How Did “Chappie” Achieve the Robot’s Effects? Is His Body Model an Effective Visual Design?
Chappie’s titular robot character moves and interacts with the world in an impressively organic, natural way. It’s a fully credible performance that truly looks like a giant robot character is wandering the streets of Johannesburg with the rest of the cast. This is thanks to Shalto Copley’s excellent physical acting and motion-capture work, which was then overlaid with CGI effects to create the character we see. It’s hard to deny that whatever one may feel about the film as a whole, it’s a visually grand experience, and Chappie is at the center of that distinction.
Whether or not the physical model of Chappie was successful, however, is a point of contention. He’s not extremely lifelike, with his LED eyes and motionless face. There isn’t a lot of humanity to get attached to. That would be fine in some films, but in a picture where the robot’s evolving sentience and breakneck rise from childhood to adulthood is the focus of the entire plot, it’s not in the film’s best interest that it’s hard to care for Chappie. His voice acting is excellent, and that helps, but his dialogue is mostly goofy gang slang and silly third-person repetition of what the other characters say, like an excited dog you’re wishing would calm down.
RogerEbert.com says “One of the biggest problems with the film is that Chappie himself is pretty much a tool, both literally and figuratively. The screen has seen any number of robot creations that has managed to demonstrate remarkably human characteristics—HAL 9000, WALL*E and Samantha from “Her” immediately leap to mind—but Chappie, despite the best efforts by Blomkamp to humanize him (such as slapping a “REJECT” sticker on its forehead), is almost stunningly unappealing.”
Hollywood Reporter agrees, adding “Chappie is a charmless and irritating bugger. The way he’s designed, with the barest semblance of a face, there’s no entry point to invite human feelings for him, and his often frantic speech patterns are off-putting. Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley not only voiced the character but performed the role on-set so the other actors could relate to him, his character’s actual look subsequently “painted” over the actor via CGI. The technique works flawlessly, but that doesn’t make the character lovable.”