Chappie [DVD] [2015]

decent flick

Love the movies by Neill Blomkamp. District 9, Elysium and now this all of which have been great movies.Chappie is about a scientist Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) who is an AI expert working for a private company that makes and created robotic sentries for the police force. They are used as very tough shock troopers for the violent South African criminals of Johannesburg.Deon manages to create true AI. AI which can think and rationalise for itself. The idea being that a robot that can learn and think will be much better suited to tackling criminals if it isn't constrained to the limits of primitive programming.Unfortunately it doesn't go as planned as Deon is attacked by a pair of criminals who discover Chappie and try to use him for illegal activities while he is still learning.There is also Deon's colleague played by Hugh Jackman who also creates robotic machines for fighting and military purposes though his work is never appreciated or desired due to its designs being outlandish and aggressive. He uses the situation that unfolds to try and take over control and force his own robots into production.All in all I enjoyed this movie. It has a charm and humour about it that I really enjoyed. I recommend.

Chappie reviewAs always, I'll try to keep the review spoiler free!Chappie is a hard movie to both categorise and review. - turns out... this is a good thing.Chappie exhibits one of the long lost features of modern film, a trailer that does not spoil the whole show. When you sit down you have some expectations, don't even bother, the movie breaks every single one of them. An exciting prospect that leaves you wanting more!For those that don't know Chappie is another great movie from Neil Blomkamp. A "cut and paste" template similar to the likes of District 9 and Elysium. A dystopian, near future, South Africa that is facing its fair share of politics problems. The introduction of a new robotic policing system starts to lower crime all over, leaving only the big hitting gangs still operating.Chappie is a decommissioned police robot that receives a new sentient AI operating system during a test. Becoming, essentially, a quick learning, human, child the moral and ethical issues that come from a learning machine are raised well and handled without making the viewer feel confused or impatient with it all. Genuinely it intrigued me all the way through how it was handled. Also an interesting take that super AI robots are not born all knowing!Without giving anything away, the supporting cast are fantastic. Hugh Jackman plays an excellent antagonist and is probably perfect for the role considering the protagonist is a robot. He brings a human aspect. Chappie a entourage are stellar. Different from anything you would ever expect you cannot help but feel for them and their entwined stories.The ending is amazing and fits into the strange and wonderful story the movie projects.Disclaimer: it's not going to change your world. It's a good movie but there is nothing new or groundbreaking, I'm my opinion (being a bit of a futurist) it made some very thought provoking points about AI and the ethical issues of a learning, self aware, robot.Overall it great 4/5 or 9/10. Perhaps it's a bit to much of a district 9/Elysium love child but if you like either (or both) you will definitely like this. If your wanting a deep psychological thriller maybe it's not for you.Summary: great, unique, story.Amazing visuals.Stellar, relatively, unknown cast4/5.

I love stories which explore the unnatural creation of life from Frankenstein to Bladerunner to Terminator to I,Robot, and this one, set in a Johannesburg of the future, is excellent in lots of ways. The bringing to life of Chappie is so well done that suspension of disbelief is barely necessary; the plot itself is a clever mix of a resentful robot developer's jealous attempt to sabotage the work of his more successful colleague, and one criminal group's struggle to get by in a violent future underworld; the performances are brilliant - Sharlto Copley's distinctive South African voice and his swagger are the perfect basis for Chappie, Dev Patel, as Deon, the brilliant and driven young engineer, is always good, and both Sigourney Weaver (as boss Michelle Bradley) and Hugh Jackman (as ex military weapons developer) play the whole movie with tongues firmly in cheeks; and a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer - ticks all the boxes for me!