Sci-Fi is a tough genre (in my opinion) to crack open and explore. You must have the correct motivation to conspire an audience. Ridley Scott seemed to have perfected this obviously with his cult sensations Aliens, and Blade Runner. After the roaring (albeit stellar) success of Neil Blomkamp’s 2009 thriller District 9, I can say my bar for those films were set. That movie would eventually go on to make big bucks, and secure a Best Picture nomination (a very rare accomplishment in this genre of filmmaking). Blomkamp’s second film the Matt Damon lead Elysium made for a fun blockbuster-Hollywood popcorn flick that was very dull on the amenities it offered. However following something as astounding as District 9 is no easy feat.

Blomkamp’s latest Chappie is (at times) a chaotic mess, filled to the brim with plot-holes that never really resolve themselves and a third act that basically features a chested up Hugh Jackman destroying scenery like it’s his job. The overall message of the film does the best it can to stick with the audience, and for the most part I got the jist of the plot, and along the way made a new friend with the lovable, adaptable Chappie.

In the not-so distant future of a dystopic Johannesburg, where a plateau of faceless drones are undergoing the tasks of cleaning up the streets from crime (picture RoboCop). But the inventor Deon (Dev Patel) has greater more noble ambitions. He is working on the world’s first crack at true artificial intelligence, a computer that can not only create, but think.

The result is Chappie (voiced by Sharlto Copley), a creature with the body of a killer and a mind of a child. And when Chappie falls into the hands of Ninja and Yolandi – played (at best) as rough distractions by Afrikaans electronic duo Die Antwoord – his future is left to chance. How will he adapt to humanity, or will he be a menace?

There were many areas in which Blomkamp could have used Chappie as a notion of corporate espionage, or nature vs nurture (some themes that come into play throughout the picture). But thanks in large part to the outstanding vocal work by Copley, he gives Chappie that vocal variety which makes him more relatable to us. There are moments of pure emotion that Chappie inflicted upon me, because (in order for this movie to work) you must look at Chappie as he is a child, learning with the world around him, and making new discoveries. That is easily the film’s greatest strength-watching Chappie be amazed as any kid would. The humanistic element can make any parent gawk in awe.

However, Chappie does switch between a gangster thug (stealing cars and hurdling ninja stars at police officers) to a broken down sympathetic mess. So at times, it’s hard to find balance in the notion if you like Chappie or not, maybe he is just misunderstood. Blomkamp has the right embracing idea with Chappie, a robot with a conscious, and for the most part it works. Grade: B