The second trailer for Neil Blomkamp's CHAPPIE has made its way online, and its decidedly more action-packed, less sentimental affair than the first one. The actual film leans somewhere in between the two, with Chappie's relationships with his inventor (Dev Patel) and the gangsters who adopt him serving as the emotional backbone for the violent second half. We still don't get a clear sense of how Die Antwoord's gangsters provide a SPRING BREAKERS-type satirical element to the film, and Hugh Jackman's villain is more of a desperate huckster than he comes across here. And I think highlighting Chappie shooting at that ED-209-looking robot with something that seems very similar to the Cobra Assault Cannon may not entirely fly with us ROBOCOP diehards out there…
Still, the spectacle of CHAPPIE does come across, and that's ultimately what's going to get the average Joes interested in this ambitious, spiritual sci-fi flick. Many were disappointed with ELYSIUM, Blomkamp's follow-up to DISTRICT 9, but methinks this could potentially win back some of that lost goodwill.
Are you charmed by the Sharlto Copley voiced/mo-capped CHAPPIE, or does he already grate on your nerves? Chime in below.
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CHAPPIE needs input on March 6th.
