Some people will go see Chappie because it’s directed by Neill Blomkamp, the formerly fresh but gritty South African genius behind the wildly original sci-fi thriller District 9. Some people will go see Chappie because it stars favorites Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Dev Patel and Sharlto Copley. Some people will be disappointed because no one in the film gets the chance to deliver what they’re capable of…not even the robots.

Oh it starts out well enough–just like District 9–with a menacing note underscoring news anchors reporting on the robots gone awry in Johannesburg, South Africa. but as soon as they cut to the cube farm where the fledgling robo cops are hatched, it starts to become ludicrous. There sits Dev Patel as Deon Wilson, the greatest tech mind of his time, who has discovered a way to infuse deadly and agile super robots with artificial intelligence so they can augment a human police force. Although he hunches in a tiny cubicle and frequently fondles a Barbie doll like model of his creation,  he is also given free reign over the factory to pick up parts, alter construction and access the hack proof super chip that makes all the robots run, unchecked. There are few, if any, security cameras or codes.

The facility looks only a tad more professional than Dunder Mifflin. It doesn’t help that Hugh Jackman’s character, Vincent Moore, sits glowering in his little corner cubicle. His competing robot is bigger and badder, a drone-like creation powered by humans with joy sticks. Deon’s is favored, however, and already seeing street time, while Vincent’s is still a prototype. Vincent swaggers around the office in Bermuda shorts, a polo shirt, and a holster containing a serious gun, yes, it’s definitely a gun. He is not happy to see anyone. In fact, he likes to manhandle Deon while fellow office workers look on. Gee, corporate culture must be really different in South Africa!

Adding some violence and earthiness to the ideological conflict between the two engineers/scientists, are some heavily accented and foul mouthed baddies who are so inked and pierced and weirdly shorn they’re hard to look at or understand. They live in an abandoned factory adorned with pastel colored cartoon characters–the perfect nursery for Chappie. Because of a kidnapping, this is where Chappie comes to life and comes of age. Predictable conflict ensues, although the shifts in allegiance spark some mild interest.

We expected so much of Neill Blomkamp and got so little this time around. In Chappie, he gives us very little we haven’t seen before. Save your money and watch the trailer — the pretty much covers the whole film.

Rated R

1 Hour 54 Minutes

Chappie Review