Old School Kung Fu Fest – Dedicated to the Ninja – in NYC April 16-19

Old School Kung Fu Fest 2015 - Teaser Poster by Jerry Ma

Old School Teaser Poster designed by Jerry Ma (Epic Proportions)

The Old School Kung Fu Fest, a four-day celebration of the rarest, wildest, and most incredible martial arts and action cinema from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s is back at the Anthology Film Archives for its 5th edition, which is dedicated to the deadliest fighter of them all…the ninja!

Since the dawn of time, man’s natural predator has been the ninja. Hiding in your shower, crouching behind your laptop, clinging to your back — the ninja is everywhere. What killed the dinosaurs? Ninja. What battles great white shark? Ninja. Who is buying flowers for your mom? Probably ninja. But ninja is not vampire! Ninja can be filmed! This year’s Old School Kung Fu Fest examines this crazy natural phenomena of ninja with 14 movies that show you this sneaky fighter in the only place where he cannot shoot throwing stars into your eyes: on the movie screen!

Enter the Ninja 002There are serious black-and-white ninjas in the original ninja films Shinobi No Mono Parts 1 & 2 (1962 and 1963), super-noir ninjas in 1965’s Samurai Spy, party-colored crazy ninjas from the go-go 80s likeAmerican Ninja 1 & 2 and then be entered, revenged, and dominated by Cannon’s essential ninja trilogy: Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination. Watch brave Chinese people fight ninjas with their guts in Shaw Brothers movies like Five Element Ninjas! See ninjas fly on kites in Duel to the Death! You must see all the ninjas! Because to fight ninja, first you must understand ninja.

The Old School Kung Fu Fest 2015: Enter the Ninjas! is curated by Subway Cinema’s programming team, consisting of Samuel Jamier, Rufus de Rham, and Goran Topalovic.

Enter the Ninja 003We’re deeply grateful for the support of the Kenneth A. Cowin Foundation, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York, Mizu Shochu, and Mass Appeal.

Screening materials provided by the American Genre Film Archive, Animeigo, Celestial Pictures, Fortune Star, Kino Lorber, Park Circus, Shochiku, and Toei.

Raffle prizes provided by Blue Snake Books, IDW Publishing, and Well Go USA Entertainment.

Special thanks to Crystal Decker Orren, Jesse Falowitz , Dan Halstead,Devin Power-Bearden, and Keith Allison(Teleport City).

WARNING: do not be scared. Ninja are only in movie and cannot hurt you. They are not actually giant. Except in Duel to the Death.

THE FILMS!

American Ninja posterAMERICAN NINJA

(1985, USA, 95min, 35mm)

Directed by Sam Firstenberg

Starring: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, John Fujioka, Judie Aronson.

The greatest bar mitzvah movie ever made, American Ninja tells the tale of a young American boy who must embrace his people’s ancient traditions in order to become a man. Originally set to star Cannon Films’ martial arts megastar, Sho Kosugi, that plan bit the dust when Sho ditched the exploitation studio over creative differences. Next Cannon offered the part to Chuck Norris but he was busy, so the part of the white boy with amnesia who is actually a secret ninja went to model Michael Dudikoff. Shot in the Philippines by Cannon’s go-to director, Sam Firstenberg (Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III: The Domination), American Ninja delivers balls-out 80s action as it pits Dudikoff and his easygoing partner, stuntman-turned-actor Steve James, against the mysterious Black Star Ninja, his ninja training camp, and ninja lasers!

Showtimes: Sat, April 18 at 3:00pm.

AMERICAN NINJA 2: THE CONFRONTATION

(1987, USA, 90min, 35mm)

Directed by Sam Firstenberg

Starring: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Jeff Weston, Gary Conway, Michelle Botes.

Probably the most ridiculous 80s action movie ever made, AN2:TCdelivers an easy, breezy does of sheer gnarlitude as Dudikoff and Steve James team up once again, their pecs a-flexin’, to investigate trouble on a tropical island where ninjas are kidnapping US Marines. “Ninjas? Drug pushers? My men being kidnapped and murdered? This is really beginning to get on my tits!” shouts the base commander. Dressed in jams and Hawaiian shirts because the costume department was on vacation, the Marines are being turned into genetically-engineered super-ninjas by drug dealers! Is Dudukoff’s cool coif big enough, and are James’ tiny red shorts short enough, to defeat the Clone Super Ninja Army???

Showtimes: Sun, April 19 at 9:30pm.

DUEL TO THE DEATH生死決

(1983, Hong Kong, 83min, DCP, in Cantonese with English subtitles)

Directed by Ching Siu-tung

Starring: Norman Chu Siu-Keung, Damian Lau Chung-Yan

The first movie from Hong Kong’s great action director, Ching Siu-tung (Swordsman II, A Chinese Ghost Story I – III, House of Flying Daggers) this is a fever dream of freaky images ripped straight from his childhood. Once every 10 years, Japanese and Chinese fighters duel (to the death) to figure out who will rule the martial world. But this time, they detect something rotten. This time they detect…ninjas! The story is as old school as they come, but It’s the execution that changes everything. Ching spent his early years locked up in his bedroom reading Martial Arts World Magazine and imagining cool monsters and psychedelic fighting techniques, and after choreographing the action on dozens of films for other directors, this is the first time he finally got to put those fantasies onscreen. The result is a surreal phantasmagoria of flashing blades, teleporting demons, giant ninjas, ninjas on kites, exploding heads, and killer puppets.

Presented with the Hong Kong the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

Showtimes: Thu, April 16 at 8:30pm and Sat, April 18 at 1:00pm.

Enter the Ninja posterENTER THE NINJA

(1981, USA, 100min, 35mm)

Directed by Menahem Golan

Starring: Franco Nero, Susan George, Sho Kosugi, Christopher George.

This landmark Cannon Films production launched the ninja craze of the ‘80s and revitalized the martial arts film in America after it died in 1973 with Bruce Lee. When 20th Century Fox announced they were shooting a $20 million adaptation of best-selling novel, The Ninja, Cannon flipped out and bought their very own ninja script from martial artist Mike Stone and rushed this movie into production. Starring Frano Nero (the original Django) as a white ninja with a thick Maurizio Merli mustache, it’s shot in the Philippines where Nero helps an old buddy (and his old buddy’s hot girlfriend, Susan “Straw Dogs” George) take on evil real estate developer, Mr. Venarius (Christopher George). Only a ninja can defeat a ninja, so the bad guys hire Sho Kosugi, who got his start as an extra on this film before his martial arts abilities earned him the role of the evil ninja.

Showtimes: Thu, April 16 at 6:15pm.

FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS, aka CHINESE SUPER NINJAS五遁忍術

(1982, Hong Kong, 103 minutes, 35mm, in Mandarin with English subtitles)

Directed by Chang Cheh

Starring: Ricky Cheng Tien Chi, Lo Meng, Lung Tien-chiang

In the 80s, Shaw Brothers was losing audiences to TV, so it unleashed Chang Cheh (The One-Armed Swordsman, Five Deadly Venoms) to direct his most insane movie ever. A Chinese martial arts clan is fighting everyone and winning but then they fight ninjas. Ninjas who know Five Element Formation! So secret! So deadly! The only survivor learns that in order to beat ninja…he must become ninja! Ninja fights using Gold Powers, Wood Powers, Water Powers, Earth Powers, Fire Powers! Chinese martial artist fights using Hitting Ninjas in Face Power! Trees bleed. Crotches are stabbed. Guts are extracted. Every second of this movie is high-octane man-against-ninja action and it does not end until every inch of the screen is covered in dead ninja. Screening will be introduced by Dan Halsted, who will tell the story of how he unearthed a massive collection of extremely rare 35mm kung fu films in 2009, which included the print of Five Element Ninjas.

Presented with the Hong Kong the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

Showtimes: Sat, April 18 at 5:00pm.

A LIFE OF NINJA亡命忍者

(1983, Taiwan, 88 min, 35mm, in Mandarin with English subtitles)

Directed by Lee Tso-nam

Starring:Chen Kuan-tai, Elsa Yeung, Yasuaki Kurata, Peng Kong, World Wrestling Champion Wong Kin-mi

He creeps. He skulks. He stalks. He scurries. He strikes! Ninja – most deadly foe. Using ways most nefarious and killing arts mysterious ninja will kill and kill. And kill, and kill, and kill. Sometimes he kills wrapped in gold foil like a baked potato; sometimes he is a naked lady ninja to confuse foes before blowing them up! Life of ninja is easy, no?

No. Life of ninja is hard.

Ninja must learn dancing on ice cubes. Sometime ninja ladies must mud wrestle for no good reason. How do you make a ninja? Are no ninja babies. Must take normal person and beat. Beat until are ninja! A life of ninja is shown in beautiful motion picture A Life of Ninja. At heart of picture is family – they are Cheng family and have family business but no one is happy. Cheng is married to sister and is boss. Bad boss! One sister is boozer – drink lots of cognac. Ha ha! Other wants to be ninja, but can’t! So she wear the tight leather trousers and beat up men with wooden sword.

Then…ninja attack! Kill with icicle! Kill with poison! Police visit Chen Kuan-tai. He is ninja-pooper: he knows ninja, but poops their parties. Police ask for help, he been in many martial art movie (likeCrippled Avengers), he must help police. He says yes. Yes, I fight ninja. He fight the ninja?!? Ninja get furious. Use hypno-mind-control killers, flying snakes, tiny bombs, poison ink, swords and knives, even get World Wrestling Champion Wong Kin-mi to wear little red briefs and turn over cars. And stomp! And kill! Big fights!

Then Chen Kuan-tai fight the head ninja, Yasuaki Kurata, in secret ninja fort. They use flying knife, exploding statue, flying backward, invisibility, giant jumping, fighting Irish jig, secret ninja spazz dance, is very strange. There can be only one. Is exciting! You must see A Life of Ninja to believe A Life of Ninja!

Showtimes: Fri, April 17 at 10:15pm.

Ninja III posterNINJA III: THE DOMINATION

(1984, USA, 92min, 35mm)

Directed by Sam Firstenberg

Starring: Sho Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey, Jordan Bennett, James Hong.

Lucinda Dickey had an insane 1984. In one year she starred in three landmark Cannon productions that might be the most 80s movies ever made: Breakin’, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Ninja III: The Domination. Directed by Sam Firstenberg (Revenge of the Ninja,American Ninja), the movie stars Dickey as a telephone maintenance technician and part-time aerobics instructor who becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja assassin. Forced to carry out her tormentor’s brutal revenge, she soon finds that one of her main targets is her policeman boyfriend! Only one man – Sho Kosugi (a ninja!) – can exorcise the evil which possesses Lucinda and prevent the lovers from destroying each other. Full of dry ice, floating samurai swords, hot 80s neon, and aerobics classes, this film is topped off with an appearance by James Hong (Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China) as an exorcist, and Evel Knievel’s son, Robbie Knievel, who shows up to pull off some motorcycle stunts.

Showtimes: Sat, April 18 at 9:30pm.

Revenge of the Ninja posterREVENGE OF THE NINJA

(1983, USA, 90min, Digital projection)

Directed by Sam Firstenberg

Starring: Sho Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye.

Cannon followed the box office success of Enter the Ninja with Revenge of the Ninja, the first American movie to give an Asian actor sole star billing (even Bruce Lee had to share billing with his co-stars in Enter the Dragon). Sho Kosugi (a ninja!) returns home from an afternoon stroll to find his family massacred by evil ninjas. With his mother and infant son in tow he flees Japan for Los Angeles, vowing to forsake the ninja life forever. With the help of his friend and business partner, Keith Vitali (a karate legend who fought onscreen in several 80s Hong Kong movies), he opens an art gallery, specializing in fancy Japanese dolls. What Sho doesn’t know is that his friend is actually an evil ninja who wears a silver demon mask and is smuggling heroin into the country inside the dolls! Sho is just trying to raise his ninja son (played by his real-life son, Kane Kosugi), but now he has to deal with a grindhouse full of dead bodies, fountains of blood, cheap 80s sex scenes, mafia stereotypes, and dueling ninjas!

Showtimes: Fri, April 17 at 6:00pm.

SAMURAI SPY 異聞猿飛佐助

(1965, Japan, 100min, 35mm, in Japanese with live English subtitles)

Directed by Masahiro Shinoda

Starring: Koji Takahashi, Shintaro Ishihara, Eitaro Ozawa, Kei Sato, Mutsuhiro Toura, Tetsuro Tanba, Eiji Okada

Unconventional in its mise-en-scène, photography and score, unrelenting in its dark philosophical view of war and its consequences, unparalleled in its artistic ambition, Samurai Spy is an existentialist super-noir ninja masterpiece by Masahiro Shinoda (Pale Flower, Double Suicide), which towers over the shinobi genre, and possibly the entire jidai-geki category as a whole. As the days of the Warring States come to a close and the Tokugawa shogunate consolidates its power, wandering samurai (and secretly, a Koga ninja) Sasuke Sarutobi, war-weary, tries very hard to stay clear of the bloody business of the remaining factions. The sudden defection of a high-profile spy from the service of the shogun, puts an end to his aimless wanderings. Inevitably, Sasuke is sucked into a maze of conspiracies and shadow-play. The plot thickens when both the defector and the former wanderer find out they are tracked by a third man: a shadowy white-hooded master assassin (Tetsuro Tamba).

Showtimes: Fri, April 17 at 8:00pm.

SEVENTEEN NINJA

(1963, Japan, 98min, 35mm, in Japanese with live English subtitles)

Directed by Yasuto Hasegawa

Cast: Kotaro Satomi, Jushiro Konoe, Yuriko Mishima, Ryutaro Otomo.

Toei’s star-studded response to Daiei’s hugely successful 1960s franchise, Shinobi No Mono, this nocturnal, cynical game of chess between two master manipulators is an amazing and underseen ninja movie that we’re presenting with live subtitles since no English-subtitled version exists. As the ruling Shogun lies on his death futon, seventeen Iga clan ninja are trusted by theirmaster with an impossible mission: to infiltrate the impregnable fortress where his youngest son plans to take both Edo Castle and the supreme power by force. They have two options: to steal the scroll that will grant legitimacy to the usurper’s claim, or to assassinate him. Before they can even reach the stronghold, a vicious ninja hunter thwarts their every move. As the Iga ninja fall, the success of the mission falls in the hands of one young and inexperienced ninja.

Note: Seventeen Ninja is a super hardcore rarity that very, very few human beings have watched!

Showtimes: Sun, April 19 at 1:00pm.   

SHINOBI NO MONO, aka A BAND OF ASSASSINS 忍びの者

(1962, Japan, 105min, Digital projection, in Japanese with English subtitles)

Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto

Starring: Raizo Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Yunosuke Ito.

A monster of a movie, worthy of all the superlatives it has earned,Shinobi no Mono was conceived by the fevered minds of far-left director Satsuo Yamamoto and nihilistic pulp novelist Tomoyoshi Murayama, and if you’re devious enough, it can be read as a socialist allegory. Incidentally, it’s quite possibly the ultimate real ninja film. Fate and the invisible hands of evil spymasters ensnare Goemon Ichikawa (superstar Raizo Ichikawa), a dashing but naive young man exceedingly skilled in the arcane ninja arts, in the tangles of a dark plot to assassinate warlord Nobunaga Oda, a cat-loving, power-hungry samurai. Soon, Goemon finds himself outlawed, betrayed and embroiled in labyrinthine political machinations. Produced with the help of the last living ninja master, Masaaki Hatsumi, Shinobi no Mono features authentic, realistic ninja action packs into a transcendental template. Eight sequels would ensue, and many, many imitations.

Showtimes: Sun, April 19 at 5:15pm.

SHINOBI NO MONO 2: VENGEANCE 続・忍びの者

(1963, Japan, 93min, Digital projection, in Japanese with English subtitles)

Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto

Starring: Raizo Ichikawa, Shiho Fujimura, Tomisaburo Wakayama.

Surpassing its predecessor in the same way The Godfather II is seen by some as superior to the first, the second installment of the Shinobi No Mono series outdoes its precursor at its own game: deeper, darker, and crueller in all aspects. The sole survivor of his Iga fortress village, Goemon Ishikawa aspires only to live the boring life of a family guy. Overlord Nobunaga Oda and fate have other plans for the retired ninja. Not one to leave out any details, the warlord goes a on nation-wide rampage to root out any ninja who might have survived. Bloody mass murder ensues. And soon, vengeance is the only thing that matters to Goemon. The desperate ninja finds unlikely allies in the Saiga clan and spymaster Hattori Hanzo. With nothing left to lose, he weaves a web of deceit and double-crosses to bring bring down Nobunaga.

Showtimes: Sun, April 19 at 7:30pm.

SUPER SPECIAL SECRET SCREENING! – An Old School Kung Fu Fest Tradition.

We can’t tell you the title of this Japanese 1970s cult classic that was first distributed by Roger Corman to the grindhouse theaters in the U.S., but trust us: you want to see it on the big screen, on 35mm, with an audience! Before the show, we’re going to be giving away tons of fun ninja-themed prizes, and make announcements about the lineup and guests for this year’s New York Asian Film Festival (June 26-July 11 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and SVA Theater), so what more could you possible ask for!?

Showtimes: Sat, April 18 at 7:20pm.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

(1990, USA/Hong Kong, 93min, 35mm)

Directed by Steve Barron

Starring: Judith Hoag, Corey Feldman, Elias Koteas, Sam Rockwell

For years Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael have lived deep in the sewers of New York, learning the art of ninjitsu from their mentor, Splinter… ok, we all know the story by now about our favorite pizza-eating humanoid turtles, but the best way to forget about Michael Bay’s lazy and tedious franchise reboot is to come appreciate the first, and still the best, version. Produced by Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios (home of Jackie Chan), with the Turtles lovingly brought to life by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, edited by Sally Menke (the editor of every single Quentin Tarantino movie before her untimely death in 2010), and with a theme song by MC Hammer, it’s lean, green, and on the big screen – a CGI-free dose of ninja turtle power!

Showtimes: Sun, April 19 at 3:15pm.

Revenge of the Ninja 001THE SCHEDULE!

Thursday, April 16

6:15pm – ENTER THE NINJA

8:30pm – DUEL TO THE DEATH

Friday, April 17

6:00pm – REVENGE OF THE NINJA

8:00pm – SAMURAI SPY

10:15pm – A LIFE OF NINJA

Saturday, April 18

1:00pm – DUEL TO THE DEATH

3:00pm – AMERICAN NINJA

5:00pm – FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS

7:20pm – Super Special Secret Screening!!!

9:30pm – NINJA III: THE DOMINATION

Sunday, April 19

1:00pm – SEVENTEEN NINJA

3:15pm – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

5:15pm – SHINOBI NO MONO

7:30pm – SHINOBI NO MONO 2: VENGEANCE

9:30pm – AMERICAN NINJA 2: THE CONFRONTATION

Revenge of the Ninja 002VENUE AND ADMISSION!

Screenings and exhibitions will be held at Anthology Film Archives

(located at 32 Second Avenue, at the corner of 2 Avenue and 2 Street).

www.anthologyfilmarchives.org

$10 general admission, $8 students, seniors, and children (12 & under), $6 Anthology Film Archives members. Tickets are available at Anthology’s box office on the day of the show. The box office opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day.

ABOUT THE OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST

Old School Kung Fu Fest (OSKFF) is an annual celebration of classic kung-fu films, bringing back to the big screen the rarest, wildest, and most incredible martial arts, action, and other genre cinema from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Rising from the ashes of Subway Cinema’s original Old School Kung Fu Fest screenings of early 2000’s, the new incarnation was relaunched in 2013 as a Spring festival at Anthology Film Archives. Twitter: @subwaycinema (#oldschool15).

ABOUT SUBWAY CINEMA

Subway Cinema is America’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular film culture in all forms, building bridges between Asia and the West. With year-round festivals and programs, the organization aims to bring wide audience and critical attention to contemporary and classic Asian cinema in the U.S. In 2002, Subway Cinema launched its flagship event, the annual New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which is North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema. Since 2010, NYAFF has been produced in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The 14 NYAFF will take place June 26 – July 11, 2015. Subway cinema’s other events and initiatives include Old School Kung Fu Fest (OSKFF), New York Korean Film Festival (NYKFF), Asian Film Preservation Fund (AFPF), and year-round special screenings and filmmaker tributes.

For more information, visit www.subwaycinema.com,www.facebook.com/NYAFF and follow @subwaycinema on Twitter.

ABOUT ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

Founded in 1969, Anthology’s mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-garde cinema. Anthology screens more than 1,000 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 900 films to date.

Directions:

Anthology is at 32 Second Ave. at 2nd St. Subway: F to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker.

Web:http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org

Twitter:http://twitter.com/anthologyfilm

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/AnthologyFilm

For news and updates:

www.subwaycinema.com/oldschool15

www.facebook.com/NYAFF

twitter: @subwaycinema (#oldschool15)

P.S. Sho Kosugi is meditating in a mist-filled temple built deep within an active volcano until mankind needs him once again.

Michael’s Review: ‘Chappie’- This Robot Story Doesn’t Compute

Chappie

South African-born filmmaker Neill Blomkamp returns for his third science fiction film in the last 6 years, Chappie, a film about a a robot who becomes the first of his kind with the ability to think and feel for himself. Like all of Blomkamp’s films, class warfare takes center stage as an underdog must rise up to fight against the high tech authoritative establishment. While with good intentions and a strong cast to support the story, Chappie is a film that starts off with a huge amount of potential, but ultimately succumbs to it’s shortcomings. A film caught in an identity crisis somewhere between Short Circuit and Robocop.

1251623 - Chappie

The year is 2016, and Johannesburg’s crime has reached an apocalyptic level. The police have enlisted the help of robotics company Tetravaal and their latest creation, a robotic police forces, to help decrease the need for police activity across the city. A young scientist, Deon (Dev Patel), the chief engineer behind the creation of these robots, has his sights set on the next level of his creation, a machine with the ability to think and feel on its own. Company CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver) doesn’t share Deon’s enthusiasm about the next evolution of their prized technology and denies Deon’s request for more research. Former soldier and current Tetravaal engineer, Vincent (Hugh Jackman), has also created his own police robot, the “Moose”, a robot which looks eerily similar to the ED-209 from the 1987 Robocop film. Seeing Deon’s creation as a threat, Vincent aims to make the young scientists A.I appear inferior to his creation at all costs. 

1251623 - Chappie

Deon decides to continue his research, without consent, and steals a decommissioned robot for further evaluation. Local criminals Ninja and Yo-Landi (played by Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser of the South African rap group Die Antwoord), along with Yankie (Jose Pablo Cantillo), manage to kidnap Deon in order to steal his access to control the robots. After realizing that Deon is in possession of a robot, the trio demand that he program the machine to do their bidding. Seeing this as an opportunity to test out his new self learning program, Deon agrees and Chappie is born. Deon, excited about the possibilities, demands to continue his work on the newly born robot but Ninja has other ideas and schemes to use the robot to pull off a major heist.

1251623 - Chappie

As Chappie begins to learn, he is presented with two very different teachers in Deon and Ninja. One is educated scientist with aspirations of turning Chappie into a shining representation of what A.I could evolve in to, and one is a street raised, gangster thug with goals of wealth and power. But it is the caring voice of Yo-Landi that mesmerizes Chappie. The young woman becomes a surrogate mother to the robot and tries to help him learn and understand what it’s like to be loved, but Ninja’s influence becomes dominant and Chappie must chose between what’s right and what’s wrong. Convinced that Deon is up to something, Vincent sets out to find the answers. When he finds out what Deon has created, he sets out on a path to destroy the legacy of the young scientist and expose Chappie as a threat to society.

1251623 - Chappie

Blomkamp has created a thought-provoking, yet entertaining, action film with effective visuals that has all the makings of a blockbuster success if it weren’t for it’s shortcomings. The story starts strong, but loses it’s charm somewhere around the halfway mark of the film. The transformation of Chappie from newborn robot to confused Robothug is, at times, cringeworthy. The vocal work of Blomkamp veteran Sharlto Copley loses it’s appeal after a while and the portrayal of the titular character becomes little more than a Ali-G type portrayal of a young street kid. Hugh Jackman is equally as ineffective as the films antagonist. There are glimpses in the film that the character of Vincent might offer some juicy confrontations, but the chemistry between Jackman and costar Dev Patel is nonexistent. Patel plays a similar character to his “Neil” on HBO’s Newsroom and never seems to find a way to flush out his character. The interaction between Patel and Copley’s Chappie is close to what you expect from a creator to his creation, but the two are left with few opportunities in first half of the film to gain any momentum. 

1251623 - Chappie

Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser are actually serviceable as street hardened versions of their real life selves. The caring nature from which Visser creates her character is a nice touch while Ninja depicts a loathsome, street thug with precision. Jose Pablo Cantillo has a few chances to achieve a noteworthy performance but ultimately the actor is merely there to support Ninja and Visser. The biggest let down for me is the under use of Sigourney Weaver, whose character was prime for a super villain type reveal, but Blomkamp opts for a more sterile type of performance.

Overall, Chappie will not win many audiences over this weekend and will surely disappoint fans of Blomkamp’s District 9. While not as disappointing as Elysium, this film will leave you wanting so much more from a director who has proven he has so much to give.

Stars:

2 1/2 out of 5

 

Trailer: