Photos: ‘Chappie’ explores what happens when a machine learns to think and feel
Robo cops
The police force of the (not so distant) future is a fleet of droids, originally created by Deon Wilson (Dev Patel).
Image: Columbia Pictures
Building robots
Wilson at work in front of a police robot.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Human after all
Wilson reprograms one of the police robots in secret and gives him the ability to think and feel.
Image: Columbia Pictures
You are Chappie
Wilson and crew name him Chappie (voiced by Sharlto Copley) and start teaching him as if he were a child.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Reading robot
Chappie receives his first book from Wilson.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Putting the "art" in artificial intelligence
At one point, Wilson tells Chappie he can write a poem and have original thoughts. Chappie paints a picture of a car with the the technique of a printer.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Meet the antagonist
Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman) and his mullet disapprove of the idea of intelligent robots, and worry they could pose a major threat to humanity.
Image: Columbia Pictures
Search and destroy
Mayhem ensues as the powers that be try to find and destroy Chappie.
Image: Columbia Pictures
A robot and his dog
Of course, Wilson argues that Chappie is a special being, worthy of existence.
As a global nomad with experience living and raising children in China, the USA and Europe, Erin Carson loves to share her knowledge of both literature and travel through her writing. Carson has a master's degree in library science and a…