Review: Chappie

It is hard to believe that it was six years ago when director Neill Blomkamp came onto the scene with District 9, a film that revolutionized the sci-fi genre.

After that, the South African did Elysium which was fun but flimsy.

His films represent racism and discrimination really well. Now we see what he does with humanity with his third installment, Chappie.

There is a lot of the usual things in a Blomkamp film, it's set in Johannesburg and features Sharlto Copley as one of the main characters.

But I'm afraid, this films has MAJOR problems. Starting with the positives is not a good thing. The big ones are the writing and the characters.
Blomkamp brought in two South African rappers from the band Die Antwood. There appearance was to merely promote the band and their songs that are all over this film. One of them is called Ninja. His acting is pretty poor and you are actually supposed to like him. His character is very annoying and bit of a moron. I am not surprised that he was apparently hard to work with behind the scenes. The other member played by Yolandi Visser did start off terrible with acting that would feel at home in The Karate Kid Part III. However, she does get better as she becomes more believable as the films goes along. I found her quite an attractive screen presence, but still annoying at times.
I'm afraid Blomkamp needs to get out of South Africa when it comes to casting.
Dev Patel's character was poorly developed and like everyone else, their choices during the film were unrealistic.
The big name actors Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver were totally wasted. Jackman's character was probably the only one that made sense, but the poor writing gave him no depth and Weaver was non-existent in a role that anyone could have played. There were lots of moments of when Hugh Jackman's character is on screen and he always seems to be carrying a Rugby ball. It really annoyed me as to why this was even happening.
Even Chappie as a character was misused. You are obviously supposed to feel for him. But the choices he makes, makes you want to hate him and you have no idea who to root for.
As for the writing, it felt quite amateurish and the story structure was completely thrown out of the window. It felt like Blomkamp was so excited to get to the next scene that he was not bothered if the previous scene made sense or not.
Also, there were awful problems with the pacing and you just get frustrated instead of being engaged.

Thankfully, the reliable parts of Blomkamps previous works are still the best parts of the film. The visual effects are brilliant. The effects of Chappie himself seams perfectly with the live-action. Also, the imagination of the weapons technology remains highly impressive.
Another thing that Blomkamp gets right is the action. The scenes are outstanding and the finale was by far the most gripping part of the film. Thankfully, the questionable shaky-cam from Elysium has been taken out and we are back with old reliable.

Sadly despite all those good things, there a lot of things that do not work and are highly critical problems.
It is a big disappointment, especially when you can see the ideas are there to be taken. It has nice similarities to District 9, Robocop and Short Circuit, but I'm afraid Blomkamp dropped the ball with this one. The final act is the best of the part of the film. There is great intense action and you think the finale might redeem itself. But sadly, the very final part brought all the previous problems back with a rushed ending and no explanation of how the story got to that stage. Such a shame.
I think for future reference, Blomkamp should stick to directing and not take part in the script writing. I still feel he is a talented director, but he needs to learn from his mistakes quickly. Especially as he has now been put in as the director for a new Alien film.

Rating: 6/10

My Top 10: Hugh Jackman Films

After beginning his career on the stage, Australian actor Hugh Jackman then got into television in the mid 1990's.
He only emerged onto the big screen in the late 1990's. His real breakthrough into mainstream cinema was being cast as Wolverine in the X-Men films. Since then, he has continued to flourish as Wolverine as the X-Men franchise continues to grow. But in-between that, he has been involved in a lot of enjoyable films, including one that bagged him an Oscar nomination.

Since then, he has become one of the famous actors and of the most enjoyable and entertaining to interview.
I'm afraid I cannot count his cameo appearances in X-Men First Class or Apocalypse. His one in First Class may possibly the funniest and best cameo I have seen. But cameo's are not enough for me.

Just missing on my top 10 just deserves an honorable mention, is X-Men. It's the start of the X-Men franchise that saw Jackman take the biggest job of his career and begin his rise to stardom.
When a mutant runs away from home, she stumbles across one of her own. They both get involved in a war between freedom fighters and a terrorist organisation with similar powers.
Directed by Bryan Singer, this film certainly does not hold back.

Out of his 39 films, I have seen 26 of them. I will rank all of the films I have seen, and give a short review of each of my top 10:

26) Movie 43

25) Reminiscence
24) Chappie
23) Swordfish
22) Pan
21) X-Men: The Last Stand
20) The Wolverine
19) The Front Runner
18) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
17) Missing Link
16) Flushed Away
15) The Greatest Showman
14) Van Helsing
13) Real Steel
12) Rise Of The Guardians
11) X-Men

10) Bad Education - One of Jackman's recent projects, and it is a performance that sees him totally control the screen from start to finish.

It sees a much loved school superintendent become the prime suspect in what becomes the largest embezzlement in American public school history.

It is a well told story and Jackman's performance truly enhances the viewing experience. 

9) X-Men: Days Of Future Past - The X-Men film that mixes the old and new cast with Jackman's character right in the middle of it.

Humans and mutants are on the brink of extinction, it is up to the X-Men to take one of their own back in time and change history.
There is a lot to take in and it is certainly one for the fans. But there is great action, solid performances and a welcomed addition to the franchise.

8) Logan - After 17 years of playing the Wolverine, Jackman ends his time as the clawed mutant with an emotional bang.

Set in the near future, where mutants are almost non-existant, a weary Logan helps Professor X escape while being pursued by dark forces. But his future may have hope in the form of this young mutant that arrives.

7) Australia - Despite not getting much positive reviews, I found this epic romantic adventure to be really enjoyable.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, it sees an English aristocrat inherit a ranch in the outback. With the help of a stock-man, they help transport 2,000 of her cattle to Darwin. However, they become involved in one of the biggest tragedies in Australia's history.

There are great visuals and has a wonderful old school feel to it. Great for a Sunday afternoon.

6) Happy Feet - Not quite a well-known role by many, but the film is still a great watch.
It's set in a world where arctic penguins find their soul mates by singing, one penguin is born without the use of singing and finds an alternative by tap dancing.
It may sound bonkers, but it is heart-warming and the final act is surprisingly very emotional.
Jackman plays a minor role, but his singing becomes essential to several set-pieces.

5) X-Men 2 - The first sequel of many in the X-Men films and certainly one of the best in the franchise.
When a mutant assassin attacks the president, the X-Men band together to locate him whilst their base is attacked by military forces lead by an old enemy from Wolverine's forgotten past.

It is one of those few superhero films that has great depth to it.

4) The Fountain - Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this film has certainly divided everyone.
With Rachel Weisz, Jackman plays a scientist desperately searching searching for a breakthrough that will cure his cancer-stricken wife.
However, there are two other stories paralleling that one that I have mentioned. It is hard explain in writing. All I will say is, you will definitely need to have your head switched on for this one.

3) Prisoners - One of the big surprise hits of 2013.
When two families meet up for Thanksgiving, both of their daughters go missing. As the hired detective is searching for clues, one of the fathers (played by Jackman) takes matters into his hands and stumbles upon something more terrible that originally imagined.
It is wonderful bleak and gritty crime thriller that David Fincher would be proud of.

2) Les Miserables - Based on the big hit stage musical, director Tom Hooper made something  quite amazing for the cinema screen.
Jackman plays an innocent prisoner who breaks parole and pursued by France's most ruthless policeman played by Russell Crowe.
This packed with top performances, amazing singing and a powerful soundtrack. It is a wonderful live-production captured on film.

1) The Prestige - Directed by the amazing Christopher Nolan, this sees two rival magicians trying to out do each-others show. Set in the Victorian age where magic was the most popular form of entertainment, one magician makes the ultimate trick that goes beyond magic.
Jackman gives us a performance that no-one has ever seen. This film proved to everyone that Jackman can do more than just X-Men.