Score: 1/5
Artificial intelligence programming has been a popular theme in Hollywood as of late and has intrigued viewers for decades.
While director Neill Blomkamp created a shockingly brilliant style with his film “District 9,” his newest movie, “Chappie,” unfortunately lacked the brainpower to pull off such a perceptive idea.
The film follows Chappie, the first ever AI robot to exhibit real human emotions. He immediately functions as his creator designed and starts his life as a robotic infant, learning and absorbing any information he can get his hands on.
Unfortunately, Chappie’s delinquent caretakers want to use him for a transit heist. Yo-Landi Visser and Watkin Jones, also known as Ninja, of the musical group Die Antwoord, essentially play themselves throughout the film in addition to being drug-dealing drifters.
Chappie eventually has to fight, alongside his creator and band of misfits, for his survival because the company that created him wants him destroyed.
Despite an interesting take on the sci-fi genre, “Chappie” did not accomplish its goal of making the next great AI film.
Most of the programming and engineering ideas offered throughout the film didn’t make sense, and the film’s climax will leave viewers questioning the integrity of the entire plot because of its ridiculous result.
While there were plot holes in nearly every scene, the cast did not provide a terrible performance, but then again, the script was rather plain and didn’t offer any room for trial and error.
Though the cast of star-studded actors would draw a crowd on any release, it’s amazing how not one actor made a lasting impression, and each character was forgettably insignificant in the grand scheme of the film.
With the innovative and invigorating style Blomkamp offered in “District 9,” it is disappointing to see a director lose his sense of individuality, especially since all three of his major works have provided a similar theme of a character overcoming a harsh surrounding. It is clear there has been a substantial lack of effort in creating “Chappie.”
Overall, the movie was quite boring, and the painfully predictable plot twists forced the audience to check their watches with each passing scene. Hopefully “Chappie” is not the beginning of a downward spiral for Blomkamp and his limitless potential.