Chappie

Chappie is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp and written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. It stars Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Ninja, Yolandi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo, and Sigourney Weaver. The film, set and shot in Johannesburg, is about an artificial general intelligence law enforcement robot captured and taught by gangsters, who nickname it Chappie.

Back to Blomkamp and his vision of South Africa. We discuss the appearance of rap artists, characterisation of CGI robots and the odd mix of documentary and narrative styles that Neill is known for. On the science front we discuss transhumanism and the quest we have for being better than ourselves.