just watch it!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I was 45 minutes into Chappie, and I had to turn away from it, because it was not what I was expecting. THIS is the reason for all the negative reviews, I can guarantee. If you're expecting something, fooled by the trailers, and you don't get what you want, it tends to bring out the anger in some. Knowing ahead of time what type of film this was, I watched it on a night when I was "in the mood" for the type of film it was. And what type of film is this? Emotional depth. If you cannot accept emotional depth, you probably will have trouble accepting Chappie. The acting is not the best ( South African pop/rap group Die Antwoord cannot act to save their soul. It worked in Chappies favor, I will explain here shortly.) Chappie borrows a few elements from obvious films, such as Short Circuit and Robocop. However, it still manages to come out with something unique. The acting, again, is not the best, but it works in the movies favor. The only thing that stands out, is Chappie, and as long as you're not judgmental towards his actions, you can feel for him. Sure, he does bad things, but that's the problem: The viewer has to keep in mind that this prototype was stolen, and is forced into a lifestyle its creator did not intend. He is programmed to do things, even against his own nature, and his creator constantly has to remind him that he belongs to him, not the criminals. It's not Chappies fault that he is forced to rob a bank, etc. And Chappie is just like a human, he does have feelings, he does have choices, he does think intelligently, and he does not like being lied to! Chappie aims at an entertainment level, not a logical level, so don't try to see things here that do not exist. There's plenty of action and violence in the last hour, and the movie makes up for the steam that it loses in the first hour, so there's no repenting that needs to be done there. This was a fine, unappreciated piece of work from Neil, who helped create District 9. And to be honest, the first time I tried watching this, I didn't like it too much either. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, I didn't like it. When I gave it a second chance, it won me over: I loved it!

Terrible acting by the non-actors. Everything happens weirdly fast and can hardly make you interested in any part of the story. Even the great cgi can save this thing.Its about a robot that gains consciousness and it gets emotionally attached to some people.

People who couldn't enjoy this SCI-FI movie are missing the point of a science-fiction movie. Key word: FICTION. And great fiction at that. Casting Die Antwoord was genius.

I was already familiar with some of Neil Blomkamp's work, namely District 9. Viewers of that film will recognize his style in the use of TV newsbits (featuring a very real Anderson Cooper segment) and documentary-style filmmaking to drive his point home. Yet what makes this film a standout is the way in which it portrays AI, making the experience seem almost relatable to that of fathering a baby. While the movie does take a few predictable turns, and the climax is stretched-out beyond belief, it is a decent piece of work and one that took me by surprise at a few moments. The amount of emotions the film conveys are surprising, given that the main character is supposed to be a robot, but we come to love and care for him nonetheless through his struggles in the slum. The actors do a terrific job of harnessing these emotions, and conveying all the ethical quandaries that one would have creating AI, but also raising a child. Dev Patel, as always, is fantastic. Hugh Jackman does a wonderful job of making an otherwise-unbelievable villain slightly more human, but the real spotlight goes to Ninja (south-african rapper who portrays a fictionalized version of himself in this film) and Yolandi Visser as Chappie's "parents", namely the thugs who try to give him an education. Their evolution as characters, particularly Ninja's, is fun to watch throughout the entire movie, and provides a redeeming storyline parallel to Chappie's own. Finally, Sharlto Copley steals the show as the title character, even if his role is essentially a voice one, by making us believe that Chappie's angsts are very real, and that yes, robots can have a soul. I must say Chappie's literal evolution as a character was pleasant to watch, and, while the action at the end was a bit overkill, it helped make this is a very decent film. While this movie helps to open a conversation about AI, don't trust this film to venture too far into it. Instead expect a fun, decent and intriguing sci-fi movie with a premise not-all-that unbelievable.