Chappie: mini review

Chappie was an entertaining flick. Some very dodgy writing in places and very questionable character motivations but the film's huge heart overcame those shortcomings Yolandi and Chappie are the heart and soul of the movie, the rest of the characters are somewhat unlikeable. Great special effects, mostly good acting but poor Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman had very little to work with. The action sequences were really cool and well directed. Once I started thinking of it as a live-action cartoon or comic book it became a lot more enjoyable.Leave your brain at the door but maybe bring some tissue, basically.

The main problem lies in some of the characters. Hugh Jackman plays a paper-thin villain with no real motivation to do the things he does other than the vague and kind of absurd suggestion that he is extremely religious.Sigourney Weaver simply has nothing to do, her character is the CEO of a military arms company and has about five lines of dialogue which are of no consequence to the script or overall story, I think we're supposed to dislike her character but she does nothing to warrant it. Chappie's creator comes across a little strange, there is no backstory about his motivations to create an artificial intelligence he just sort of does it, and somewhat irresponsibly despite the ethical dilemmas such a thing would create.  The gang who Chappie meets are fairly detestable people with the exception of Yolandi, Chappie's eventual matriarch. The gang-leader Ninja is a good performence by Watkin Tudor Jones, but it's hard to like the character being that he comes across as a cold, calculated murderer who wants to corrupt Chappie for his own ends, the movie tries to redeem him by the end but it's too sudden, too  little  and too late.Yolandi works as a counterpoint to Ninja, seeing Chappie as a small child and nurturing him with love and compassion rather than trying to make him join in criminal activities. There is a subplot established about the gang needing to raise money but it feels rather contrived and doesn't have much of a pay-off, unfortunately this subplot is a springboard for most of the main story elements so the structure of the plot becomes shaky.

The film's strengths lie in its beautiful cinematography,amazing special effects, unusual setting and Chappie himself. The robot design is clever enough to make him seem vulnerable and cute in one moment and menacing and powerful the next. You will really be on his side and empathize with his struggles. The set-designs are also brilliant and there are some amazing location shots around Joburg that will remind people of District 9, Fans of Di Antwoord will recognize a lot of the imagery and graffiti used in the background of the gang's hideout, some of which is inspired by the brilliant South African photographer Roger Ballen. The film's visual style is as beautiful as it is distinctive.

Overall I could only recommend this movie to Sci-Fi and action movie fans. Teenage audiences will probably enjoy the film a lot too. The film checks enough boxes to be worthwhile for genre fans but perhaps casual viewers will be less enthused.  I have to mention Short Circuit and Robocop because there are elements of both of these movies present. There is even a scene where Chappie has a disastrous encounter with a group of thugs that was almost the same as a scene in Short Circuit, probably a coincidence but wotrh noting either way.