Chappie (2015)

Director Neill Blomkamp follows up his hugely successful film District 9 with this film about what it truly means to be human.

Set once again in Johannesburg, South Africa, we see a future that is perhaps not too distant, where rising crime has prompted a necessary change to the way policing is done in the city.

Tech company Tetravaal, headed by CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver), have developed robots to join the police force in fighting crime. The robots have far superior intelligence, follow standard procedure without fail, and cannot be injured in the line of duty.

These robots, designed by developer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), do however occasionally require repairs, especially when they are shot at, and naturally run on batteries whose charge lasts about a week at a time.

There is only one person who doesn't like these new robots (apart of course from the criminal gangs throughout Johannesburg), and that is fellow Tetravaal employee Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman).

You see, he had his own pet project he was working on before Deon came along and ruined it for him with his intelligent robots. Vincent - having been ex-military - had spear-headed a program known as 'Moose', whereby a human controller by means of a neural transmitter helmet could control an enormous killing machine from a suitably safe distance away from any dangers.

Deon, inspired by the response he gets from the local police at the success of his robots and the AI embedded in them, has been working on another AI in his own time. He hopes to create a robot that is actually self-aware, a robot that has true consciousness, and can learn, and express itself artistically or any other way it should choose to of its own accord.

One day, when a robot comes in for repairs, he seizes his opportunity. The robot in question has been shot at too many times, and is scheduled for demolition. There are far too many damages to it to allow it to serve in active duty any longer: its battery has fused into the mainframe and cannot be removed to be charged, so it only has a week left of life in any case.

But it is just the 'shell' Deon needs to test his AI in a real machine. So he takes it home (completely against company procedure, of course) and installs his own new software inside it.

Meanwhile, a local group of relatively low-level criminals, Ninja and Yo-Landi (played by real life hip hop artists Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser) and their partner, Amerika (Jose Pablo Cantillo) need a way to make a lot of money in a very short time. They are in debt to a crime boss, and have only a week to pay.

In a fit of total stupidity, they kidnap Deon (along with his police droid that is no longer a police droid but still looks like a police droid) and force the two of them to go along with their plan (I will leave the details of said plan for you to discover for yourself).

As the robot, who is christened Chappie (and played with incredible skill by Sharlto Copley), becomes more and more aware of himself and his surroundings, he 'grows' in his mental and physical capabilities, just as a human does from childhood into adolescence and then into adulthood.

The most wonderful thing about this film is the insights it provides into what it means to be truly human, to be truly self-aware and conscious. There are so many wonderful messages in this film, and so many things to think about and discuss with other viewers, and to even ponder over oneself.

The script - by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell - is absolutely amazing. I have a suspicion there may be large sections of the film where the cast are improvising their lines and actions somewhat, as this is certainly what was done in District 9 - but there is still a very real sense of an overarching 'control' (for want of a better term) from the writers, as they preside over the story they ultimately want to tell, regardless of the individual minute details of the story and individual moments.

The music consists of two separate elements: the original score, composed by Hans Zimmer; and a bunch of original tracks, written and performed by Ninja and Yo-Landi, who also play Chappie's surrogate 'parents'. Both of these separate elements are handled exceptionally well. It should come as no surprise to any student of scoring for film that Hans Zimmer's abilities are incredible, and he is truly in his element with this film; the score is fantastic. And the original songs (and there are several) are also very good, adding so much detail to the feel and tone of the film.

The cast are all fantastic in their roles, in particular Hugh Jackman and Sharlto Copley. Copley, though never visible on screen as 'himself', breathes so much life and such a nuanced performance into Chappie, it will bring tears to your eyes (well, it did to mine, anyway).

This is such a great film, and I never tire of watching it.

8 out of 10.

Les Miserables (2012)

Based on the hit stage musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer), which in turn was based on the novel by Victor Hugo, this film is a true visual spectacle that is guaranteed to not only warm your heart, but break it as well.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) has served 19 years of hard labour in France. By 1815 his sentence is up, and police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) hands him his parole papers, warning him that if he refuses to abide by the terms of his parole, he will find himself arrested again.

But Valjean has dreams of a better life. Eight years later, he has assumed a new identity, and has become Mayor of Monteuil, and is in charge of a local factory.

One of the girls who works in the factory, Fantine (Anne Hathaway), is sending as much money as she can to an innkeeper (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his wife (Helena Bonham Carter), who are caring for her young daughter Cosette. But when she loses her job, and is forced to live on the streets, making whatever money she can in whatever way she can (and it isn’t pretty), things go from bad to worse.

If that wasn’t enough, Javert is certain he recognises Valjean, and threatens to bring his whole facade crashing down.

The timeline advances yet again, and we find ourselves at the beginnings of revolution in Paris, involving many young men (and women), including young Marius (Eddie Redmayne), who has his eyes on now-grown Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). But any revolution doesn’t come without sacrifice, and a great deal of loss.

I really don’t want to say any more about the plot. Sure, the musical has been around for some time now (and of course the novel for even longer!) and the film isn’t exactly a new release, but still, if you haven’t seen it yet, I don’t want to spoil anything for you; you really need to experience it for yourself without knowing everything about it beforehand.

Of course, as with any musical film review, I need to talk about the music first of all. All I can say is that it is absolutely fantastic. The entire musical (and it is almost entirely through-sung, with only a few portions of spoken dialogue) is fabulous. Many of the songs serve primarily to advance the plot (as with recitative sections of an opera) but even these songs are cleverly written, with sensational music, and cleverly written lyrics with brilliant rhyme schemes throughout.

When it came to making this film, the filmmakers tried something very different. Rather than pre-recording the songs, and having the actors mime to a playback track on set (as virtually every other film musical has ever been done before), the actors sang live on set, accompanied in an earpiece by a rehearsal pianist. The entire score was then reorchestrated and recorded to fit to the timings of the cast’s performances, which allowed for much greater expression and nuance from the performers.

And this difference has a very clear effect on the performances. You will know what I am talking about when you see Hugh Jackman’s inner wrestling with himself going on as he sings ‘Who am I’, or when you are brought to tears along with Anne Hathaway as she sobs her way through ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ with a rawness that could never have been achieved if they had been miming to a pre-recorded track.

Eve Stewart’s production design, and Paco Delgado’s magnificent costumes, absolutely make this film, and the locations and characters, come alive. There is a real grittiness to the environment, and a bleakness to the landscape that allows the viewer to feel as though they are right there in the middle of everything that is going on.

The cinematography, by Danny Cohen, is absolutely stunning; the scope of this massive production is captured so beautifully on screen. There are many interesting contrasts between light and dark throughout the entire piece, and these are all done with such skill as to make it look effortless (and, believe me, it isn’t effortless).

Director Tom Hooper has made an incredible film here, that captures the stunning stage musical on which it is based, but also stands on its own as a film. If you haven’t seen it yet, seriously, you need to see it. I can never see this film too many times.

10 out of 10.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

A slightly fictionalised account of the life of circus pioneer P. T. Barnum, with songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (creators of the Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen), this film will delight audiences young and old. 

It certainly delighted me; I saw this 3 times in the cinema, and have rewatched it several times on Blu-ray now as well. 

P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and his wife (Michelle Williams) are trying to give their daughters (Austyn Johnson and Cameron Seely) a better life than what he had growing up. To that end, Barnum opens a show featuring so-called 'freaks', attractions he believes will draw the paying crowds, anxious to catch a glimpse of things they wouldn't otherwise experience. 

He enlists the assistance of playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) as an additional backer, and puts on his show to audiences nightly. 

It isn't long before the draw of the crowds and the possibility of even more exciting shows and performers sees Barnum neglecting his family in order to pursue his dreams, despite the fact it is for his family's sake he is pursuing them in the first place. 

I will leave the rest of the plot for you to discover for yourself; it really is something to behold. 

The songs in this film are incredible; Pasek and Paul have such an incredible ability to write songs that will stay with you long after the credits roll, both lyrically and musically. Knowing a bit about composition as I do, I can say they are fans of interesting and unique intervallic leaps. 

However, by the end of the film, we have heard some of the tunes reprised several times, and some of the lyrics sung through a few too many repeats. I don't think it's particularly noticeable necessarily, because there are plenty of other things taking your attention. 

For one, the choreography (by Shannon Holtzapffel) is genius, and the cinematography (Seamus McGarvey) is also fabulous. The film overall is such an amazing visual and musical spectacle, and these two departments help to cover a 'multitude of sins' as the phrase goes. 

Look out too for a marvellous performance by Zendaya as Carlyle's love interest, in a time when interracial relationships were severely frowned upon. Her acrobatic and vocal ability, as well as her acting talents, are truly a wonder to behold. 

All the young cast in this film are fabulous as well, and can truly hold their own beside the momentous abilities of the many leads. 

I realise there has been a fair amount of criticism regarding some of the glossing over of some of Barnum's more negative history, but really, that's not what this film is all about, and of course there are people who will complain about anything just to have something to complain about. 

All things considered, I thought this film was wonderful, and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the escapism of a good musical. 

9 out of 10.