CHAPPIE

US, 2015, 120 minutes, Colour.
Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Ninja, Yo- Landi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo.
Directed by Neill Blomkamp.

For years now, there has been an increasing interest in the stories about Artificial Intelligence and a range of films about robots, robotics, androids, and the possibility of creating an android with self-consciousness. In this futuristic science-fiction fable, there is a company at work in Johannesburg producing a wide range of android Robocops who keep down the crime rate.

But there are two men working in very different experiments, one an ex-army militaristic type, Vincent, played by Hugh Jackman with an Australian accent and strange brown hair, who is building a rather gigantic robot which can take to the air, survey crimes and uprisings and swoop down and fire at will to destroy the criminals (and it does get an extensive tryout). The other is an Indian South African, Deon, played by Dev Patel, now well-known for Slumdog Millionaire as well as the Best Exotic Marigold Hotels. He is desperately doing experiments which will give his androids human intellectual capacities, personality and the ability to learn.

When one of the robot police is partially destroyed, and the severe boss of the company, Sigourney Weaver, forbids both men from progressing with their work, Deon takes the shattered robot and works at home creating the desired android. The way that his programme is designed means that the android begins his life as the equivalent of a child and has to go through a process of learning.

That would be no problem but we have already seen some thugs and gangs around the city, taking advantage of crime possibilities, drug-pedalling and three rather dim-witted villains in debt to the gangster leader. When they have the brainwave that they should rob a bank to pay back their debts, they realise that they can get the help of a robot and so abduct the experimental android. Which means that he has a strange learning process, partly from Deon, but strongly influenced by the gangsters, their language, their stances. But, as he grows up, he has been told by his maker always to do the right thing.


Which means that there are a lot of complications, the maker trying to visit his creation and educate him well. The woman in the gang find she has maternal instincts, especially towards this chap, whom she names Chappie. But the leader of the gang is a complete moron, and a violent one as well, abandoning Chappie to the mercilessness of young gangsters on the outskirts of the city with Chappie having to find his way back, increasing his learning experience. The gangsters begin to become a shrewd and find a way of getting him to participate – and the transformation of the moronic gangster to something of a friendly hero more than strains credibility.


These two characters played by South African celebrities, Ninja and Yo- Landi Visser – using their celebrity names for their characters, but whatever their popularity, acting ability is not to the fore.

It is Dev Patel as Deon who is the most convincing. Hugh Jackman turns out to be a kind of comic-book villain, even turning off the power to all the Robocops who collapse in heaps with ultimate riots in Bedlam in the city, and Sigourney Weaver who has either to look extremely bossy or apprehensive.

The premise is quite interesting but, as the film goes along, it becomes more comic-book, even silly in some of the situations as well as the characterisations. Which is a pity because there are many things going for the film.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp, who made a huge impact with his science-fiction drama, District 9. His follow-up film, Elysium, had some interesting ideas in terms of communication between earth and a super resort satellite. But, there was some incipient silliness in that film as well. While Blomkamp is right in designing his science-fiction for a wide audience, his films need to be more intelligently stimulating rather than a reliance on some corny dialogue at times and very effective special effects.

1. Artificial Intelligence? Androids, robotics, developments, risks? Human control, human error, motivation? Training? Human attachment? Android attachment?

2. Neill Blomkamp, his films, science-fiction, South African backgrounds, Johannesburg, characters, situations, use of city locations? An Australian and an American in the film? South African performers? The musical score?

3. The title, Deon and his making the android, being abducted, Ninja and Yo -Landi, naming the android Chappie, Sharlto Copley, his voice, creating a character?

4. Johannesburg, law and order, the authorities, the company, Vincent and his plan? Deon and his research? The Robocops in the city, in action, bringing down the crime level? Vincent turning them all off, the collapse, mayhem, looting? The need for the human police? Vincent and his motives?

5. The gangs, tough, drugs, the gang boss, Ninja and his debt, with The Yo- Landi, with Amerika, as characters, Ninja as moronic? Yo- Landi and the brains? The debt, the plan, the robbery, using robots? Stealing Chappie? The talk, the attitudes, the language, the plan, using and deceiving Chappie, abandoning him with the gangs, his return home? Yo- Landi as maternal?

6. Deon, his work, his relationship with Michelle Bradley, taking the wrecked robot? His computer work, the program, the success, implanting the intelligence in Chappie? Chappie as a child, having to learn? Deon and his attempts with the basics, the principles of integrity? Chappie and his using this, but with the information from the gang, and the gang’s swagger?

7. Michelle Bradley, forbidding Vincent to proceed, with Deon? The Mayor, the speech, the increase in orders? The workers? Vincent and his computer, Deon and his desk, Vincent suspicious, following Deon, stealing the hard drive?

8. Deon, coping, the visits to Chappie? Friendship with Yo- Landi?

9. Vincent, jealousy, closing down the robots, his cover-ups? Interviews with Michelle Bradley? Pushing his project, getting it into action, in the air, surveillance, shooting – and its being shot down and wrecked?

10. Ninja, America and The Yo- Landi, going to the boss, the confrontation, the aerial robot, deaths?

11. Chappie, his disappointment, the plan with Deon, to download the intelligence into another failed robot, finding it, the insertion? Deon, his being shot, the experiment and his intelligence captured, downloaded? His surviving as an android? Ninja and his help? Yo- Landi and her death, downloading her intelligence? Preparation for a sequel?

12. The plot, credible, touches of silliness, situations and dialogue? But offset by the special effects and the action sequences?