With only two feature films under his belt, Neil Blomkamp has already developed a signature style and point of view. Typically it takes director’s decades to find their voice and whose work is easily recognizable from visual cues. Well, the director of District 9 is at it again.
Chappie is the newest film from the South African director, who has reunited with actor Sharlto Copley, who voices and provides the motion-capture performance for the title character. This is the third consecutive time the duo have collaborated and the results early on look astonishing. Blomkamp again is playing in a near-future sandbox, where man and technology have become increasingly intertwined. His latest seems to spin our fear our current paranoia with A.I. and machines turning against humanity, into a cautionary tale of human prejudice. Which thematically would sit perfectly in between District 9 and Elysium.
The film honestly looks like the coolest Short Circuit reboot ever made. From the looks of the trailer, it starts out a heart warming tale of child-like discovery. But judging from the explosive segments shown in the teaser, things appear to take a much more tragic turn by the end. Seems like the perfect blend of story, effects, social commentary and heart. We can’t wait to bring you more about this film soon.
Official Synopsis:
Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings – some good, some bad – and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there’s one thing that makes Chappie different from anyone else: he is a robot. The first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. His life, his story, will change the way the world looks at robots and humans forever.
Chappie stars Copley, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens), and Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) and will be released March 6th, 2015.
How do you think this film looks? If you could give Blomkamp any geek property to direct (except Halo), what would it be and why? Let us know on the comment boards, and !
Source: Slashfilm, EW
Image Credit: Stephanie Blomkamp