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“CHIPS” is the latest in movie adaptations from popular T.V. shows. The 1997 original series “CHIPS” starred Robert Pine and Larry Wilcox as the characters Getraer and Jon. The movie follows the same scheme as it adapts the characters from the original series fully to the big screen. “CHIPS” is not only written and directed by Dax Shepard, but it also stars Shephard from “Employee of the Month” playing Jon and Michael Pena from “Ant-Man” as Poncho, respectively. Being his directorial debut, Shephard calls the movie his passion project.
The main characters, according to the script, are put together in a working environment much to their behest. Both characters have some background information, but are vaguely explored when compared to the magnitude of the actors that are playing them. The characters, when juxtaposed to other crime-partner movies, such as “Bad Boys” and “Rush Hour,” are not fleshed out very well.
The cost of this is marked by a disinterest in the movie’s motivations as the story progresses. The audience is unable to connect emotionally to the characters and cannot foster a personal relationship to differentiate these characters from characters of any other B rated movie like “R.I.P.D.” The actors themselves do a superb job at their roles and solicit a few laughs; however, they cannot make viewers care enough about who they are because of such a bland script.
A prime example of this lack of differentiation in “CHIPS,” is the persistent disagreement between the main characters throughout the movie. Normally, in movies of this type, conflict bolsters the themes of collaboration beyond personal experiences. However, in “CHIPS,” the more the characters fight, the more the audience fights to maintain attention and an understanding of the world in the movie. This becomes counterproductive to the plot as the antagonist(s) are identified.
The dysfunction between the characters is so large that it does not rally any emotional response when the pair team up. This leads to another issue that the plot has, it’s a cookie cutter version of everything viewers have seen before. The general expectation with remakes is the hope of seeing a fresher approach given technological and motion picture advances but also seeing a plot that is fresh and innovative.
“CHIPS” attempts to revitalize nostalgia for viewers that experienced the original series while tapping into a new generation with hopes of developing a cult following. The movie lacks the ability to do any of these as it diverges completely from the light drama classification of its predecessor.
Several over-the-top explosions, crass and drawn out sexuality jokes, and a poorly written script cause the movie to suffer immensely with garnering continued interest. It is evident that the writer and director’s exposure to other remakes and sequels of similar movies like “21 Jump Street” prompted him to dig deep for content.
“CHIPS” has a lagging script with slow pacing and poor on screen chemistry between a phenomenal cast. Ultimately, if viewers have some free time, a couple of bucks to spare and nothing better to do go out, they should go see the movie. If not, wait for the release on streaming websites, such as Netflix and Hulu.
