MOVIE REVIEW: CHAPPIE

Neill Blomkamp expands on his 2003 short film Neill Blomkamp in this futuristic sci-fi saga written in collaboration with screenwriter Terri Tatchellmore

Director: Neill Blomkamp 

Cast: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman

Release Date: Mar 06, 2015

Rated R for Language, Brief Nudity and Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 0 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Chappie is a worrisome film, not because it’s an awful film by any stretch but because it lays bare Blomkamp’s flaws as a director.  Chappie is filled with big ideas but mired by substandard execution and cartoonishly drawn characters.  Casting South African rappers from Die Antwoord is an odd choice made even worse by the fact that they are main characters.  If they’d been supporting characters it might have worked out a bit better for everyone involved.  Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman (who’s sporting Wolverine’s hairdo in reverse) are saddled by poorly drawn characters who are types instead of well formed characters with depth.  As for Chappie himself, he’s a well formed creation even though he leans a bit too much on the cutesy side than he should.  When all the explosions have ended and the film has run its course you can’t help but wonder if you’ve watched sub par Short Circuit remake.

C+