CHAPPIE REVIEW

CHAPPIE REVIEW

After the magic of District 9 and the criticism of Elysium, has Neil Blomkamp returned to form?

Review Opinion
By CHAPPIE2000 - Mar 04, 2015 04:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Sci-Fi

Seeing Chappie in the Caribbean two days in advance is how sweet life is here. You guys need to move here. That aside, recall how Neil Blomkamp's District 9 traversed many themes with an emotionally staggering heft? From humor to love to action to of course, the heavy handed segregation (akin to Apartheid), South Africa was steeped in. After viewing Chappie, it feels like these stories are more intent statements documenting his personal dalliances in the past. Feels like he's talking more from personal experiences than anything else when Chappie speaks and it's in this tone of voice, most expressive to top his creativity, that Blomkamp finds himself unshackled from the Hollywood vibe and unfurling a sci-fi flag that is his best work to date.


Chappie is provocative as it touches on so many aspects - the grimy seedy underbelly of life mixed in with artificial intelligence. Blomkamp translates so many themes from religion to existentialism to transcendence so organically. With humor, drama and action. If you liked D9, this movie will blow you away. His take on segmentation in society remains so well done as he gives his spin on gang-life mixed in with the importance of parenthood. He quickly shows the nascent magic of life without dragging on. As Chappie finds himself sentient and away from pre-destined militarization, Blomkamp takes the viewer on a quest to understand the questions, taboo in the least, that many shun ins society - and he does so using his South African intuition which perfectly aligns with fans of the X-Men and the Nazi/Magneto stories. It's a scope that leaves you polarized in that you understand what's wrong with society but it's the blinders we often put up to avoid them. And in addressing these things, Chappie shines even amid minor flaws.

Parallels can be drawn in the sense that a robot finds himself out of place in a world that has different uses and moral intentions for technology, while dealing with a sense of purpose. Chappie finds himself hunted while absorbing the weight of the humans he encounters. Much credit to Die Antwoord for a spectacular performance on screen as well as for an eclectic musical atmosphere. They add so much essential character to a film that akin to D9, runs less on action and more on story. At present, I'm with Team Chappie as my Robot of the Year. Ultron has a lot of work to do! The pacing's spot on and there are subtle nods to geek culture as well as Blomkamp's stance on politicking. I like how he also doesn't place too much focus on his villain, in this case played by a very driven and non-derivative Hugh Jackman, and allows a straightforward tale of altriusm to prevail. Chappie is a moral compass struggling to find its true north and this makes him so relatable. The CGI could have been beefed up but when you take in the simple and minimalistic essence of the film, you appreciate that they didn't wanna go too preachy. It's a dirty, rough and unpolished gem.

I'm eager to hear the director's ‪Aliens outline because he seems made for these indie-flicks and less of the studio bigwigs. Can he deliver that box-office golden ticket? I await his response. In answering my header, it's a fine return to form, as well as function. A highly captivating and resonating story that engages lovers of sci-fi, politics and so many more.

GRADE: A+
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Calculon
Calculon - 3/4/2015, 5:33 PM
Glad It's as good as I hoped it'd be! I'm too hyped already for Blomkamp's Alien. Dude is becoming one of the best sci-fi directors in years!
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 5:49 PM
nah bruh. i was here before this site took off. dont have my old account anymore. and yes was writing here way before any yall newbies.

i just dropped in for a cameo. and yes rickly reviews are always subjective.
MrFridayNights
MrFridayNights - 3/4/2015, 5:56 PM
20% on RT 😥 It seems like Neil will end up like The Wachowskis.
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 6:08 PM
This movie will excel outside North America. NA critics with all due respect understand little of class, segregation and stuff like Apartheid. To be fair, this film is too high-concept for them.

Then again, who cares about critics...everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Invictor
Invictor - 3/4/2015, 6:10 PM
The movie has a 20% based on 1 Fresh and 4 Rotten; I don't know what's going on.
MyNameIsKhan
MyNameIsKhan - 3/4/2015, 6:11 PM
@Jollem I have/love Disstrict 9 I wasn't too big a fan of Elysium though I liked the design/effects/ But I cannot wait for this. Like I wish Nolan would make Inception 2 (though I doubt it will happen) , I hope Neil makes District 10 but I doubt it happens....
Invictor
Invictor - 3/4/2015, 6:12 PM
Did anyone else notice that the second guy has the same logo on his chest as those military guys from District 9? Is this in the same universe?
BlackPhillip
BlackPhillip - 3/4/2015, 6:14 PM
District 9 was great. Elysium sucked ass. I hope this one is good.
Tars
Tars - 3/4/2015, 6:20 PM
This film looks like shit
HubbleFunk
HubbleFunk - 3/4/2015, 6:21 PM
This is the most positive review I've seen so far... and I suspect bias.
The others seem to point to Chappie being another downward step for Blomkamp.
HubbleFunk
HubbleFunk - 3/4/2015, 6:24 PM
"After the surprise and promise of District 9, this represents a further downward step for director Neill Blomkamp in the wake of the highly uneven Elysium." - HR

"A robot-themed action movie that winds up feeling as clunky and confused as the childlike droid with which it shares its name." - Variety

Simon Mayo of the BBC said Chappie will remind you of Jar Jar Binks at times. It can't be unheard!
MyNameIsKhan
MyNameIsKhan - 3/4/2015, 7:11 PM
@Jollem haha yeah I see what you mean; Kinda like The Last of Us; a sequel would be awesome, but at the same time you don't the possibility of it ruining the greatness of the first. Sharlto Copley was awesome in Elysium, I just couldn't take Damon seriously in the lead strangely enough(especially considering how awesome Damon is in Bourne and pretty much everything else he's in.) And the concept too in Elysium especially with the way the world is you never know........
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:11 PM
If you guys buy into the reviews' system like Variety etc and all those others listed, you're pretty gullible. Those are media magnates that are pro-American, pro-Jewish or propagate some other kind of system. Did they big up or fight for 'Selma'?

If you read my reviews as Rickly, you'd see I've always been objective. I do think this was in the earlier years of D9's universe as some of the machinery hints at btw. but getting back to point, this film is deep and has a lot of messages inside it - as my review states. It isn't Bay or Snyder - and tbh, RT and North American critic sites aren't usually ones to point in the direction of quality foreign or indie films - and Chappie feels like both. So like I said, no way am I gonna take on critics in a land where publishers like TMZ and Fox influences people. Half these guys have wives who support Paris or Kim K. Thanks, but no thanks. Mature people who understand racism and apartheid would get this film - as well as atheists. This film targets deep thoughts. Not JoBlo
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:20 PM
@jollem...they killed it. 'enter the ninja' was also prominently featured so you know it rocked.

gotta get more into their music but from what i've seen, the movie really has a lot of them outside of characters...from the language, 'zef' aura to the art/graffiti etc -- they had a huge stamp on the film.

it's like eden lake with fassbender. great film which brits could understand but definitely would not be a hit in USA. US critics are totally biased against subversions in culture and it shows when you see how them and awards/guilds/Academy treat certain segments

Chappie had an immigrant named Amerika too - so clearly it took shots at the US and I'm sure the critics didn't appreciate it. Blomkamp dropped pipe bombs like CM Punk and that's what people can't understand
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:41 PM
Better than D9. Free your mind, remember what it was like to be poor, and a dreamer. And how the real world keeps down both. And then people will tell you it's all God's plan. And then you'll look up at the starry sky and ask 'Really? This is where you felt I belong in this world? Is this what you think of me?'

Struggle to build character and find yourself. That's what Chappie is.
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:43 PM
this film so deep you will drown
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:44 PM
jollem - ugly boy was also featured!!! trust me bruh, if u a die fan and a d9 fan...you're in for a f--kin epic trip.

lose yourself in the fantasy and in the district.
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 7:48 PM
EVEN THE DIALECT spliced in was rad
bladenite78
bladenite78 - 3/4/2015, 8:23 PM
Meh...new age Short Circuit. Also any critic who says any movie is "too high concept" for anyone else loses me, you're very obviously biased just with that comment. The whole "I don't want to believe in God because life is hard and not what I wanted" is a little trite and superficial as well. Doesn't seem like anything another movie and especially anime hasn't done before.
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 8:25 PM
^ half the crap you're ingesting in geekdom has been done by anime and comics etc...so why does chappie flunk if it takes influence from?

and yeah...a lot of foreign/indie films with high-concepts don't get recognition from the 'esteemed review sites' in NA...so if you're using a critic to influence you, i feel sad. i don't even wanna influence anyone here....i'm just letting you know what i thought. diff strokes. go see it..or don't.
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 8:28 PM
matrix = ghost in the shell ripoff. 87% on rotten tomatoes.

Yeah, point made. GOODNIGHT GUVNAH
CHAPPIE2000
CHAPPIE2000 - 3/4/2015, 8:29 PM
EQUILIBIRUM ROCKED...rating on RT = 38%...

so yeah, keep using those sites to shoehorn you into a film...

Just cuz critics don't like something, it shouldn't discourage. and if they do, it need not encourage you.

Since when has RT etc been the green light to go watch a movie. LOL
SteveBosell
SteveBosell - 3/4/2015, 10:02 PM
I loved Elysium. I actually liked it more than District 9. I just love Blomkamp's visual style. However, his politics are not as impressive as so many claim. His politics are about as clever as a high schooler with a copy of Howard Zinn's over-rated history book.
bladenite78
bladenite78 - 3/5/2015, 1:10 AM
Most stories have already been written, the best you can do is tell them differently. The problem for me is Chappie tells nothing differently, its just a little Robot that could given geographically limited political subterfuge.

I see what interests me. That's about the extent of my criteria.
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