A robot with artificial intelligence doing gangstar shit while listening to Die Antwoord. What is not to like?
This has the basic plot setup for an action sci-fi movie, so there are not real surprises along the way. You know what is going to happen, which comforts you and lets you sit back and enjoy the ride.
Now as two of the main characters are the two people representing the musical group/wonder/phenomenon called Die Antwoord, I could not help to wonder how much of their very original style and music would be included. The answer (pun intended!) is A LOT. Their entire… living space(?)... is decorated in the classic Die Antwoord style, and music is brilliantly included into the movie in several ways. As goes for the characters both Ninja and ¥o-Landi Vi$$er are actually playing a (slightly) more gangster edition of themselves, using the same names even.
The take on artificial intelligence where a programmer creates the perfect AI and implements it in a robot is nothing new, but the exciting (and also a bit lame at times) thing here is how the machine's intelligence evolves. In my opinion it is not handled all that well here, but it is still quite interesting to start thinking about. How would a self aware machine start learning and how much would the surrounding environment and persons shape the personality of the machine? The second part regarding replicating that personality is equally interesting, but also not handled that well in this movie. However both topics really starts you thinking about the potential and resulting consequences of artificial intelligence.
The implementation of Hugh Jackman as the hardcore aussie ex-soldier turning into the evil culprit is great entertainment. The final showdown is obviously over the top, which is fitting for the genre.
If you like (or love) Die Antwoord, like I do, this movie is really recommendable. It is a simple action/sci-fi movie but with a really good integration of a musical group with a very peculiar personality and style. If you just like regular action and sci-fi with a take on robots and artificial intelligence, this could still be something for you. If you dislike Die Antwoord, you might want to steer clear of this movie.
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