STACK Magazine April 2015 Issue 126

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026 APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi
visit REVIEWS CINEMA
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P erhaps making one of the most
exciting and nigh on perfect
movies in many years as your
debut is a curse for life? District 9
shattered conventions and engaged
audiences with such power, they pretty
much gave director Blomkamp the keys
to Hollywood uttering, ‘Go for it!’. Then
came the miscalculated fart, Elysium,
with a bigger budget and major
Hollywood stars.
Since that critical and commercial
failure, smaller stars (Jackman instead
of Damon, Weaver instead of Foster)
and less fanfare greets this third writer-
director offering, Chappie; a riff on
elements of District 9 ’s ‘urban chaos’
and uber machinery, but with a hook
involving cult South African musical
outfit, Die Antwoord. But, you see,
they play themselves. Not the best idea
in hindsight, particularly considering
suspension of belief goes out the
window if a lead character is wearing
a T-shirt of their own band in a sci-fi
orientated fictitious universe. Unless
you’re Jodorowsky in the ‘70s, forget it;
your cover’s blown and it’s now a mere
promotional video clip for two hours.
That said, while the director offers a
script making audiences guffaw with
embarrassment, and seemingly has no
idea on how to direct actors to show
genuine emotion, intent or belief, he’s
damn good at making us love a foreign
object. Like our hearts melted for ‘the
prawns’ in District 9 , ‘Chappie’ himself
(a broken robot soldier, now fitted
with the capability to learn) is freshly
believable as a newborn machine
entering our horrible, cruel world
possessing an E.T. meets Short Circuit
cute factor.
The idea of Die Antwoord teaching
Chappie how to be a gangster is at
times extremely satisfying and brave
filmmaking. But in consistency, it’s
a pantomime of shame as Hugh
Jackman awkwardly channels Steve
Irwin on steroids and Weaver basically
does NOTHING, yet the next minute
someone’s head is being ripped off –
Verhoeven style.
The action is as you'd expect,
astonishing; but that cat-sat-on-the-mat
script, the sheer lack of any screen
charisma from the afore band, and the
cliché upon cliché makes you leave
the cinema deflated. One must now
wonder and fear what Blomkamp will
do officially helming the next Alien
film!? Oh, Chappie was intended as
the first part in a trilogy of films. Now,
probably not. Chris Murray
The creator of merciless robot soldiers, used as special police squads, experiments on a new operating system capable
of learning, creativity and decision. Naturally, it falls into the hands of gangster/alternative/rap group Die Antwoord.
CHAPPIE RELEASED: March 12
DIRECTOR: Neill Blomkamp
CAST: Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman,
Sigourney Weaver
RATING: MA15+