I am concsiousness . . . i am alive . . . I AM CHAPPiE

CHAPPiE

4.4 / 5

             Have you ever seen a movie that invites you to a world of wonder? Wonder so grand and beautiful that when you leave the theater, or when the movie ends, you feel a sense of sadness fall upon you. You realize that you've had to snap back to reality and that you can never be a part of that world for longer than the film allows you to escape. I'm sure that you know such films. Maybe escaping to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, or flying to distant planets with unlimited powers and abilities in Star Wars, even becoming truly one with nature and experiencing an ultimate freedom through Avatar, etc ... This is another film which left me in celebrated despair, for I wanted to be a part of the story's world even more for a little while longer. Always just a little while longer.
Like most of Neill Blomkamp's work, the world in the film is grim and dirty, full of violence and despair. That part isn't what really attracts of course, unless you're into that sort of thing, but it's what it shows the world could be which entices the imagination! Now, I never spoil anything when it comes to my reviews and the movies, but the elements of robotics, A.I. (artificial intelligence) and consciousness all open up a world of possibilities the likes of which science fiction has written it's stories upon, fantasy has rested their dreams upon, and lovers of life have worked so hard to find. This movie shows you those possibilities as they are truly wondrous and exciting! Chappie shows the beginning of what all science, past and present, could hold for the near future.
Earlier I talked about stories in film so amazing that they can leave you saddened by the thought of never truly being a part of them. I said that this was one of those films for myself due to what it shows the world could have one day.
Unlike any of those other films, this one is different. This shows not a world or reality that could never be, but the world we know and what science could bring to us very, very soon. The imagination absolutely teems with possibilities . . . or at least mine does!

Point of Similarities

Robocop / Short Circuit 1 & 2 / Tank Girl

Short Circuit - "Number 5 is alive", a classic quote from the beloved 80s movie which perfectly sums up what the movie is about. What is similar with these movies are the disputes about what constitutes living. In the last century science fiction introduced A.I. and many stories have disputed what constitutes life . . . consciousness or the soul? Johnny (name of the robot in Short Circuit) goes to the city in the second movie where he is corrupted and manipulated by criminals. He eventually see's the errors of his ways and learns to use the gift of consciousness responsibly.

 

Robocop - "I am Alex Murphy", a bold statement made by Robocop. The similarity here isn't so much Robocop. One of the running themes was "Am I Alex Murphy or Robocop", not necessarily am I truly alive or not.

Its more for the gritty and raw environment that Robocop takes place. Seemingly its a warzone, overly dramatized and set in a futuristic setting set not too far into the future. A conscious robot fighting in a war zone set society, pretty similar but there's one other thing. The ED-209! As seen in Chappie previews there's
a robot which is manned by Hugh Jackman's character which is called The Moose. The Moose and ED-209 look almost exactly the same, are both seen as over kill, and are both arch rivals of the hero robot . . . one with a brain vs. one with out a brain.

 

Tank Girl - Ok, a strange movie to reference I grant you, but still totally holds up. At first my main inspiration was cause of the character Yo-Landi, otherwise known as Mom by Chappie, due to her eccentric taste in style and décor. It screams Barney and Friends war zone!!! But also because many structures in the film, big and small (even Nuclear reactors), were outlandish in color and decoration but amusing and imaginative.

 

Picture this movie as a Robocop version of Short Circuit with a flare for the Tank Girl crazy!!! With that said this film goes one step further and thereby making this movie unique and unto its own.

 



Break Down 

Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) - Creator of Chappie, he is brilliant, resilient, simple, and a big Red Bull fanatic.

Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) - Creator of Moose, a competing engineer trying to get his product displayed and used in the public. Very religious and intellectually simple, somewhat of a jock. A former soldier and an example that the "mullet" look ... looks good on no one!

These two, Deon and Vincent ... it's Nerd vs. Jock on a large scale!!!

Ninja - Ninja is impulsive and weak minded, physically laughable, and ignorant in anyway possible but the streets. You might say he and Vincent are what's wrong and ignorant with the world of man. But, he does display the quality of sacrifice at times which causes a love-hate feeling for this character in my opinion.

Yo-Landi - Ok, I want to marry this woman. She is beautiful, young, VERY unique, sweet but ready to fight. She is the character which brings love, compassion, and beauty to the world they live in.

 

Acting . . . . . . 3

Writing . . . . . 4

Characters . . . 5

Production . . . 5

Intent . . . . . . . 5

 

Overall . . . . . . 4.4