Sony's Chappie a Modern, Cool Pinocchio

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Chappie

He's got no string to tie him down -- just a boundless curiosity, an eager enthusiasm, and metal parts.

Neil Blomkamp directs and co-writes this Hugh Jackman / Sigourney Weaver vehicle that, at first blush, appears to be a little bit of WALL-E and a whole lot of SHORT CIRCUIT. And to be certain, a lot of the memes of the latter are evidenced in the trailer for CHAPPIE, as we see the robot go through scenes of artistic expression and melancholy, scenes of comic misunderstanding and of panic when attacked for being different. If I could put a tagline on the film, it would be something like, "You will believe a robot can cry."

In this trailer for Blomkamp's modern PINOCCHIO, I found my initial cynicism dissolving until, by the end, I was actually excited to see this film. With MARVEL'S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON also coming next year, 2015 may just be the Year of the Artificial Intelligence.

Check out Sony's trailer below and see if you dig it as much as we do.

Grade: 
4.5 / 5.0