Chappie (Neill Blomkamp) -2015

After seeing this movie, I think I will cancel my vacation plans to South Africa.  Apparently, by next year they will have a robotic police force designed by Dev Patel and Hugh Jackman with a mullet.  Director Blomkamp borrows from Tarzan,  Frankenstein and Robocop to create a story where drug dealers and bank robbers are anti-heroes.  Patel has just launched his successful robocops but he is already working on an artificial-intelligence version of the robots that will be able to paint and write poetry.  Unfortunately, the prototype (Chappie) is kidnapped by the rap-rave group, Die Antwoord starring Yolandi and Ninja.  Raised by these urban wolves, Chappie learns the street language and various ways to steal the property of others.  The movie devolves into non-stop violence when Jackman reprograms the police force and unleashes the really big robot against Chappie, Patel, Die Antwoord and the criminals who are even worse than Ninja.  The result is an extremely violent barrage of bullets and maiming.  Although the ending is quite predictable, the director did leave room for a sequel and more of the same.  [JAM 3/8/2015]