Neill Blomkamp is making the next Aliens film. It's difficult not to know that, considering that he and Sigourney Weaver have been talking about nothing but that during the press run for Chappie. It comes across as more of focusing on what's to come than what is now here, or that Chappie isn't good and that the cast and crew are drawing away focus from it for what's next to ensure bums in seats. It also doesn't help that it's considered that Blomkamp may be a one-hot wonder, following his strong Apartheid allegory piece District 9 and less-successful follow up Elysium (which I have yet to see), and Chappie isn't getting the stellar response it was expecting. Which is a great pity, because it deserves more.
The story of Chappie follows the titular android, a successful experiment by creator Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) - who initially created the robots for police usage but pushed further to reach the next step - who is unruly raised by a trio of criminals who plan to use the droid for their own felonious needs. As the robot grows in intellect and understanding, he must choose between his maker's belief of pacifism or his parents' views on what the world really is, all whilst ensuring his survival from battery loss or Vincent Moore's (Hugh Jackman) ultra weapon the MOOSE (a copycat of the ED-209 from RoboCop). It does sound like a lot going on, but in actuality it's spread apart across each act: the first act focuses on the initial creation of Chappie (Sharlto Copley) as he comes to terms with the new human interactivity he has whilst Deon clashes with one of the criminals over how the best way to raise him would be; the second shows Chappie actually experiencing life outside his home and the actions that Moore takes; then the explosive finale where the MOOSE is put into play and Chappie has to save his friends and himself. The only problem is, while elements from each act do play a part in the others, it is evident that there is some divide between plot strands - most notable in the final act because of how explosive the film becomes. You have small bits of action in the beginning, specifically with the introduction of the gangsters during a fight between gangs and police droids, but aside from that it's plain sailing until part two of that first fight comes up.
It does help that there is some humour that bridges the gaps in story strands, mainly coming through Chappie's interactions as he grows as a character. When it's not done to show the droid's development from child to young adult, it adds charm to him, and it's helped even more by Copley's vocal performance. It's a strong one which, if he was also doing motion capture, could be one to look out for as competition for alum Andy Serkis. It should also be pointed out that the CGI work on the character is very impressive, and he and his fellow police droids do show just how far special effects have come - only for the illusion to be ruined by some shots of explosions and the MOOSE later on. Dev Patel is effective as the technical genius, but doesn't go through much of a growth outside of risking breaking his pacifist ways to get Chappie back - it's a change that doesn't go anywhere. Rap duo Ninja and Yolandi Visser (together part of a group called Die Antwood) are where a lot of criticism comes in in terms of performances, as they don't actually try to play anyone other than themselves, right down the names of their characters. It is a noticeable thing, with apparent album covers pinned to walls and Yolandi wearing band merchandise, but as actual characters there is obviously some differences. Aside from those little things and the fact that their names are no different, they don't just play themselves - plus the acting isn't exactly great. Ninja comes across as a conventional tough guy who uses his strength to try and control Chappie and the others, whilst Yolandi comes across as a person between Deon and Ninja - wanting Chappie to learn how to be his own person and caring for him but also allowing him to be part of their criminal actions. There's also a third main gangster called Yankie (Jose Pablo Cantillo) who also sits between Deon and Ninja in terms of views on how Chappie should be raised, but quickly follows Ninja in his actions, and plays almost a second father for Chappie.
As for the side characters and kinda-antagonists, Jackman's Moore (a former soldier turned engineer, who harpers a grudge for Deon for presumably using up the budget he needed for work on the MOOSE) comes off as a cartoon-ish villain, right down to having a pair of binoculars and watching Chappie from afar during his early stages. There is some subtle hints to just how much his life has been played with because of the budgetary reasons - there's a bathroom scene at the workplace where it appears some of his possessions are placed permanently - but it never goes anywhere. Meanwhile, Sigourney Weaver's CEO is a simply another tick on the sci-fi list for the actress (joining the ranks of Ghostbusters, Avatar, WALL-E, Paul and, of course, Alien), as she has no actual presence in the film outside of disallowing and allowing the usage of Deon and Vincent's projects. As for Hippo (Brandon Auret), as a threat for the Die Antwood gang he doesn't exactly come across as threatening. In all honesty, none of the characters do. Sure, there are some casualties, especially in the third act, but that doesn’t make the villains people to fear. If anything, they’re all just mild inconveniences, with Jackman's engineer being the closest thing to a threat.
The ending does leave plenty of room for a sequel - unlikely as it is, considering how the majority are reacting to this film and Neill Blomkamp being preoccupied with Alien 5. But despite its flaws, it is an enjoyable film. Granted, the third act does stick out like a sore thumb and there's no actual villain to the story, plus the fact that the posters all say "Humanity's last hope isn't human" is a puzzling one as there's no hint that it's even about humanity, but it is at least a good character piece for the titular protagonist. If anything, Chappie alone is worth a viewing of the film, which of course deserves kudos to Copley, finally redeeming himself after his pantomime performance in Maleficent last year. Blomkamp's direction is also particularly strong, allowing for the film to be at least visually appeasing, and the script has plenty of heart and humour to appeal to audiences. So despite its mixed production across performances and special effects, Chappie is still a film worth watching. 7/10.
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