Happy Trailers - Chappie (2015)

My impression of Chappie from the first trailer wasn't that great. Did trailer number two change my mind? Surprisingly, yes.

Unlike the first trailer, which gave the impression the film would be nothing but a retelling of Short Circuit, this trailer gives the impression that the movie has more depth. Writer/director Neill Blomkamp may have made a thematically interesting film, one that looks at automation and emergent intelligence in a thoughtful way. Or it could just be a bunch of robots beating up on each other and starring some weird looking South African rapper chick who creeps me out. One or the other.

Yolandi Visser, creepy looking South African rapper chick.

There is a better idea of the scope of the story in this trailer: a look at how automation could rapidly spread in society; the varying reactions people could have to AI; and a dramatic and action-filled clash between those afraid of the emerging intelligence and those nurturing it. The "cutesy" elements of Chappie's individuation are played down and more emphasis is placed on the "big picture" elements of the story, as well as ramping up the action.

District 9 is a great movie. Elysium was a disappointing mess. Which way will Chappie go? Blomkamp knows how to deliver solid visuals. But can he tell an effective story? Can he get good performances out of his actors? Can he deliver another District 9? Or will we have to slog through another dull, cliche ridden story, which has a message (which I appreciate), but thinks its audience is so dumb that it bashes you over the head with it (which I don't)? I guess we'll have to wait and see; but I'm more optimistic now than I was prior to seeing this trailer.

As a side note, given the design of the robots and the overall feel of the society presented (experiencing waves of new tech with a restive underclass) I wonder if this is supposed to be a prequel to Elysium? As long as we don't get any scenes of Jodie Foster trying to decide on an accent, I'll be okay with that.

Happy Trailers - Chappie (2015)

Neill Blomkamp has made two feature-length movies. Movie one District 9 is a great sci-fi alt-history, one I never tire of watching. Movie two is Elysium which has some nice moments and visuals, but a terrible story, boring characters and far too many plot-holes to overlook.

Next year, we get movie three, Chappie. From the trailer, it appears that Chappie is a damaged police robot, recovered, repaired and somehow given artificial intelligence. The movie seems to follow the emerging AI as it tries to create an identity, while being hunted by people who see it as a threat.

Visually, the movie looks good. Blomkamp is good at creating immersive worlds, places you want to see more of, that seem realistic enough that you can speculate about what is happening around the corner without seeing it. From the trailer, you can't get a sense of the acting, although there are some heavy hitters in the cast (Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver). The blonde chick is South African rapper Anri du Toit; we'll see how that casting decision goes.

One problem I have with the story as presented is the resemblance to Short Circuit. While there are a lot of movies (not to mention books, comics, etc) about emerging AIs, these two films seem to track pretty closely. In Short Circuit, Number Five is a combat robot who suffers damages from a lightening strike that damages his software, allowing him to become self-aware. After meeting Ally Sheedy (one of my childhood cinema crushes), he eventually decides that he does not want to go back to the military, because they will "kill" him.

Given what we see in the trailer, this film seems a lot like that. There's nothing inherently wrong with telling the same basic story; however, it does make me wonder if Blomkamp is the best choice as a writer (I have no doubts about his abilities as a visual director). I'm encouraged by the fact that his District 9 co-writer Terri Tatchell is on this project, whereas Blomkamp was solely responsible for Elysium's terrible story. Hopefully, the resemblance to Short Circuit is superficial and that Chappie has something new and interesting to say about mankind's relationship to technology and how we treat the other. If not...well, at least it'll look nice.

New Interstellar Trailer Out

Chris Nolan's Interstellar looks cool as hell. While it might get a little schmaltzy (that's a word, look it up) the visuals are pretty impressive. Also, Nolan has shown that he makes amazing films. So, I have a high degree of confidence in this. Also, I like "big concept" science fiction. Check out the trailer below.