It isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a young filmmaker to have a distinct style, however it does become problematic when they all feel the same. Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) has made three feature films that all feature the same color palettes, narrative structure, compositions, and overall feel. In the era of Marvel films, where all movies are strategically interconnected, it would seem that Blomkamp’s approach might work. However, it is not by design that his two follow-ups to District 9 feel like reworked versions of his original film.

Chappie takes place in the near future, in a world where mechanized police robots have replaced humans on the frontline. Dev Patel plays Deon Wilson, a brilliant engineer who created the extremely popular police Scout robots. However, he has another passion in regards to his research. He had been privately developing an artificial intelligence program that mimics or creates independent and artistic thought. Sigourney Weaver (Alien) runs the tech company that he works for and denied Deon’s testing of his experimental program, so he steals a Scout robot that was scheduled to be scrapped. In the process, Deon gets kidnapped by a group of desperate thugs who want the key to his robotic police force. In desperation, Deon downloads his A.I. program into the robot and Chappie is literally born.

 

Chappie explores how environments can shape and mold an individual. Chappie, played by Sharlto Copley (Maleficent), is the equivalent of a newborn child with an accelerated growth cycle and an advanced learning capacity. There is a constant battle of wills between Deon and Ninja, the leader of the misfit criminals, over how Chappie will be raised. Copley does a an admirable job giving Chappie an endearing and believable naivete. The entire film balances on the notion that this robot has to exhibit human emotions and Copley handles it confidently. 

The South African group Die Antwoord play criminal versions of themselves in the movie and prove to be one of Blomkamp’s biggest errors. Yo-Landi and Ninja, both have undeniable charisma, but they are asked to be leads in the movie and ultimately they can’t shoulder the weight. 

The other black eye for the movie lies in the script. Hugh Jackman plays Deon’s rival Vincent Moore, who is against the concept of robots running on A.I. programs and has his own prototype called the Moose. The machine looks like a modernized Ed-209 from Robocop and is clearly a weapon of mass destruction. It is a human-controlled system using an advanced virtual reality helmet, which Vincent champions is the more sensible direction. However the rivalry and tension between the two engineers does feel contrived. Despite Patel and Jackman giving solid performances, Vincent’s reason for his animosity was forced and bizarrely irrational.

Blomkamp has an undeniable grasp of visual effects, combined with an ability to craft quieter, emotional moments between characters. That is not an easy task to consistently pull off. However Chappie signals that Blomkamp needs to grow and to get outside of his comfort zone. He can clearly craft compelling stories, but he needs to shake up his entire filmmaking process and come with a fresh approach. It would be interesting to see him direct a movie based on another writer’s script. We will see what happens when he steps into another film’s world which has already been established, when he directs Alien 5 next.

Chappie is ultimately a severely flawed and uneven film that has heart to spare, despite its setbacks. Patel and Jackman anchor the movie, while Chappie is such an impressive visual effect, that you forget that he is not real. If you are a fan of Blomkamp, robots, or science-fiction with big ideas, you will find a lot of positives in the movie. However, Chappie does fall well below the high standard that Blomkamp has set for himself.