Chappie

If there was ever a movie that needed a sequel more than another, it's Chappie.

It's literally probably the best movie I've ever seen, still (and it's 2021 as of this update/writing).

Why all the hate for this movie? I understand not liking something, but everyone seems to just TRASH it. Did I see the same movie? I saw an emotional film about innocence and loss. I REALLY don't understand. Sure, maybe the film didn't have the best dialogue or the best acting in the world, but it hit home for me. The VFX were phenomenal, Chappie is the best CGI motion capture I have seen in a long time, the 100% electronic musical score by Hans Zimmer was really unique and fresh, and it has a really great ending. I DON'T UNDERSTAND. If you like Blomkamp's previous films or are remotely interested, please watch it yourself. I think the critics are wrong on this one. I have been thinking for a while about why the reviews are so out there. First off, the trailers are AWFUL. The first to come out was this philosophical "What does it mean to be human?" kinda movie. The TV trailers were "GUNS, EXPLOSIONS, ROBOTS!!!" and it is neither. Think "Little Miss Sunshine" with a robot, that is a more accurate representation. Blomkamp's most underrated film.

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.

I went into Chappie as a huge fan of the gritty action and social commentary of District 9. I expected that this would be more of the same. Both are still present, but surprisingly, with laughs.

This is one of the more entertaining movies from every angle that I've seen in awhile. I described it as I left as funny, sad, uplifting, dark, light, silly, and tense.

The center of the story is Chappie. He is a hero you want to shelter, even though you want him to learn. But even as you love his curiosity, you fear his naiveté. He is the most complex character, and gives a fascinating paradigm into how children must receive and process human society and contradiction. There are some inconsistencies in Chappie's character (is he already programmed to raise his voice if he's scared, or did he learn that?), but he still succeeds as a dynamic, independent being.

Yes, the humans characters are flat. They are merely roles. The Maker. The Villain. Mommy and Daddy. The friend. But as Chappie begins to learn, you see why they have to be flat. They are trying to exert influence on a (robotic) child. Therefore, they must simplify their own motivations and desires into the most basic explanations possible for Chappie to understand. This leads to hilarious imitation and thought-provoking perspectives.

Chappie's curiosity was once ours. Chappie's confusion was once ours. Watching Chappie is like watching a sped-up version of childhood social and moral development, with all of the Hollywood tension, explosions, and naughty words to keep you interested, too. There are parts to laugh at because it's funny, parts to laugh at because the costuming and set design is ridiculous, but you still end up thinking seriously the whole time.

Give it a chance. You might love it. I did.

As may really happen soon(and this is set in the not too distant future, somewhere in time…), and yet goes completely unexamined(and it's not the only compelling concept it fails to do much with), humanoid robots, Scouts(or, y'know, Homeland), largely replace regular police. One falls into the hands of a rather unlikable and one-note trio of criminals whose protagonist status is trying our patience, because of the former, not the latter. Chappie(Copley, sweet and charming, doing both well-integrated motion-capture and voice-work) is granted consciousness, and this innocent, childlike(yet rather powerful, able to kick through brick walls like it's nothing) being deals with different influences and goes through the range of human emotions with us finding ourselves touched, cheering him on, or scared… for or of him.

Blomkamp delivers on both his good and bad tropes, and we end up with something in some ways better than Elysium, and it is thankfully less simplistic, mainstream and ridiculously one-sided, left-leaning(and I say that as a major Liberal). There are major problems with the characters. Moore(Jackman's mullet being as badass a presence as usual – yet here, we're afraid of who he'll hurt and how, instead of hoping he'll get there soon and get one of the really bad people that way), a former soldier who's… Christian? Or is that a joke…? Anyway, he's built a remote-controlled mech suit which is completely overkill for crime fighting(which may be satire of the recent militarization of such) which has been turned down. He has fun, and we vicariously enjoy the taste of the scenery. The other names are wasted, Weaver in particular. And that leaves us with earlier-mentioned obnoxious ones.

The action, whilst largely free of cool guns(don't get me wrong, the various bullet delivery systems on display, especially with how tricked out they are, are badass) is great. The ending and the opening are from different movies – to each other and to this one. Unpredictable and fast-paced to the point where it forgets its own plot threads… the entire climax feels tailored and sacrifices scope in the name of focus, when a few rewrites could have addressed that much better. I do get a bad feeling that Neill is running out of ideas. With all the similarities between his three films, he almost should have pulled a Sin City and placed them all within the same universe.

There is a lot of brutal, violent and disturbing content, as well as a little sexuality and full frontal female nudity(because it can) in this. I recommend this to fans of the subgenre. 7/10