Story:
In the future, Johannesburga s police use an army of armoured droids
called Scouts, to combat criminals. Droid creator Deon (Patel) tries out
a new AI (Artificial Intelligence) program on a damaged robot, which
then develops a human personality.
Review: Deon,
who works at a technology company, is a genius. The cubicle he sits in
cannot contain his big ideas regarding robotics. Office bully Vincent
(Jackman) has his own negative take on the dangers of AI and takes Deona
s case at any opportunity.
When Deon tells his boring boss Michelle (Weaver) that he has
discovered the key to AI, she in effect, calls him crazy. Incredulous
but undeterred, he steals away a junked Scout along with his AI software
but is waylaid by some criminals (Ninja and Yolandi) who want to
capture and reprogram a Scout to a switch offa the Scout army. Deon
reprograms the robot and thata s when is born a a baby in a heavy metal body who then cycles through an accelerated adolescence.
This is where the reference to 1987a s Robocop comes in a a breakaway
police robot a adopteda by the very people he was built to kill. Chappie
calls Deon his a Makera . Ninja and Yolandi are dubbed a Daddya and a
Mummya , respectively. Yolandi completely pampers Chappie like a doting
mom, reading him bedtime stories and telling him about life after death
and having a soul. Ninja teaches Chappie how to rob posh cars and shoot
guns.
Therea s a lot going on in Chappie a a somewhat dystopian
future where crime is so rampant that droids are required to take down
thugs, a slightly deviant tale of what happens when a machine becomes
self-aware with its own AI and subtexts regarding parenting.
Therea s the surreal touch - Blomkamp using a real-life cyberpunk
rap-rave group Die Antwoord, comprising Ninja and Yolandi, whose
colourful attire match their cuss words. Chappiea s innocence is
strangely endearing. Patel is a natural as the nerd scientist. As a
movie, Chappie is slightly bonkers (Jackman in cargo shorts, humans
babying a robot, Copleya s voice intonations for his character, etc),
but delightfully so.
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