Slideout

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
ScreenJolt Logo

ScreenJolt

All the latest Movie News and Reviews.

Show Search
Hide Search
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Videos

Neill Blomkamp Slams Call Of Duty 3: Black Ops

Sci-fi director Neill Blomkamp is not a happy Chappie.

April 27, 2015 by Ryan Leston

Chappie Neill Blomkamp

Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie may have inspired the latest Call of Duty game… but the South-African director is far from happy about it.

Appearing on Twitter, the 35-year-old filmmaker was rather vocal after the release of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 teaser trailer… and he’s not too happy about how some of their 3D models look.

“Haha, do you guys want the actual 3d meshes too?” he sarcastically asked. “Maybe we should hand over the alien ones now, so you can get a head start. @CallofDuty”

Galaxy Quest TV Series In The Works

Of course, it doesn’t take a professor of robotics to work out exactly what’s wrong here – the robotic enemies in the game’s trailer look rather similar to his own robotic creation, Chappie.

Sponsored Ad

Chappie Call of Duty Comparison

Obviously, the similarities are instantly apparent… especially when you stack them up side-by-side.

And clearly Blomkamp is not a happy chappie.

But does he really have a leg to stand on?

During an interview with Anime News Network, the director admitted that his original designs took inspiration from the anime series, Appleseed.

“Masamune Shirow, he has one robot called Briareos that has these rabbit ears,” he said. “I just love that as a design feature, so I put that robot in the short. When I made Chappie, I was like, ‘Obviously, the robot will be based on that robot, and the fictional company that made that robot will make the fictional robots in the full feature film’.”

Appleseed Alpha

And it’s not just the design that’s similar…

Created in 1985 by Masamune Shirow, Appleseed is a gritty, cyberpunk anime and manga series which features an urban law enforcement team consisting of Deunan Knute and her bio-android partner, Briareos Hecatonchires.

Not exactly a huge leap away from Chappie’s origin as a police robot.

And let’s not forget that the recent sci-fi action flick has been compared to the likes of Short Circuit and Robocop due to its obvious ‘80s connections. To put it simply, Chappie is the kind of film which draws inspiration from all over the place. At what point do you start to see ‘inspiration’ become something else entirely? That seems to be something Neill Blomkamp is wrestling with…

So perhaps filmmakers in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

New X-Files Series Sees Walter Skinner Return

Of course, that’s not to say that Blomkamp hasn’t got a point.

The robots in the Call of Duty trailer certainly bear a resemblance to his robotic protagonist… even if they aren’t quite 100% the same.

But how they fit into the overall story of Black Ops 3 remains to be seen.

Sponsored Ad

Either way, it seems that Neill Blomkamp is taking it on the chin for now. But should any of those robotic enemies gain consciousness, perhaps that would be another story.

**Update: Neill Blomkamp has seemingly responded to our article with the following:

for the record…I'm not "slamming" @CallofDuty , its playful internet geekery. stop making everything a huge feud. all for fun

— Neill Blomkamp (@NeillBlomkamp) April 27, 2015

What do you think of Neill Blomkamp’s reaction? Do the Call of Duty robots really look anything like Chappie? Let us know what you think in the comments below…

Related Categories

Movie News Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Chappie, Neill Blomkamp, Sci-Fi

About Ryan Leston

Ryan Leston is the Founder and Editor of Screen Jolt. He's a big movie nerd from Cardiff who loves all things Star Wars. His favourite Star Wars film is The Empire Strikes Back and he still wants to be Han Solo when he grows up.

View all posts by Ryan Leston

Primary Sidebar

New Releases

Movie Reviews

They Cloned Tyrone

4 Stars

Malcolm & Marie

5 Stars

Wonder Woman 84

4 Stars

Soul

4 Stars

The Midnight Sky

5 Stars

Songbird

2 Stars

Mank

5 Stars

The Trial of the Chicago 7

5 Stars
Read More Reviews...

Featured

Barbie. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Barbie earns $1 billion at the worldwide box office

Willrow Hood in The Empire Strikes Back. Credit: Lucasfilm.

Star Wars fan solves 43-year-old Empire Strikes Back mystery

Justice League. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League sequel would have introduced the DCEU’s Big Bad

Damsel. Credit: Netflix.

Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel delayed by Netflix until 2024

Sucker Punch. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Zack Snyder still planning to make Sucker Punch director’s cut

More Sci-Fi Articles

They Cloned Tyrone. Credit: Netflix.

They Cloned Tyrone (Review)

Doctor Who Weeping Angels

Doctor Who set photos reveal more Weeping Angels

Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker Weeping Angels

Doctor Who Weeping Angels return in Season 13

The Midnight Sky George Clooney

The Midnight Sky (Review)

Songbird

Songbird (Review)

Darth Vader returns on Star Wars Rebels

Star Wars actor Dave Prowse dies aged 85

ScreenJolt Logo

Footer

More Movie News

  • Movie News
  • Film Reviews
  • Movie Features
  • Film Interviews
  • Movie Trailers

Popular Topics

  • DC Movies
  • Disney Movies
  • Horror Movies
  • Marvel Movies
  • Star Wars Movies

About ScreenJolt

  • About Us
  • Our Writers
  • Competitions
  • Write for Us
  • Contact Us

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy · Terms & Conditions
Copyright © 2023 ScreenJolt