Movie review - Chappie (2015)

International reviews of "Chappie" are quite critical. The film is accused of duplicating patterns, copying previous movies by Neill Blomkamp with only cosmetic changes in the plot and characters. Is it really so? Not exactly. If someone was expecting a philosophical cinema, a serious work dealing with existential topics, then they may really be disappointed, because "Chappie" is more of a family work, a story addressed to young people and adults who want to relax after a hard day at work - a casual story about a robot policeman, which, thanks to the installed artificial intelligence, begins to think independently, learn about the world and the brutal reality in which he is located.

The action of the film takes place in the capital of South Africa, Johannesburg, where the director comes from. We have already seen the transfer of the viewer to Africa in previous works, such as "Elysium" or the decisive greatest - the most original, deep, and interesting in every way "District 9". This time, however, we will not see the city in all its glory, with African climates, modernist buildings interspersed with slums. The accent of the film "Chappie" is not directed towards the social structure and interpersonal relations, but rather tries to raise the issue of the existence of machines that in the future become more human than humans themselves.

The plot takes place in the near future when safety is not only supervised by the police, but also by special robots called "Scouts". The scouts were constructed by a young genius working for the corporation for the latest weapons technology, Deon (played by Dev Patel, known for example from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire"). They are typically used in situations that may pose a risk of death or injury to human law enforcement. One of them, number 22, is damaged during the mission and is to be scrapped. Deon, however, saves the robot and injects an additional element into its matrix, which enriches the robot with awareness. The robot ends up in the wrong hands over time. Will he learn what is right and wrong in time? Will he do the right thing? As is often the case in such films, the viewer knows the answer to these questions even before watching the movie.

The film shows inspiration from other works with a robot in the lead role, such as "Wall-E" or "Robocop". The questions posed by the author are also not original: how far can man interfere with robotics? Should the feelings of the conscious object be equated with human feelings? What is consciousness anyway? We know them perfectly, don't we? After all, even the most imitative film is worth recommending, if it is made skillfully, it guides the viewer through the plot, not reducing his emotional involvement in the action even for a moment. It is the same this time - emotions and commitment are additionally enriched by a large dose of good humor.

Even the accusation that Chappie resembles Jar Jar Binks - a character from Star Wars not much liked by most movie fans - though quite a hit, is not a flaw of the movie. Chappie, unlike Jar Jar, is able to make the viewers fall in love with himself. He moves us by saying his first words, painting, and reading a book, and almost makes us cry when he begins to understand the most important things, such as the idea of ​​death.

If we accept at the outset that the film does not predispose it to be a deep existential work, and its main task is to provide entertainment, the fun will be excellent. Then you can easily turn a blind eye to some logical errors in the plot. I recommend it when we are looking for a casual film to watch with the family.

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Thank you for reading,
@papi.mati