When I went to see Chappie I figured this movie was a rehash of Short Circuit, that goofy robot movie which featured Fisher Stevens. I was wrong! There are some similarities to Robocop and Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2, but there is much more heart. Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman give solid performances as the protagonist and the antagonist of the piece, with Sharlto Copley giving an engaging and funny performance as the title character. Yo-landi Visser plays Chappie’s adopted mother Yolandi. Her maternal instincts out shine the self serving attitudes of the males including Chappie’s inventor/creator, Dion played by Patel. Her values are more those of a concerned mother, than a hardened criminal. In spite of the bad influences of Ninja Played by Ninja and Amerika played by Jose Pablo Cantillo, Chappie manages to learn human compassion and a sense of right and
wrong. Sigourney Weaver gives another spot on performance as a wicked corporate boss, with a heart of stone and a head for business.Over all Chappie was great fun and a decent popcorn movie. Once again Neil Blomkamp has given us another good sci-fi movie to add to his repertoire. It’s worth a few bucks on a lazy day. I consumed six chicken tenders, a soft pretzel and a small soda.
