Gangsta robot in da 'hood

IF you put RoboCop (the 1987 original and its 2014 remake) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) into a blender, the result might be something like CHAPPiE, a movie in which a decommissioned robot police officer is brought back to life with the ability to learn, think and love.

And given that the film is directed by South Africa-born Neill Blomkamp, it's only mildly perplexing that the narrative also calls for the robotic "newborn" to be raised by criminal gangsta rappers.

That last plot point might seem like a bridge too far for most filmmakers but Blomkamp, who wrote the screenplay together with Terri Tatchell, is well versed in creating odd sci-fi scenarios, as demonstrated in his debut feature District 9, where belligerent prawn-like extraterrestrials wrought …