Chappie: Heart, but not enough of it

    In 2016, crime is patrolled by an oppressive robotic police force. When one police droid, 22, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. Sounds interesting right? The trailer looks cute right? So is Chappie worth the watch? 

    Yes and no. Neil Blomkamp is the director and if you liked Elysium and District 9, you will probably love Chappie. The movie, like all of Blomkamp's, is based in South Africa. Blomkamp is from there and you have to respect his hometown pride. That being said, the film is very foreign in feel. The actors, the environment, the situations. It make some of the dialogue dificult to understand and the area makes it hard to relate. Still, Chappie does have its moments. 

    Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman play rival engineers. Patel successfully creates artificial intelligence, but loses his creation to a street gang that aims to use it to gain millions of dollars. The gang teaches Chappie to shoot guns, use ninja weapons, and talk in very jumbled slang. Sharlto Copley has been in all of Blomkamp's  films and returns to voice Chappie. The story is OK and it's a bit rough around the edges, but underneath the film has something. 

    Watching Chappie get picked on makes it hard to not have sympathy for him. The underlying message of being different is OK is strong. The film has heart and it's moments, but their might not be enough for casual audiences. It's not a summer blockbuster, but it something to have a little fun with and forget about life for 120 minutes.