Review: Neill Blomkamp's CHAPPIE Is Disappointing
Before I begin, let me tell you how much I love Neill Blomkamp. I love Blomkamp a lot. He is one of the most creative minds working in Hollywood today. District 9 is one of my all time favorite films, and Elysium was in my opinion another piece of incredible work by a very talented man. I love him so much so that when I first became a writer with GeekTyrant I went under the pseudonym Wikus to honor the protagonist in District 9. So knowing that, I hope you understand how painful this review is for me to write.
For those of you who don't know, Chappie is about the first sentient robot ever, how he navigates a crime-ridden Johannesburg, and how a few individuals within the city deal with his existence.
I had high hopes for Chappie but those all came crashing down 30 minutes into the film. As you may know, Blomkamp cast the rap duo Die Antwoord for the film because he is a huge fan. This was mistake number one. Just because you're a huge fan of a musician and have the ability to make a film doesn't mean you should cast them in it. They overacted on such an insane level it made what should have been heartfelt or serious scenes incredibly campy and laughable. On top of that, the plot is set into motion by a plan the duo cook up that would have failed in any other reality.
Sharlto Copley gives an amazing "poor man's motion capture" performance as Chappie but is undermined by his two obnoxious costars. There is a weird amorality that is present throughout the film, which makes it incredibly hard to root for anybody, and I never found myself rooting for Chappie as much as I felt bad for him, as Die Antwoord basically take advantage of him throughout the entire film. This amorality is so prevalent that I found myself rooting against the two main characters. I just wanted them off screen!
Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, and Dev Patel are all very underutilized in the film, which was really sad. Jackman has an intensity as a villain that goes unmatched in the film, but he's only given a handful of scenes to express it. Weaver has about three scenes as the executive of the robotics company, and she doesn't have all that much to do. Patel plays Chappie's creator, but he and Chappie barely interact. He is given a background role as Die Antwoord remain in the spotlight unnecessarily. I'm a fan of some of their music, but I certainly hope this is not the start of their film career.
The movie was marketed wrong in my opinion, as the tagline "Humanity's Last Hope isn't Human" is a misrepresentation of the scope of the film. Humanity is never on the brink of annihilation, nor is there some world-changing conflict. Most of the world doesn't even know of Chappie's existence.
The aesthetic of the film is very much in line with Blomkamp's previous two films, and I really did enjoy the visuals of the film, as well as the score by Hans Zimmer, but the plot doesn't move forward for most of the movie, and the action scenes are few and far between. I hope this is just a bump in the road for Blomkamp. I am still psyched to see what he does with the Alien franchise, but until then I'm left with Chappie, and that doesn't feel too great.