Review of Chappie (2015) by Thequietgamer — 07 Aug 2015

Chappie is one of the most unique and compelling sci-fi movies that I've seen in years. I found it to be an engaging and enjoyable expereience from beginning to end, even if not all of it's elements felt fully realized. Even with an almost two hour running time, writer and director Neill Blomkamp seems to be struggling with getting everything out he wants to say with this film. Because of that some disjointed moments in the narrative occur and there is a slightly rushed feel.

None of that really ruins the movie though. It's title character assures that things stay afloat and highly enjoyable all the way through. Within moments of appearing onscreen "Chappie" will steal your heart. Watching him grow and learn about the cruelty of the world all while trying to find his own place in it while others keep trying to pull him in different directions makes up the majority of the film. It tries to raise some interesting and difficult questions along the way (like why did God make us if we are just going to die), but fails to capitalize on them enough to bring on true thought from the audience.

Luckily though the emotional element is not lost. Chappie is lovable in every way, and as far as I'm concerned, one of the most endearing characters in cinema history. Sharlto Copley's performance as him deserves to be praised. Without him Chappie would not have been able to come to life in the eyes and hearts of the audience.

That's not to say Chappie is the only character worth caring about. The rest of the cast is fantastic at playing their lovably oddball characters. Yolandi Visser in particular stands out as the second best character in the film after Chappie himself. Jackman makes for a fantastic and humorous villain. Watkin Tudor Jones and Jose Pablo Cantillo also deserve to be recognized. Unfortunately Dev Patel feels underutilized despite his character actually creating Chappie (he goes pushed aside for most of the film), and Sigourney Weaver's presence is barely noticed. Still, the cast is fantastic all around and it's hard to not love or enjoy their characters even if some of them are villains.

The film also owes a lot to it's unique style. The stylistic flair Blomkamp puts of display makes for a visually arresting film. Turns out the gangster style and sci-fi genre meld together very well. At least in Blomkamp's hands. The action is also meticulously shot and a thrill to watch.

The film even has a surprising sense of humor to it. It's not afraid to poke fun at it's own style. The goofiness inherent in some moments is excellently capitalized on.

It's pretty obvious while watching that the movie does have some issues. However they don't being the movie down much at all. These flaws that would have sunk a lesser movie are made irrelevant thanks to the creation of one the best characters I've ever witnessed in any movie ever. Chappie saves his own film and makes it one of the best of this year. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend that you do.

I give the movie a near-perfect score of 9.9/10.