Aaron Brickle

“I have consciousness. I am alive. I am Chappie.” These words closed out the trailer to South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp’s 2015 action film CHAPPiE. CHAPPiE is a science fiction film that takes a new angle in showing how important parental influence is to child development. Set in 2017 Johannesburg, the film revolves around a robot endowed with a fully functional artificial intelligence program. Unfortunately, he is “born” under the roof of some rather ghastly gangsters, who, being in a substantial heap of trouble themselves, try to use their new mechanical child to help them commit crimes. This does not sit well with the robot’s creator, Deon Wilson, who wants Chappie to nurture his mind, creativity, and explore the individuality that his AI consciousness allows. The resulting storyline takes many profound and difficult twists and turns, addressing some complicated real life issues.

Most prominently featured in the film is the idea of child rearing. Chappie’s varying parental influences cause him to be, at times, a very conflicted individual. Very early on, Deon makes Chappie promise that he will never commit a crime. “You can never break a promise,” he warns him. Wanting to please his maker, Chappie excitedly promises. This serves as a point of great frustration for Chappie’s would be caretakers. For Ninja and Yolandi Visser—real life members of the South African “rap-rave” group called Die Antwoord—they need this nearly indestructible robot to help them pull off a major heist, so that they can repay their debts to a bigger, badder, mob-boss named Hippo. Wanting to please everyone, as children often do, Chappie is torn on how to act. Should he comply to the wishes of “Mommy” and “Daddy,” doing special, cool, and exciting gangster activities? Or should he comply with the wishes of his maker, exploring his individuality, and avoiding the vulgar ambitions of his criminal caretakers. “Nurture your creativity, Chappie,” Deon tells him.

Child rearing is not the only theme explored in this movie though. Ideas of religion and spirituality can also be contrived through the film’s various characters. For example, the reason Scout 22’s body—the robot body that was used to host the Artificial Intelligence program that became Chappie—was scheduled for destruction was because the battery was fused to the frame. It could not be replaced. Upon this discovery, Chappie realizes that he too is mortal. He does not understand why his creator only made him so that he could die. Sound familiar? This point in the plot takes us to an inherently spiritual point. Our little friend asks the very question we often ask ourselves: Why would God make us just so that we could die? Fortunately, he is able to have a more direct discussion with his creator then we are with Ours. Propped against a wall, Chappie expresses his frustration to Deon, who’s only response is, “I didn’t make you so that you would die, Chappie… how was I supposed to know that you would become you?” This parallels many of our own encounters with God, and represents one of the many reasons some people do not believe in Him.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have our villain, Vincent Moore. His police robot, a massive killing machine called the Moose, is perpetually outshined by Deon Wilson’s more affordable Scouts. Moore is excitable, angry, and apparently quite religious. He offers Deon an invitation to church after intimidating him with an unloaded gun. Morality, he claims, is the basis of his objection to the Scouts. “[The Moose] is operated by a living, thinking, humane, moral human being,” he boasts. Unfortunately, he himself does not seem to hold to those values of humanity and morality as one might expect.

The film’s action climax finds Moore operating the Moose, trying to destroy Chappie and all of the other characters we have come to know and, at least, tolerate. He takes evident enjoyment in slaughtering the practically defenseless people on the ground. His pious religiosity is thrown out of the window in order to make room for his bitter ambitions of self-deluding grandeur. Sadly, this conforms to the increasing Hollywood image of religion. More and more of the silver screen’s villains of late have been driven by religious ill-intent.

Looking at the more technical side of the film, CHAPPiE is a fine piece of cinematography. The director’s choice to create the Scouts using motion capture was a very good decision. Because of this choice, the entirely computer animated title-character looks and acts as though he were really in the environment. Chappie’s interactions with his surroundings and with other characters come out looking much more believable because there really is someone interacting with all of those things. Famous film score composer Hans Zimmer’s fully digital soundtrack still manages to provoke us at just the right moments. Witty dialogue and stunning visual effects complete the package.

However, the film is not without its technical drawbacks. Director Niell Blomkamp’s attempt at stylized slow-motion goes terribly awry. Powerful moments that should have been dramatic become overblown, cheesy, and—I might say—obnoxious. The director does such a good job making us believe in this science fiction story, it is a shame when he tarnishes it with such a simple flaw. But it does pull us out of the realism of the story just the same. Realism, however, is not without its own cost. The mixed blessing/curse of including realistic South African dialogue earns the film a hug chunk of its well deserved “R” rating. Profanity not carrying the weight it does in our culture, characters drop the fetid “F-bomb” as though it were just another word in the dictionary. Even Chappie, raised by ruffians, uses his own convoluted version of it— though at that, audiences shudder, as they should. With this tool, viewers see the marring of his innocence. And interestingly enough, the one character with minimal profanity is the villain, Vincent Moore.

In conclusion, CHAPPiE is a fine piece of art. The overall design of the film, from its technical mechanics to its provocative writing, is quite good. Chappie reminds us to keep bettering ourselves: to push harder, and go farther than expected. That aspect of growth is an important part of who we are as human beings, and especially who we should be as Christians.

Certainly, the film has its drawbacks. I would not recommend it for those with children, or the faint of heart, as the language and violence are both excessively graphic at times. But on the whole, I would recommend this film as an intriguing look at the effects of environment on childhood development. This film is definitely worth looking into… and I mean, really looking into. Maybe even unwrapping.