MovieChat Forums > Chappie (2015) Discussion > I wanted to like it, but I couldn't.

I wanted to like it, but I couldn't.

posted 9 years ago by JordanMichaelKoch
11 replies | jump to latest

I've really wanted to like Neil Blomkamp's movies because District 9 was very good for what it was. I just really didn't like Chappie. For a lot of reasons:

*We're supposed to be rooting for criminals? Ninja was a jerk and a criminal. How am I supposed to root for him? Any of them, really. They were criminals. Not only criminals, but whining, constantly complaining and obnoxious criminals.

*Yo-Landi was awful. It wasn't necessarily bad acting; I didn't think she was a terrible actress. Her character was just obnoxious. Painfully obnoxious.

*Not one likeable character. Dev Patel came closest, but meh.

*Everything looked like crap. This isn't valid, but to me I hated it. Everything was dirty and gross-looking.

*They're teaching the robot how to murder and become a gangster. Who the hell likes gangsters?

I'm not trying to hate on it and I really did want to like it, but I hated it. I hated everything about it.

[–] donpadilla 9 years ago

I don't think we are supposed to be rooting for the criminals.

How do you expect criminals to behave?

I disagree about Yo-Landi being awful. I liked her in this and I am not a fan of her music.

You said you liked District 9 which also showed the dirty, gritty grime slums..

If you were not trying to hate on it you could have noted some positive things you liked about the movie, but no lets just add one more negative comment on it..

[–] JordanMichaelKoch 9 years ago

The criminals were the spiritual guides to Chappie. Chappie fought to defend them. Who else were you supposed to root for?

Their behavior could have lessened the blow of the fact that they are, in fact, criminals. Had they not tried to act like thugs, had they regretted their decisions and the life they led, it would have been easier to root for them or at the least tolerate them.

Yo-Landi I'll grant wasn't terrible. Again, I had no problem with her acting, I just found her character to be obnoxious.

The dirty, gritty slums was just a preference thing and it's the reason District 9 got a 7/10 instead of an 8/10. It just makes for an less enjoyable experience when everything is dark and gritty and dirty-looking. Take Minority Report for example (because it's the only one I can think of off the top of my head). It was dark and gritty, but it was also crisp and fresh in a lot of scenes. In Chappie, even the industrial area where they built the machines looked warn-down and downtrodden. I just disliked the look is all.

I wasn't trying to hate on it. I can totally see how people like this movie. Blomkpamp has a very distinguishable style and I can see how people like his style. I just didn't like the movie at all. I don't think it should have been made. It did nothing we haven't seen from the Artificial Intelligence plot point other than to have Artificial Intelligence winning shown as a positive. The movie basically doomed humanity as we know it, and it was shown in a positive light.

[–] donpadilla 9 years ago

Sure then you can root for the criminals and Chappie.

I like the dark, gritty slums that Chappie was filmed at. The original RoboCop was supposed to take place in a dark, gritty Detroit and when you see Detroit today it is just like that. Science fiction movies like Dredd, Looper, District 9 etc. don't always show the future to be crisp and fresh like Minority Report.

Neill Blomkamp makes the movies that he wants to make and I applaud him for that. I don't see anyone else making the science fiction action movies like they used to back in the day. Again I disagree with you about this film being made. It pays homage to RoboCop/Short Circuit and brings a fresh take to that concept.

[–] denise1234 9 years ago

radiopadilla^

I loved 'District 9'. Knocked my socks off.

I've only watched 'Chappie' once and I really like it.

Very enjoyable film, interesting character arc with the criminals, and I agree with your 'fresh take' comment. That's how it (and District 9) feel to me.

Some of where Blomkamp 'goes' with his stories I cannot entirely predict, and I love that.

And gritty is gritty because it's gritty (to the other poster's complaint about that).

Certainly everyone *is* entitled to their preferences, and I am not trying to bash an honest comment here and for some folks it might be too much 'visual noise' they don't enjoy, but still an odd complaint, IMHO.

IMO, the environments in this film are not only backdrops, but also the very environments from which the characters' actions, motivations, fatalistic pessimism, and even some *hope* spring.

Appearances aren't always substance, but in this film I think they are substantial.

Would have been quite strange to take the 'gritty' sets out of 'District 9' (which had some scenes shot in an actual squatter camp in Soweto), for example, as those were essential to that story, IMO.

One critic said that Blomkamp "likes CGI, but he also likes shooting in hard daylight on the streets of real cities." 'Reality' is not always pretty, unfortunately.

There's also some interesting commentary in articles on how they decided on robot POV (point of view), and how they "sought to introduce a ‘low-tech’ look for the robot POVs, the idea being the imagery was more like surveillance footage instead of an ‘Iron Man HUD’."

So...nah...I think Blomkamp did good :)

"Much communication in a motion, without conversation or a notion"

[–] donpadilla 9 years ago



[–] danmax67 9 years ago

The criminals were the worst part. One second they are ready to murder Patel and the next minute he can do whatever he wants in their lair. What?

[–] rulbike 9 years ago

They are really dunb criminals. That was made very clear, its obvious people like that are quite unstable and i see nothing weird with them being very nipolar if anything i think it's quite realistic. To be a criminal you have to be *beep* up and add to that all the drugs they take. I think they are auite acurrate.

[–] GSReis 9 years ago

The main problem definitely is the lack of likable characters. Maybe I was in a bad day intellectually, but it took me half the movie to realize that those annoying and disgusting criminals were the protagonists. Also, there was nothing new or original from the Sci-Fi standpoint and the ending was cringeworthy. Funny that someone mentioned "RoboCop", because "Chappie" reminded me the remake in the beginning, with the robotic police/troops in a similar environment, and near the end with the very similar big robot adversary.

I really liked "District 9", but after "Elysium" and this, I'm seriously starting to think Neill Blomkamp just had a lucky start. He seems to be quickly going the route of M. Night Shyamalan and will likely be forgotten in a few more years.

[–] Aim-JE 9 years ago

The blonde girl's voice, Chappie's voice, and Chappie referring to himself in the third person did it for me. I'll watch it again, but only seeing bits and pieces but constantly hearing that Mickey Mouse sounding bullsh!t made it ridiculous to me.

"Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?"

[–] Obnoxiously-Adorable 8 years ago

I'll give you the girl, but knowing a little about child development might have made Chappie's evolution a little more enjoyable. Kids do refer to themselves often in the third person and gradually learn "I" and "me". Chappie did the same, although I'd expect given his intelligence once he learned the proper pronouns he wouldn't do the third person thing anymore and he still interchanged them throughout the movie. At one point he made a GIANT leap in congnition when he went from simply imitating everyone else to asking a question "Who's here Mommy?" They didn't realize what a major leap that was. There were other things that I found fascinating as he progressed but I've forgotten them now lol. I ought Chappie's voice was cute!

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[–] Prismark10 8 years ago

There was a problem that the film had no likeable characters.

It's that man again!!