Pinocchio: 2015

CHAPPiE

South African film director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) has metaphorically tackled some deep social issues within his movies. District 9 is a different look at racial issues that have encompassed our world for decades. Elysium showed audiences around the world that it shouldn’t matter what social class we come from, we should all be treated equally. This year, Blomkamp is taking on a more personal social issue, the one where we need to be true to ourselves. Blomkamp gives us CHAPPiE the robot.

The crime and poverty in Johannesburg, South Africa has reached epic levels and the police force seems to be out gunned. So the police force turns to a new ally in weapons manufacturer, Tetravaal. At Tetravaal, an engineer by the name of Deon Wilson (Dev Patel Slumdog Millionaire) has created a robot police force that returns a large semblance of law and order back to Johannesburg. While the success of his robots is only growing larger, Deon has also been working on a different type of Artificial Intelligence. An A.I. that can think and feel emotions on its own. So when the opportunity arises that Deon can test his A.I. on a falling police robot, Deon seizes it and steals the robot from Tetravaal. Unfortunately for Deon, has been targeted by some low-level thugs to turn off the police robots. Without being able to actually turn the police robots off, the thugs take the stolen robot from Deon. Explaining what he is planning to do with the robot, Deon agrees to put the new A.I. in the robot in exchange for the thugs not killing him. What they all get in return will change them all forever because they all fall in love with CHAPPiE.

I am falling in love with Neill Blomkamp (sorry Mr. Blomkamp, merely on a bro-mance level). The way he has so brilliantly infused both social issues that need to be looked at by all of us and sci-fi/action fun filmmaking. Blomkamp, in this film, has shown the audience that we need to be true to ourselves and that our minds/souls are a very precious thing. Blomkamp mixes that with amazing visuals and on the edge action. I had mentioned here that Blomkamp is directing a new Alien sequel and after seeing CHAPPiE, I am even more excited.

The centerpiece in this film a CGI’ed robot that is voiced by Sharlto Copley (Maleficent), whose movements were also motion captured for CHAPPiE. Copley’s performance blew my mind. Copley, like Andy Serkis in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, is able to give life to a hallowed out machine. Copley’s voice aid in giving CHAPPiE life as well. The tone Copley uses and the pure innocence that Copley infuses into his voice is what allow the audience to believe that CHAPPiE is just a mere “child”. I predict that these types of motion capture performances are going to be Oscar nominated here soon. Along with Copley, I have to give praise to Hugh Jackman (X-Men: Days of Future Past), who plays the villain of the film. Jackman portrays Vincent Moore, a rival engineer and ex-military man that tries everything in his power to destroy what Deon has built. Jackman is a very convincing bad guy and does a great job being an ass. I am conflicted with Dav Patel’s performance though. I thought Patel was good in the film, though not in the film very much. Patel became distracting due to his ethnicity and the typecast I kept thinking of watching him on screen. Patel acts as CHAPPiE’s Jiminy Cricket very well, but I just couldn’t help think that Patel was typecast.

As I mentioned about I thought that Neill Blomkamp did a masterful job directing this film. Blomkamp brings the beauty and innocence of CHAPPiE within a very rough and gritty world. Little by little Blomkamp tells the audience how important our individuality to each and every one of us. Even amidst the violence and swearing, Blomkamp never sways from his message.  The action scenes were very well done and very exciting. Somehow Blomkamp also adds humility and some humor even in the most violent of moments within the film.

I highly recommend all three of Blomkamp full length feature films. These films give a different twist of moral and social issues that plague our world today. Blomkamp has found a way to communicate his ideology of these issues through a medium watched the world over.

The Verdict: See In Theatres