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+
