Chappie (2015)
Film details
Crime · Action · Science Fiction · Neill Blomkamp · 2h 0min
Synopsis
Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot.
Verdict
Extreme violence, brutal language, and explicit sexual content. Adults only.
In-depth analysis
Chappie poses a genuine philosophical question (can a machine possess consciousness and a soul?) but wraps it in a package of brutality that renders it unsuitable for family discernment. The violence is extreme and visceral: a man literally torn in two by a mechanical claw, mutilations with a saw, mass shootings with abundant blood, broken bones, and shattered bodies. The script uses the robot's innocence as a metaphor for moral corruption — Chappie is raised by delinquents who deceive him into killing by telling him he only makes people 'sleep' — but the narrative is crushed by the weight of the explicit content. Added to this is an on-screen pornography scene with frontal nudity, and brutal language with over sixty strong expletives and repeated blasphemies. Although the arc suggests that Chappie's goodness eventually offers a moral way out, the path to get there is too raw. The film is rated R, and for good reason. Not suitable for minors or for family viewing.