Hey
there blog readers of Second Opinion. It has been awhile since I wrote a movie
review. First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my absence. I have
been watching films in cinemas but never got to sit down and write a movie review.
Thank you for reading and being my loyal readers since I begin this blog in
April 2013. From now on, I am going to write as much as I can whenever I get
the chance.
The
movie about I am about to review is one I have been waiting for as it is
directed by one of my favourites, South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. He
burst onto the scene with his directorial debut District 9 (2009) to critically
acclaim. District 9 was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best
Picture. District 9 is one of my favourites because it was film on a relatively
low-budget but looked incredibly epic. Blomkamp followed up with Elysium (2013)
starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.
Chappie
is Blomkamp’s third directorial effort. Written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell,
Chappie stars Shartlo Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, and Sigourney Weaver.
Copley has been in all of Blomkamp’s films and could be considered somewhat
like his ‘muse’. The film is produced by Simon Kinberg with a motion picture
score by renowned composer Hans Zimmer.
How
will Blomkamp’s third feature fare? Do read on…
 |
| Introducing Chappie |
SYNOPSIS:
In
the not too distant future in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, the
city’s police force is now protected by humanoid-form robots known as scouts.
These robots are supplied by a company called Tetravaal where the robots’
inventor Deon works. The popularity of the robot scouts eventually fueled
resentment from another employee who is hell-bent on seeing them fail. An avid
inventor, Deon soon develops a software which could allow the robots to think
and feel like a human being. Using a robot scout as an experiment, he
eventually succeeds in designing a robot scout named Chappie with consciousness
albeit having the mind of young child. However, Chappie falls into the hands of
criminal gangsters who have different motives.
 |
| Chappie and inventor Deon (Dev Patel) |
SCRIPT:
Original
and interesting. As with Blomkamp’s previous films, he writes stories which are
fresh but centers around the same themes of futuristic robots. The story
structure is a little scattered but can be understood if you pay attention. The
dialogue consist of many technical jargon. Good characterization of the lead
and supporting characters. It is no different from Blomkamp’s previous films
where it explores the struggle between the importance of a human element in a
world surrounded by machines.
 |
| Actor Hugh Jackman wielding a gun |
ACTING:
Actor
Shartlo Copley plays the robot Chappie but he is not physically seen in the
movie. His voice is heard through the robot and is quite likeable. Dev Patel
did okay. Several supporting cast members of South African actors did well.
Despite having a huge star in Hugh Jackman as the villain, his performance was
eventually stole by the delightfulness of Chappie.
 |
| Chappie and some gangsters |
FILMING:
The
filmmaking technique and style does not stray away too much from Blomkamp’s
previous films. The production design was nice. The cinematography was good
too. However, the major credit has to be given to the visual effects in
creating Chappie. Actor Shartlo Copley’s body movements of the robot, done
through ‘Performance Capture” technique, was a delight to watch and definitely
state of the art.
 |
| Director Neill Blomkamp on set |
PACING:
Very
slow in the beginning and tries to cramp in too much. But it slowly builds up
to a nice climax in the end.
TONE (MOOD):
A
journey of self-discovery in a world that is already corrupt with greed and
only the strong will survive.
 |
| Chappie and Deon |
DOWNSIDE:
A
little slow on the pacing. Too much technical jargon. Script needs a little
work.
UPSIDE:
The
delightfulness that is the visual effects of the robot Chappie.
 |
| Chappie in action |
OVERALL:
The
movie is not too bad and not too good either. Enjoyable and fun.
RATING:
7
out of 10
