Chappie

Right now you can watch Chappie in Australia on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the UK on Sky Go and Now TV Cinema — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 8,535 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Sharlto Copley anchors it with a performance that grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Put it on tonight on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel and see for yourself.

There is a reason Chappie keeps coming up in conversation. The world-building is meticulous, but it is the characters who carry Chappie through its more ambitious moments. Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot. Sharlto Copley and Dev Patel lead a cast that makes the ambitious moments land. It was released in 2015. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, Chappie fits the bill. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch for Sharlto Copley in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.