Cringe-worthy Copely with some cool CGI

Rating: 3/10 (1 September 2013)

Some seriously cool sci-fi CGI - especially the ammunition and armaments used. But then there is the South African element. No. Just NO!
As a South African, Copely's characterisation would have over-the-top if this had have been a spoof of a bad 1970s "Boetie gaan border toe" style film. (A reference to the young white South African men who had to do two years military service in the SA bush war).
But in this context it is taken even beyond a spoof into outright cringe-worthiness. Quite bluntly I was embarrassed to even watch this movie when seeing Copely's character.
Then I realised it was by the same director as District 9.... When this was done in District 9 (to a lesser degree) it worked because in District 9 this type of heavy handed over play worked because the whole of District 9 was a send-up of all of the things about our history and culture that we should think about and our laughter was tinged with guilt.
But there is not much that is funny about this movie and the director has embarrassed South Africawith a junk characterisation that one wouldn't even come across in this day and age - never mind in the 150 year's time. (Not because we don't have our home grown psychopaths - but because they certainly don't talk like that and anyone behaving like that even now would be locked up in the loony-bin!) It's just plain ridiculous.
As for the storyline, character extension and plot progression.... Just really, really bad. The whole movie was propped up by good acting by Damon and Foster, and some stunning chase sequences.
I just don't think I'll be watching another Neill Blomkamp special.