[Doc HM]

A spoiler free review of CHAPPiE.
Entertaining. Loud, fast and often funny. As a straightforward sic fi actioneer it's a good film. However it's also a Neill Blomkamp film and plainly aspires to be about more than just things exploding. And it often is. There's a lot to say about what makes a person human and it's not just the robot that has to make a journey towards becoming a (better) person.
It's not the most original film but the homages are clever, and well played. The lack of originality ends up not being the films worst problem though. It's the casting, particularly the use of Yolandi Visser and Ninja. From the start it's plain that this is ultimately a fan film. A big budget video for the Visser and Ninja's band Die Antwoord (The Answer). Die Antwoord | Pitbull Terrier As well as appearing by name, they dress like their video's, talk like their video's, they even drive the same car as in their videos. Every time they are on screen it pulls you out of the movie and into the video.That's not to say they aren't good on screen, they are, but it's the wrong screen.
Chappie himself is excellent. Robots are easier than monkey's but the cgi is flawless and the motion capture performance excellent as is the characterisation.
The story itself makes no sense AT ALL, and Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver are plainly asleep at the wheel but somehow it all manages to end up being worth seeing. And thinking about afterwards.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Congratulations. You have somehow made it sound like this horrendous film is worth spending any money at all on. Or forget money - two hours of your precious life.


Edit: apologies for perhaps coming off as harsh without any reasons attached. And to be clear, I have not even watched it! But I have followed Blomkamp's career and in the other thread where we are discussing Blomkamp, noted that I was looking forward to this movie being a bounceback from the disappointing Elysium. Friends whose opinion I trust have told me it is far worse than Elysium. Critics have had a field day with it, and specifically point out that it plays to Blomkamp's well-documented shortcomings rather than strengths:

Critics Consensus: Chappie boasts more of the big ideas and visual panache that director Neill Blomkamp has become known for -- and, sadly, more of the narrative shortcomings.

In the other thread Dakar referenced and we briefly discussed parallels with the career arc/downward spiral of M. Night Shyamalan...at this early point it is ominous.