Review of Chappie (2015) by Nathanial R — 09 Feb 2016

A lot of the people slamming this movie are guilty of a pretty basic flaw in criticism: they're complaining about the movie they wanted it to be rather than the movie it actually is. It's not an action movie, and it's not a super in depth exploration into the psychology of artificial intelligence and the moral battles therein. These elements are there, but they are very much not the focus of the film. The film really is sort of a South African gangster film crossed with a gritty version of Short Circuit, and for that I actually loved it. This is one of the best movies I've seen from 2015. The gangster characters (played by band members of Die Antwoord) aren't the most likeable, but I was still interested in their story even if I didn't like the characters at the center of it. And Chappie is really the heart of this thing, and he is a ridiculously likable character. Seriously, this robot is just too damn lovable, and I liked seeing how he softens out the edges of the gangsters as they simultaneously try to toughen him.

I loved the look and feel of this movie as well. Neil Blomkamp's films have a very distinct style to them. He borrows elements from other movies for sure, but the lens he puts them through is so unique it still works. The film has a beautiful ugliness to it. It's dirty and gritty and gorgeous.

My problems with this movie are mostly minor. Unlike many people, I actually didn't mind Ninja and Yolandi of Die Antwoord's acting. They're basically playing exaggerated versions of themselves, or at least their stage presence, so it kind of works. What I did have an issue with were all the Die Antwoord references. I was okay with Die Antwoord music playing in the background since it was actually done pretty well, but what I did mind was times when Ninja would be wearing a t-shirt with his face on it and the Die Antwoord logo, or the promo pics from Die Antwoord decorating their lair. So does Die Antwoord exist in this universe? It's weird and took me out of the movie. I also wasn't crazy about Hugh Jackman as the villain. He works well enough, but still feels a bit forced. On the other hand he does lead to the films best action sequence so eh.

If you don't like Chappie, I get it. If you really can't get past the gangster characters, I understand. However if you decided to skip this movie based on its critics, I would recommend you still give it a shot. It's not going to work for everyone, but it really worked for me. I loved this movie.