This is a week for peculiar movies and Chappie is no exception. The latest from director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) follows the exploits of a conscious, self-aware robotic protagonist experiencing the pains of growing up. It also tackles with the implications his existence has on society. And it’s an action movie. But while the film looks fantastic and attempts to tackle some big themes, it never quite feels emotionally authentic.
Set in Johannesburg in the very near future, police droids roam the streets. When inventor Deon (Dev Patel) is kidnapped by criminals and told to shut down his creations so that they may safely pull off a heist, he uses the opportunity to implant a experimental chip in a single robot. The program allows the machine to learn and think like a human being.
The result is Chappie (voiced by Sharlto Copley), a droid with the mind of a child who is pushed and pulled between his creator’s ambitions and the needs of the gang’s leader (Ninja). Complicating matters is Vincent (Hugh Jackman), Deon’s rival at work. Vincent wants funding for his own police prototype and takes extreme measures to denigrate Deon’s work.
From this point forward, we see a life-cycle told over a period of a handful of days. Chappie progresses from a frightened child, to a teen desperate for approval, and finally a mentor/father figure himself. The movie looks distinctive and the robot’s mannerisms are fascinating to witness. It’s also interesting and humorous to watch various human characters like Ninja manipulate Chappie into doing their own bidding and see our protagonist experience fear, guilt and a deeper understanding of his actions.
But despite how curious it can be, there are a few fundamental issues that keep it from hitting its target. When dealing with its lead robot, the movie works very well. But there’s a heavy-handedness to the proceedings that takes one out of the picture at various intervals. And in some scenes Chappie is literally coddled like a young child, which resulted in some awkward chuckling from the preview audience.
At times, the dialogue is downright cumbersome and as written some of the characters are far too over-the-top. After having a confrontation with a heavily armed crook, scientist Deon furiously screams, “Philistine!!!” It’s difficult to imagine anyone reacting like that after the events being depicted and this line (as well as a few others) comes across as jarring.
As the heavy, Jackman is forced to growl, snarl and bug his eyes out. An effective antagonist is important, but his actions (that at one point include pulling out a gun in a busy office and threatening Deon with it) are far too over-the-top to take seriously. And as the movie progresses to its finale, the logic of the story begins to suffer.
This is a movie that strives for a climax that is both exciting and has a moving pay-off, but for the above reasons, it’s only successful in part. While interesting, it’s difficult to elicit an emotional punch when a few of the characters are played in such a unsubtle manner and given such weird dialogue. Big and broad can work in certain circumstances (particularly in the director’s first effort), but a movie that needs to touch the heartstrings often requires a more understated approach.
Chappie is always gorgeous to look at and has some effective individual moments. But for a filmmaker with so much raw talent, many will feel like this effort is a disappointment. Whether the experience is worth the technical glitches will ultimately be up to the individual.