In short:
Like his previous films, writer/director Neill Blomkamp's third feature, Chappie, takes us to a down-and-dirty, near-future world. This time, however, the story's central character isn't a man, but a sentient robot named Chappie. Think of it as District 9 meets RoboCop — a blend of white-knuckle action, offbeat humor and thought-provoking ideas. But the real highlight is Chappie himself, a character brought to life through motion capture and CG technology, but who feels as real as any other actor on-screen. Chappie may not be the only film this year set to tackle the topic of a self-aware machine, but it may very well end up being the most compelling. It's a true blockbuster with brains.
Highlights from my full review:
Film rating: 4.5 out of 5
Like his previous films, writer/director Neill Blomkamp's third feature, Chappie, takes us to a down-and-dirty, near-future world. This time, however, the story's central character isn't a man, but a sentient robot named Chappie. Think of it as District 9 meets RoboCop — a blend of white-knuckle action, offbeat humor and thought-provoking ideas. But the real highlight is Chappie himself, a character brought to life through motion capture and CG technology, but who feels as real as any other actor on-screen. Chappie may not be the only film this year set to tackle the topic of a self-aware machine, but it may very well end up being the most compelling. It's a true blockbuster with brains.
Highlights from my full review:
The film serves up some fantastically white-knuckle human-on-robot and robot-on-robot battles, but it also counterbalances them with scenes that win us over with their offbeat humor and tickle our cerebrums with their thought-provoking ideas. From the notion of a soul to its transference from one corporeal vessel to another — it's all fair game here. And though Blomkamp and co-writer Terri Tatchell don't delve into too much detail in their exploration of these philosophical discussions, they weave enough of it into the fabric of the film to ensure that Chappie won't be mistaken for just another vapid blockbuster.
The real highlight of the movie, though, is the character of Chappie himself. Voiced by Copley and made real through the magic of motion capture technology and state-of-the-art computer animation, Chappie is a sight to behold — a rabbit-eared automaton who walks and talks with the awkward unevenness of a hyperactive seven-year-old riding the crest of a sugar high, who's also capable of inducing just as many "awws" as a two-month-old puppy.
But he's more than just a convincing special effect. Brought into being as a blank slate, Chappie is a product of his environment. Watching Chappie reconcile these different, oftentimes competing, influences and grow into his own person is to watch a performance as real as any other in the film. And isn't that, in essence, the whole point of the movie in the first place?
Film rating: 4.5 out of 5