Robocop: New and Improved?
ROBOCOP is the remake of the 1987 sci-fi classic. This time, instead of taking the campy sci-fi approach that the original did, this remake or reboot gives Robocop a superhero makeover, complete with the PG-13 rating instead of the graphic R rating of the original.
The new version is faithful to its predecessor in a story sense and does take a standard straight forward approach in the visual sense, instead of the original director's (Paul Veerhoven) pornographic and brutal over the top action style. That's not to say that the new model is kid friendly. It's not. Sorry parents. This one features the video game violence that kids are unfortunately used to.
The question that I have to answer is ROBOCOP(2014) better than ROBOCOP(1987)? The answer is no, however, the new model does offer enough entertainment value to recommend.
(1) The supporting cast, featuring Michael Keaton as the main villain, Smauel L. Jackson as a TV news host and Gary Oldman as the creator of Robocop do lend the movie their acting weight.
(2) Unknown to most is Joel Kinnamen as Peter Murphy/Robocop, who gives the same type of gritty cop performance you might know him for in the cable cop dram THE KILLING.
(3) I mentioned earlier that the film takes the superhero approach instead of the pornographic style of action and violence of the original. This approach is one of the things that separates it from the original.
That brings me to two things that I did not like about the movie.
(1) The role of the media lead by Samuel L. Jackson does not work at all in the movie and only serves to take you out of the story being told. It doesn't belong here.
(2) Along with the media subplot, the whole origin story is a very slow build. Too much of the sci-fi creation stuff gets in the way of the pacing. But once Murphy makes the transition to Robocop, the film does take off and is likable to a fault.
I do recommend this new version with reservations.
I give ROBOCOP(2014) *** stars out of ****.
If you have Netflix, you'll be able to watch it there.
The new version is faithful to its predecessor in a story sense and does take a standard straight forward approach in the visual sense, instead of the original director's (Paul Veerhoven) pornographic and brutal over the top action style. That's not to say that the new model is kid friendly. It's not. Sorry parents. This one features the video game violence that kids are unfortunately used to.
The question that I have to answer is ROBOCOP(2014) better than ROBOCOP(1987)? The answer is no, however, the new model does offer enough entertainment value to recommend.
(1) The supporting cast, featuring Michael Keaton as the main villain, Smauel L. Jackson as a TV news host and Gary Oldman as the creator of Robocop do lend the movie their acting weight.
(2) Unknown to most is Joel Kinnamen as Peter Murphy/Robocop, who gives the same type of gritty cop performance you might know him for in the cable cop dram THE KILLING.
(3) I mentioned earlier that the film takes the superhero approach instead of the pornographic style of action and violence of the original. This approach is one of the things that separates it from the original.
That brings me to two things that I did not like about the movie.
(1) The role of the media lead by Samuel L. Jackson does not work at all in the movie and only serves to take you out of the story being told. It doesn't belong here.
(2) Along with the media subplot, the whole origin story is a very slow build. Too much of the sci-fi creation stuff gets in the way of the pacing. But once Murphy makes the transition to Robocop, the film does take off and is likable to a fault.
I do recommend this new version with reservations.
I give ROBOCOP(2014) *** stars out of ****.
If you have Netflix, you'll be able to watch it there.
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