Robocop

If you don't follow movie culture as closely as I do, you should know that this film, Robocop, is probably one of the more controversial movies of the year. Not for its content, but more so for the fact that it is even being made.

I never saw the original, but apparently it was a bit of a cult classic in all of its 80s R-rated goodness. So when this one was announced, fans were up in arms (just like they always are).

"How dare they remake this movie!"

"How dare they make his suit black!"

"How dare they make it PG-13!"

Generally, I would question why it was being made as well. Recent Hollywood remakes tend to be pretty average. They are decent enough but too many of them aren't bringing anything new to the table and you just question why the studio saw it wise to spend money on it. Carrie from last year is a perfect example. Not bad by any means, but I don't remember hardly any of it today.

I'm here to say that, and this was a surprise to me as well, the new Robocop is not only a worthwhile remake, it's actually a pretty good trip to the theaters.

"I decided to make my own Batman"

Just due to my current good mood on this Saturday morning, I'll get the negatives out of the way to start. My biggest issue with the movie, and its a big one, is that the action is boring as all hell. Once again, I never saw the original, but this Robocop is stiff and the action consists of him basically pointing and shooting...A LOT. There are no creative set pieces, no creative moves, no creative weapons or gadgets. Just Robocop entering a room full of baddies and extending his arm towards each enemy separately. It got old really fast and I was actually looking forward to the non-action scenes by a certain point along the way. This lack of pizzazz during the action set pieces left the movie feeling a lot longer than it needed to be and I would argue that the 108 minute runtime is a little long despite that issue. Robocop certainly streamlines a lot of its story for the first half but it begins to meander later on in the proceedings.  

You're going to see this. A lot.
YAAAAWWWWNNNN

"I'm Mace Windu mother f**ker!You can't touch me!"

Robocop overcomes its poor sense of style in the action department with a story that took me completely by surprise and one that I felt to be incredibly modern. I think from the previews you can surmise that a cop gets terribly wounded and they put him in the suit. This is done by the Omnicorp corporation who specializes in making unmanned drones, robots, etc. to police the dangerous areas of the world. The movie knows exactly what time period it's in and unlike so many other remakes out there, it updates the tale it has to tell to the current times. And quite brilliantly I might add. The Iraq war, suicide terrorists, sensationalist media, a bickering and indecisive Congress, and corporate politics for an Apple-like company obsessed with the public opinion...these are all updates that have been made to suit this remake and I was beyond impressed with the effort put forth to make this Robocop a different one than its predecessor. Underneath all of that, we have a plot thread about ethics in research (quite compelling) and one about human will triumphing over robotic programming (kind of corny). It's all told in a world that is very sure of its sci-fi elements and I appreciated the strong sense of biology that the movie has. How would a human body respond if put in these conditions? How would the brain respond? The movie touches on a lot of interesting topics of this nature and handles them well. One scene in particular, where we see the level of devastation that Alex Murphy's body has been through and just what is left of him is chilling, but you can't help but keep your eyes glued to the screen.

One of the biggest reasons that this all works is an alarmingly impressive cast. Funny enough, I found the lead, Joel Kinnaman, to be the weakest link. It's like the acting budget was spent up on all the supporting characters rather than the actual Robocop...but oh well. Gary Oldman is fantastic as Dr. Dennett Norton and is easily the most impressive one here. Michael Keaton is subtly evil as CEO Raymond Sellars and I also enjoyed anytime that he was on screen. Jackie Earle Haley gets a little less meat to chew on as Rick Mattox, but is fun in the role nonetheless. And then you have Samuel L. Jackson as sensational media reporter Pat Novak who has some great scenes about the politics of the whole situation not to mention a few subtle jabs at today's media state.

"See you guys in 20 years for the 2034 remake?"

Robocop certainly is not going to be the best movie of the year. But for a movie that I went into with low expectations I came out pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed myself so much. And let the lesson be learned for future remakes that you need to put some damn effort into making your story current and modern instead of just entering a few smart phones into a couple scenes *cough Carrie cough cough*.

And that potential future precedent justifies the need for this remake alone.

CONS:

• Some terribly boring action. Point, shoot. Point, shoot. Doesn't Robocop have any cool moves?
• Some plot threads work less well than others. The discussion about human mind vs. robot matter treads into corny territory sometimes
• The film begins to meander once Robocop makes his way back to Detroit and it makes the film longer than it needs to be
• Even though he did okay, I wasn't the biggest fan of the man in the suit, Joel Kinnaman

PROS:

• They put a lot of effort into making this movie current to today's world and it shows. I really appreciated it and I hope that other future remake projects take note
• A fantastic supporting cast that all do well in their roles
• The movie is confident with the sci-fi world it has created and isn't afraid to explain how certain things work. There is a heavy dose of biology talk that I also found interesting
• Probably better than you think it is, which is always nice to see at the theaters

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10