Not What I Thought It Was Going to Be

I really enjoyed District 9. Elysium had a great idea and a good deal of talent involved. Director Blomkamp obviously knows his way around quirky characters and depressed locations. However, this movie was a little dark and creepy for my tastes.

I was expecting a more light hearted "Short Circuit" movie, but its my own fault because neither District 9 or Elysium had that type of vibe. The dreary setting of South Africa did not help. The angry, disenfranchised group of characters made it hard to care about any of them, save Yo-Lindi who took a motherly approach to Chappie. Even Dev Patel's Deon comes off as a self-centered prick who only wants to prove his intelligence and doesn't seem to really care about Chappie.

Having said that, the character of Chappie was fascinating. I cannot figure out if it was CGI or an actor in a suit. I imagine it was a little of both. Shalto Copley is always playing weird characters, but he got Chappie's humaneness down pat. Sigourney Weaver was wasted as a bureaucrat. She either needed the paycheck or owed Blomkamp a favor. Hugh Jackman seemed to really be chewing the scenery as the villain. His character is in direct competition with Deon for police contracts and he goes to the extreme to get his way.

While not really my cup of tea, Chappie is a well made film. The oddball characters are refreshing in this cookie-cutter world of actors. The story was grim, but the ability to see goodness even in bad times was maybe the best aspect of the movie.

My memory foam pillow says it can't remember my face. I can tell its lying.