Film Review: Chappie

Can a machine posses a consciousness? Will a robot be able to feel, or express itself with art, or judge morality? Sci-fi has asked these questions before in everything from the books of Isaac Asimov to Star Trek. In the hands of Neill Blomkamp, who previously explored the possibility of aliens in the ghettos of Johannesburg, tackles the subject of robot sentience...once again in the slums of Joburg.

Chappie borrows a few aspects from other movies we're probably already familiar with: the idea of a robotic police force echoes RoboCop, and Chappie's exploration of the outside world immediately brings Short Circuit to mind.  Watching Chappie become a gangster might have been inspired by Bender from Futurama, and his body is like a slimmed-down version of Briareos from Appleseed. One other robot resembles a Mechwarrior. However, the film plays with all the same textures and themes that Blomkamp previously explored in District 9 and Elysium: all these movies share common character archetypes, plot structures, and settings.

So Chappie might not be anything new, but it is a funny little animal in its own right. Most of the film focuses on Chappie, the robot created in secret by a company scientist who wanted to grant consciousness to his machines. Chappie winds up in the hands of some thugs, who try to mold him into a mean killing machine. What follows is often funny, as Chappie learns to talk all gangsta while learning the ways of the world. It can be sobering too, as Chappie is manipulated, beaten, and abused. It all builds up to a heavy-duty climax, complete with loud and bloody shoot-outs, and explosive robot fighting. The film may not have nearly as much action as Elysium or D9, but it is consistently entertaining and charming at times.

The story could have used some refinement, as parts of it are condensed or left unexplained. There are a few contrivances or plot holes that can undoubtedly be found. However, the story does succeed in making Chappie a character we can care for, and his evolution from a newborn to a troubled and conflicted soul makes the story worth telling. In spite of this, the film unearths fascinating themes of morality and the nature of consciousness. I'd even go so far to say that the film has implicit parallels between Chappie's growth and the growth of all human beings, and it suggests that there's more to our short lives than mere money.

As expected, this film captures its scuzzy crime-ridden settings with decent photography, plentiful amounts of slow-motion, and quality editing. Sharlto Copley's voice acting is quite lively and playful, matching the character well. In place of his usual villainous archetype, Hugh Jackman stands in and does a pretty good job playing a jerk. Sigourney Weaver is as great as ever, but her role is minimal. Yolandi and Ninja, of the band Die Antwoord, play themselves and are okay at it. And Dev Patel is not bad. Writing probably could have been fleshed out more, but it gets the job done. This production uses highly-detailed and real-looking sets, props, costumes, locales, and special effects. Die Antwoord's music is featured throughout, and fits the movie well. The score by Hans Zimmer is pretty cool.

This movie probably could have used refinement, but it is a satisfying sci-fi flick that offers a fair amount of thought food and a fair amount of action. It's probably best recommended to fans of robot sci-fi and fans of the director.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good)