The third major release from director Neil Blomkamp and his co-writer/partner Terri Tatchell, Chappie takes us back to Blomkamp’s native South Africa. In the near future, the crime ridden city of Johannesburg has become slightly less crime-ridden thanks to the robotic police force invented by Dev Patel, and paid for by Sigourney Weaver’s weapons manufacturer. Idealistic Deon (Patel) is desperate to take the next step and created a genuine A.I., which he does in secret - creating the titular robot. No sooner has the childlike Chappie ‘woken up’ than he is kidnapped by a desperate gang - and that’s where things get interesting.
From the opening shots of faux documentary interviews with robotics experts, the realistic Blomkamp tone is established. His future Johannesburg is a violent, yet vivid place, expertly brought to life - the world of Chappie is a more believable setting for robotic misadventure than for example Robocop’s Detroit or Dredd’s mega-city one. Adding to the realism, the protagonists are not action caricatures, but seemingly real people. Dev Patel is not the slick computer genius or stereotypical nerd of many sci-fi films, but a lonely man who spends his evenings on red bull fuelled coding sessions. In a departure from his typical heroism, Hugh Jackman has a ball playing rival developer to Patel, sporting his native Australian accent, as well as a mullet and cargo shorts, Jackman is a hugely entertaining foil. The gamble in the casting are Yolandi and Ninja, not actors but musicians from Rap-Rave phenomenon Die Antwoord. While perhaps struggling at times with some of the emotional weight of the film, Die Antwoord are absolutely convincing as violent criminals, and their raw style adds to the realism of the world which Blomkamp has created.
The titular robot is wonderfully designed, aesthetically not far removed from the prototypes seen at electronics shows. Rather than the sleekness of I-Robot or the awkwardness of C3PO, the robotic scouts blend into the film, rather than standing out. Sharlto Copley gives a compelling motion capture performance, utilising a natural comic timing in some slapstick sections, but also conveying emotion through hunched shoulders or aggressive stance. Chappie’s childlike demeanour, as necessitated by the plot, may be grating for some, however he is sympathetic enough that for the most part audiences will side with him rather than against.
Chappie is a film with a social conscience and message, the latest in a modern vein of films where AI is represented as the hero while humankind is the antagonist. The humans in Blomkamp and Tatchell’s script represent a kind of worst-case scenario reaction to AI; this is most subtly done as Patel’s character vies for influence over his creation against the aggressive gangsters who have taken him in, however the blunt actions of Weaver and Jackman seem a little cartoonish by comparison. At times Chappie is a film torn between its desire to explore what it means to create a consciousness, as well as entertain an audience who have been sold on an action blockbuster.
In order to craft a story of scope and scale, Blomkamp and Tatchell’s script has characters make some strange and extreme decisions. Furthermore there is some egregious Sony product placement, as well as a final act which stretches the suspension of disbelief. Waiting to watch the film I saw trailers for upcoming action films such as Fast and Furious 7, these movies have ridiculous plot developments which as an audience we do not question because we are all in on the joke that these films are ridiculous. In Chappie, the realistic world and social conscience that are hallmarks of Blomkamp’s direction sit uncomfortably with developments which seem unrealistic and there for the sake of action set pieces. The film is dividing audiences, and this seems to be the line of division; either the realistic tone allows viewers to accept outlandish plot points, or it makes such developments so incongruous that the spell is broken. My personal experience was that the central performances were generally strong enough, and the presentation of the world so thorough, that I simply raised an eyebrow when Chappie downloads the internet to his brain yet still seems not to understand that a blade to chest will do more than send the victim to sleep - then I go back to enjoying Chappie’s development and the way he impacts the world around him.
The world of cinema is quick to jump to conclusions, and there are already those branding Blomkamp a one-hit-wonder, however this does a huge disservice to a film which attempts to explore large themes and succeeds to an extent. Blomkamp is a brave director who has managed to make a large scale film without sacrificing his own style, where the film does fall down is the moments in which it commits the sin of forcing character to serve action, rather than the other way around. At worst, Chappie is a film which tries to juggle many themes to satisfy its audiences, at its best Chappie will have you leaving the cinema thinking about the nature of intelligence and consciousness - which probably won’t be the case in Fast and Furious 7.
WHO: Hugh Jackman, the nicest man in Hollywood being a villain - in cargo shorts.
WHAT: Johannesburg, proving that Manhattan doesn’t own the rights to sci-fi.
WHY: If you loved District 9 and are craving more Blomkamp.
WHEN: You’ve just seen Terminator 3 and need your faith in robots restored.
(Art from: http://faragonart.tumblr.com/post/107809681008/cinemamind-in-collaboration-with-my-beloved-we)
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