It's safe to say Neill Blomkamp's District 9 (2009) became an instant modern sci-fi classic, which explains why both moviegoers and Hollywood studios had massive expectations for the filmmaker's follow-up flicks: Elysium (2013) and Chappie (2015). Neither reached the same heights and remain divisive to this day, but we think the latter is worth a quick rewatch a decade later.
Most can agree that Blomkamp has a knack for delivering grounded and tangible sci-fi worlds on reasonable production budgets. It's been the key to his long-term success, despite recent failure to enchant critics, and it's why he's been able to land a big-screen Starship Troopers reboot. Sadly, the filmmaker's post-District 9 output signals recurring struggles with the scripts. None of his movies are short on high-concept ideas and striking visual elements, but for all his concerns about humanity and how we'd adapt to world-shaking changes, the end results can feel, ironically, a tad too artificial.
