Chappie all talk, not much soul

Loud words, big explosions, and over-the-top characters make for entertaining action movies but not intellectual ones. Balancing action and philosophy in a big-budget project has to be subtle. Spelling things out for mass audiences is sometimes necessary, but it usually alienates everybody else. Recent release “Chappie” is a perfect example.

In near future South Africa, robotic police droids have replaced human forces. When one of these Scouts, nicknamed Chappie, is stolen by small-time gangsters and given new AI programming, he becomes the first of his kind to think and feel. These new emotions effectively turn Chappie into a mechanized baby with supercomputer brains — something his captors exploit for their own heists.

Director Neill Blomkamp first made a name for himself with the 2009 sci-fi thriller “District 9,” which reinforced thinly veiled critiques of apartheid with top-notch visual panache. He followed with “Elysium” in 2013, initially rumored as a “Halo” adaptation that instead became another in-your-face examination of class warfare against the backdrop of sci-fi action. Two years later, “Chappie” has followed the trend.

The problem with this film has nothing to do with its action sequences, which, barring a few ripped-apart bodies toward the end, are pretty good. Nor is there an issue with story logic: the plot, more or less, makes sense. Instead, the problem is one of symbolism. The film tries too hard to convey a message.

That doesn’t mean the message isn’t a good one.

Chappie goes from burgeoning painter to ninja star-throwing thief, suggesting that perhaps we, as human beings, actually are predisposed to peace and tranquility. It’s only brutal outside forces that turn us evil.

Even the idea of what makes us human is called into question in “Chappie.” Is it the mind? The body? Or some combination of both?

To be clear, having lofty ideals is not a death knell for a film. (Many of the best ones carry profoundly deep messages.) But you should never sacrifice story for the sake of meaning. Too much of “Chappie’s” dialogue seems tailor-made for metaphor, taking for granted that the audience might actually be smart. Everything eventually becomes so watered down you can’t help but cringe throughout the final act.

It’s a disappointing showing from the same director who once made “District 9.” That’s not to say Blomkamp didn’t skimp on the overt symbolism back then. It was just easier to forgive the shoot-‘em-up story because the rest of the film was so unique.

But we’ve seen the nugget at the heart of “Chappie” before.

Will Smith’s “I, Robot” is obvious, although Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is perhaps closer to the mark. Even Oscar-winner “Her” made indie splashes last year with its treatment of consciousness, and the upcoming “Avengers” film seems to be about a sentient robot who goes nuts.

My point is that “Chappie” is hardly a groundbreaking film. So if you’re going to tell this kind of story, you can’t preach. Unfortunately, Blomkamp’s project finds itself stuck to the pulpit. The performances are serviceable. The action is cool. But it’s not an altogether memorable run, and for however entertaining the two hours might be, “Chappie” fades from consciousness pretty quickly after that.