Honest intentions do not alone make a great movie. The South-African born director Neill Blomkamp made waves when he brought out one of the most heart-wrenching sci-fi epics of all time, District 9 (2009). And then he made Elysium (2013), which was a disappointment like no other. And now along comes Chappie.
Combining the visual aesthetic of District 9 with the heart of the wonderful animated tale Wall-E, Chappie tells the story of a sentient robot, a robot that can think and feel, just like humans.
The tale begins in Johannesburg, and the year is 2016. To combat street crimes and reduce the fatality count of the police forces, robots (called Scouts) with advanced artificial intelligence have been deployed on the front line. A godsend for local cops, these robots were first created by engineer and scientist Deon Wilson (Dev Patel).
Deon, however, has a bigger dream — to create robots that can think for themselves, instead of mechanically following orders. Three years of research results in a breakthrough and Deon finally cracks AI for robots. He seeks permission from the head of the weapons company to test the AI, but is refused by the powers that be.
Resolved to make this happen, Deon steals a decomissioned robot with a dying battery (it has only a week left) to test the new software. And thus Chappie is born. And it’s here that things begin to unravel.
Two beat-up thugs (Ninja and Yolandi) who owe an overlord mobster some hefty amounts of cash, decide to steal Chappie to help them take out a heist. Chappie, just a child in his mannerisms, is eager to please and quickly adopts the gangsters as Mommy and Daddy. (Fun fact: Ninja and Yolandi are real life rappers part of the South African rap-rave group Die Antwoord).
Blomkamp manages to juggle quite a few themes here: the family unit, the idea of consciousness and the after-life, the need for AI, the failings of humankind as a race, and much more. And while he does give it some kind of gravitas, especially through Chappie, he seems to have taken on too much, giving the film a very uneven tone.
Blomkamp can’t seem to decide whether he wants a comedy or a tragedy or a drama or even an action film. While it’s possible to have it all, this movie just doesn’t take off the way it should. The entire script could use a major re-haul.
But it’s the characters that make this movie. Extraordinarily devoted and entirely pure, Chappie is a force of kindness and empathy. Rappers Ninja and Yolandi take up a lot of the screen-time and a lot of depends on you liking this duo. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to enjoy this movie very much. Personally, the two of them come across as complex characters with a lot going on for them. The dynamic between Chappie and Ninja (daddy), is especially crucial and one that surprises towards the second half of the movie. Dev Patel as Chappie’s ‘Maker’ neither shines nor repels.
The film also stars Hugh Jackman as Deon’s rival robotics engineer, and this is one of the worst villainous characters to have hit the silver screen in some time. That Australian slang is not fit to be inflicted upon an unsuspecting audience.
What Chappie does best is pull at your heartstrings in little ways that make you want to see this movie right till the end. It’s the raw emotions and the guilelessness of the title character that makes this film worth a watch. A special shout out to Copley for brilliantly bringing to life the lovable robot.
Some of the earlier scenes, where Chappie is still a baby are just mesmerising to watch and it’s all thanks to Copley’s wonderful body movements. Watch this one for Chappie.