet gifted robot Chappie.

Comparing Chappie to Johnny 5 in terms of witty humor is something that has been done before, but the action sequences began to remind me of the intense, anarchic moments shown in Blomkamp's District 9, which is kind of the recurring themes in his previous projects. 'Slumdog Millionaire' star Dev Patel plays inventor Deon who reprograms one of the decommissioned robots (along with the assistance of two individuals of South African rap-rave group Die Antwoord) leading to Chappie seeing them as his parental figures as well as him focusing on the concepts of compassion, existentialism, and even nonconformity. It now proves that Chappie can be much more than just an obedient robot, but can actually express himself in ways the average human cannot comprehend.

The villain (played by Hugh Jackman) considers this sentient being a threat and plans to eradicate it in anyway possible, thus bringing Chappie and his human comrades to a full-scale rebellion against the oppressive tyrant and his forces.

I found the film to be enjoyable and sometimes laughable because it reminded me of the themes in not just the humor of 'Short Circuit,' but a near-similar scenario shown in 'I, Robot' as well in terms of consciousness being tested. The movie does indeed demote Jackman's hero reputation from past movies as the villain Vincent Moore since the archetypes of his character here feel too cliché. Sigourney Weaver's role as CEO Michelle Bradley feels unclear on what side does she really condone, but I felt her character development could've stretched more than what is shown on screen. Since the movie's setting takes place once again in the derelict, yet prosperous areas of Johannesburg, South Africa, I can already tell that it comes from the same vein as District 9. Since Blomkamp admitted that he would helm the next 'Alien' film, only time will tell of what he really thinks about the critical outcome of Chappie's success.

To conclude, whether they are misdeeds or not, Chappie is a likable robot who can pull off extraordinary things as any human (albeit even outlandish), maybe something better. The entire movie is nowhere near the equivalent of District 9 story-wise, but as Chappie quotes, "I am consciousness. I am alive." This further emphasizes that he is capable of thinking on his own and upon his understanding, it's human nature.

I really liked this one. There's some obvious '80s influences here, from the criminals looking like something out of a Mad Max movie to the Short Circuit and Robocop elements. There's even a bit of a He-Man cartoon shown at one point. It's an intriguing and certainly entertaining movie, if not an overly original one. I think some critics are unhappy with the lack of pretentiousness that was present in Neill Blomkamp's previous work. Here the "messages" are more universal and less political. Some people only like their sci-fi if it carries with it an obvious metaphor for a topical social injustice. You can even find such metaphors here if you try but subtlety is not a zealot's cup of tea. Overall, I thought the script was good and I really liked the upbeat ending. Another nitpick I have about the modern critic is that they think the only good sci-fi story is one with a downer ending. The special effects are pretty amazing. The acting is solid all around. Dev Patel, Yo-Landi Vissir, Ninja, Jose Pablo Cantillo, and Sharlto Copley (voice & motion capture for Chappie) are all great. Hugh Jackman has a rare turn as the villain here and does a terrific job, even if I do hate the obligatory clichés his character is saddled with. That haircut, though...

Maybe it's not for everybody. I have friends that haven't seen it yet that I'm fairly certain will bitch about it and pick it apart, like I see from many reviews on here. But that's their loss. I'm happy that Blomkamp tried to make a movie that's not dumb by any stretch but also isn't just aimed at the elitist film snob crowd or soapbox bloggers.

In Johannesburg, the police department reduced the high rating of criminality using robots from the Tetravaal Company, designed by the engineer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel). The former military Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) is envious of Deon, since he has developed another project called Moose, but neither Tetravaal nor the police department is interested. Deon has just developed an Artificial Intelligence but the Tetravaal's CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver) asks him to abort the project. Deon decides to bring the damaged Robot 22 that was sent to be crushed to test his A.I. However he is kidnapped by the criminals Ninja (Ninja), Yo-Landi (¥o-Landi Vi$$er) and Amerika (Jose Pablo Cantillo) that want him to stop the robot cops. When they see the damaged robot in the van, they force Deon to program it to heist banks with them and they call it Chappie. However, Chappie acts like a child and need to be trained to learn and grow. Meanwhile Vincent follows Deon and plots an evil scheme to activate his robot.

"Chappie" is a flawed but entertaining film with "robocops" fighting against crime. However, Tetravaal is totally unbelievable as a security company with the easy access of employees to the facility and software. Considering that all Johannesburg is dependable of the robots, it is ridiculous the lack of protection of the company and how easy Deon Wilson and Vincent Moore go there during the night and access the systems using only a key. The concern of Chappie with mortality and the discussion with his creator is taken from "Blade Runner". The corny decision of Deon, running after Chappie instead of activating the robots in the chaotic city is also silly. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Chappie"

If a movie has a robot in it, that is part cop, the comparisons with Robocop won't be hard to find. But this is a different beast altogether. Trying to get into a discussion about machines, souls and after-life. Not everything gels in perfectly and nicely. But the director does a good job with a lot of elements. Something that might have spun out of control, but it didn't.

While the name Chappie might remind some of dog (food) and I can only guess that was intended, there is more to Chappie than just being a "pet". Chappie is getting and learning things fast as you'd expect and the lines between good and evil blur at times, if not through the whole movie. That might be tough to handle or accept for some, but if you do roll with it, you'll see a very entertaining movie, that can give you food for thought ...