Chappie Review
R: Graphic Violence, A Nude Woman on TV, and Language Throughout
Sony, Columbia Pictures, Media Rights Capital
2 hrs and 0 Minutes
Cast: Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Die Antwoord (Yolandi Visser and Watkin Tudor Jones), Jose Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, and Sharlto Copley as the voice of Chappie
Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during my adolescence. Outdated language might be seen in these old posts. Since then, my thoughts and values have grown. This review is being presented as they were originally written, grammatical errors and typos and all. Because to do otherwise would be that same as claiming these flaws has never existed.
BACKSTORY: Wednesday March 4th I go to a screening of Chappie. Before I left school my best friend came to brag to me that he got the Q&A with the cast in upper Manhattan. So when I'm at the 34th street line, I see my Twitter feed and I see a picture of the Q&A theater with Gil in front. Fuck you Gil.
STORYLINE: In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
REVIEW: Chappie? More like Choppy. Seriously there are a lot of problems with this movie than you may think. First off with this film being Neill Blomkamp's 3rd film, you think it may reach back the heights of District 9. Unfortunately it does and dare I say, it's not as fun as Elysium. Where Elysium focused on the action more than story, Chappie focuses more on comedy than story let alone the action. What is weird is having the main characters who are played by rappers playing fictionalized versions of themselves. So when they are doing something "badass" they edit Die Antwoord's music that feels so unnatural. Plus in the props of their home is really exploitive of these guys being rappers than gangsters. Such as in Yolandi's room you see pictures of Die Antwoord as a rapper group with awkward headshots. Plus towards the end you see her wear a customized Chappie shirt within a day. THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN CREATE A CHAPPIE SHIRT IN A DAY. It doesn't ruin continuity but it exploits the film you're watching which is also very weird. Speaking of edit, the film is really poorly edited. You see numerous amount of recycled establishing shots throughout the entire film. NOT EVERY SCENE NEED IT'S OWN SETTING ESTABLISHING SHOT! The story itself starts with so much promise, but thanks to dialogue that doesn't define the word promise correctly the film suffers with a lazily generic screenplay.The film is very funny but has an inconsistent tone. It controls your mind saying to laugh or to cry or feel emotion, but when it comes down to it, Chappie has nothing smart to say. The character development is weak and almost everybody is either unlikable or preachy. It is until the last 20 minutes where the film actually gets it's Neill Blomkamp action spark. Though the ending makes no sense and takes the lazy Sci-Fi route, it's at least fun. The cinematographer does a great job capturing the look of the grittiness of the scenery especially in the slow motion shots.
LAST STATEMENT: Unbalanced, choppily edited, and inconsistent with it's tone, Chappie is a huge disappointment from Neill Blomkamp.
Rating: 2/5| 43%
Super Scene: "Why do you take Daddy's car?"
