ROBOCOP Doesn’t Offend… But It Doesn’t Excel Either
This version of Robocop has been in the works for six years with a basic script being passed around in Hollywood and it’s been surrounded by controversy ever since it was announced. Now in 2014, it has finally been released. And it’s… okay.
Directed by Jose Padilha in his first mainstream film, Robocop includes a star studded cast including: Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Samuel L Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley and Abbie Cornish. This time round the role of Alex Murphy/Robocop is taken by Joel Kinnaman who had a role in Safe House and the Martin Scorsese produced Easy Money.
The story is set in 2028 Detroit and every country in the world has adopted droids into their streets to uphold the law, preventing the deaths of real human law enforcement officers. Except for America. Its leadership resents the concept because they don’t like the idea that the drones don’t have emotions or any sense of remorse as we discover from an informative opening scene with Samuel L. Jackson. Omnicorp is trying to figure out some way of getting their drones into the streets of America. To combat Americans’ concerns, Omnicorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) gets the idea to put a human inside a machine with the help of a hesitant doctor played by Gary Oldman; thus our story is set.
To call Robocop a remake would be unfair, because it’s not. It’s a reimagining. The central character is still there, as are basic plot points, but this version has its own message. This is essentially an origin story for Robocop as opposed to the original that spent less time on his actual creation and more time on what happened following his operation.
This version of Robocop introduces a wife and a son into the mix which changes up the films concept quite dramatically. You no longer just care about Alex Murphy but now his wife played by Abbie Cornish and their son. Gone is the dark and gritty R-rated Robocop. Here we have a PG-13 version with a different story to tell. The film doesn’t rely on over-the-top bloody violence and cool catchphrases for entertainment which hardcore Robocop fans may not like, and I can see why; this is not the Robocop we all love and remember at all.
When I say this is different than the original, I don’t mean that in a bad way. This film is actually quite respectable in that it tries something new. It has a new message and a new statement about technology. The difference is that the technology in this remake is quite believable. Robots and drones of this calibre in 2028 could be a very real reality.
I don’t think this version can be compared to the original, but that’s expected. If there’s one thing I like about this Robocop, it’s the way you really empathize with Alex Murphy because he is very aware of what has happened to him and watching him break down and try and accept what he has become was actually fairly effective.
Another positive is the villains. The villain in the movie is the company, they don’t want to destroy cities or take over the world; they want money and business. They will do whatever they can to be on top with not much consideration or care for who they are affecting, and this helps sell the films message.
The problem is that I wish they went in the same direction of Dredd with the hard R-rated gritty, guerrilla style filming. This film is too child friendly and stylized. It has a very generic and familiar feel so that it doesn’t stand out as being very special. The nods to the original are predictable and forced and some of the dialogue is a bit iffy. My biggest complaint is that it seems like a by-the-books origin story that lacks depth.
The message seems to be about the force of the human mind and how it ultimately will always rule over machines, similar to the original but with the inclusion of a wife and a son. You do actually feel empathy for Murphy’s family especially at a certain point in the middle of the film where an ‘adjustment’ is made to Alex Murphy. There is also a point in the film where they suggest that the technology is giving the illusion that the person is in control even though they are not. This seems like another message about materialism with technology and gadgets in our generation.
To conclude, the film is in no way terrible. In fact it seems like it was handled with care. It was entertaining and it was confident enough to take the story in a different direction. Is it in any way as good as the original? No, but that’s not saying much. It is what you would expect from a February action flick and nothing more. It won’t be remembered as a classic but it is far from one of the worst remakes ever made.
If you are a hardcore fan of the original then you may not like this film. If you are not or if you haven’t seen it then you might get on with the film. It’s not the train wreck most people thought it would be. I’d buy that for a dollar.
Robocop is now playing in the UK where Jacob Charnick wrote this review. It opens in the States on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014.
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