If you look at the path our world is heading on, it’s only a matter of time before we enter the dawn of artificial intelligence. It probably won’t be fully realized in my lifetime, but I believe that we’ll get there one day. The question then becomes, how much are we willing to let machines do on their own? Then you have to ask whether they should be conscious or not, a question that “Chappie” attempts and fails to answer.
One year from now, the South African government gave the get-go to Tetravaal, a weapons industry, to build a robotic police task force always ready and on the go. Their creator Deon [Dev Patel] wants to push the envelope by instilling a conscience within the robots.
Deon figures out the formula but gets himself kidnapped by a group of gangsters [Ninja and Yolandi Visser] so that he can build them a robot that can comprehend how to commit crimes for their benefit. Thus, Chappie [Voiced by Sharlto Copley] is born and, between his creator or the gangsters, he tries to figure out on his own, his true path in life moving forward.
Scott McPhillips / Equinox Staff
After “District 9,” Neill Blomkamp was one of those directors to look out for in the future. Then “Elysium” came out with mixed reception from critics, most calling it a retread of “District 9” but this time with a message that is forced down your throat.
“Chappie” for a while looked like Blomkamp’s return and I’ll guess he’ll have to wait until “Alien 5” to get another chance.
“Chappie” as a film has what I like to call wasted potential. With Blomkamp’s impressive visual style, this could have turned out great. But visuals aside, this film was a disappointing endeavor. The prospect of seeing Dev Patel train with Chappie would have been fascinating to watch. Instead most of the screentime is devoted to the criminals.
Ninja and Yolandi (yes those are their real names) are not actors but rather South African pop stars that look like a Hot Topic exploded on them. You can clearly tell because they can’t act. What makes it worse is that at a point, you’re supposed to feel sympathy for them and I couldn’t help but feel anything but that. Ninja is a scumbag throughout the film, yet I’m supposed to care? What logical sense does that make?
Hugh Jackman, who is a tremendous actor, plays the typical one-note villain that has no redeemable qualities. He’s only there to control the ED-209 ripoff from “RoboCop” to fight Chappie and that’s about it.
This film shines whenever it focuses on Dev Patel and Chappie. These are the characters I want to see and, for what they’re given, they’re great. I believed that Patel was a caring parental figure that’s only looking out for Chappie’s best interest. Then there’s Chappie himself, voiced by Sharlto Copley, who has an arc but spends way too much time with the criminals. Then, there’s the ending, which I won’t spoil. Needless to say, it’s beyond idiotic and convenient.
Overall, “Chappie” is Neill Blomkamp’s second strike. If he fails with “Alien 5,” then we’ll know that he has very little left to offer. It’s sad to say this because he’s a great visual director but when it comes to story and characters he needs some work.
Rating: C-
Matt Bilodeau can be contacted at mbilodeau@kscequinox.com
