10-17-2016, 10:34 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-17-2016, 10:38 AM by Drunk Monk.)
An odd film for sure. I liked Blomkamp's District 9 a lot, but still haven't seen Elysium because y'all thumbs-downed it. Dev Patel is in this, playing a nerd (likely his destiny from here on out), Sigourney plays an ice lady CEO (also her typecast now) and Hugh plays a villain, which works for me better than when he plays good guys (including Wolverine). But this film is really about Die Antwoord. They play themselves - Ninja and Yolandi - deep in this post-apocalyptic vision of Joburg. That part really worked for me. This film has a lot of flaws for sure, but the Zef culture of Die Antwoord kept me engaged. Some of the slang is tricky as Zef has its own patois (poes is often used, short for the derogatory 'pussy'). The soundtrack is Die Antwoord heavy too. It reminded me of a film that I'm really trying to find for Tara - KISS meets the Phantom of the Park. Tara recently bought herself a vintage KISS T-shirt so I want her to have a better sense of the band. The only thing I've been able to find is the Scooby Doo version. Like that film, Die Antwoord plays with their stage personas in a fantasy film. But back to Chappie, it has its moments - both humorous and poignant with some decent ultravi. I don't think it works if you don't know Die Antwoord, because frankly, they are weird. Heck, I'm still not sure if I like them or not. Yolandi's vocals are really annoying and Ninja is a punk. They just came through, but it was the night I was already at Symbiosis. And that'll probably be their final show because they broke up and were just finishing the tour out of contractual obligations. But then again, maybe the break up is a stunt. Anyway, I liked it.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
