Robocop (2014) review

I’m guessing that when this film was first announced, most of you reacted rather negatively to the news. That’s usually the typical reaction that a lot of people have whenever a remake is announced. After all, if the original film is really good, then why bother remaking it when there’s no real need to improve it? I mean, there is potential if someone’s remaking a bad film, but these days Hollywood will just remake anything even when most audiences aren’t that supportive of it. This scenario certainly applies to the remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic ‘Robocop’. It’s one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, and it still holds up quite even after 27 years. So with all of that in mind… why then would I be one of the few who was actually looking forward to this film? Well, that’s because this series is in desperate need of a fresh new start because the two sequels to the original film were both terribly inferior follow-ups. So even though this was still technically a ‘remake’, I went into this hopeful that this could be the first good Robocop film since the original… so I was relieved, and also somewhat surprised, to find that I really enjoyed this new Robocop.

In the year 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp has enjoyed much success overseas with the use of their ‘robotic soldiers’ in law enforcement. However, they have been unable to use their technology in the United States because of a national law, the Dreyfus Act, which prevents them from doing so. In order to work around this, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) suggests that they create a product that combines man with machine that could be accepted by the public, who have been influenced by the Dreyfus Act. OmniCorp then proceeds to look for a test subject for this new machine, which they eventually find when local cop Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is critically injured by a car bomb that was planted on orders from a local crime boss. With consent from his wife Clara (Abbie Cornish), OmniCorp outfits Alex with robotic body armor, turning him into the ultimate law enforcer; Robocop. However, because Murphy’s consciousness is still present even though most of his body isn’t, OmniCorp now find themselves having to deal with Murphy’s emotions as he tries to not only reconnect with his wife and son, but to also take down those who tried to have him killed.

I did refer to this as a remake earlier, but you may be surprised to find out that, in execution, this isn’t really that much of a remake. Yes, this film does share a couple things in common with the original (heck, they even use Basil Poledouris’ classic theme a few times) and it is sort of telling the same ‘origin’ story. But at the same time, this film manages to do some things to distance itself from its predecessor. For one thing, while the original was a satire full of over-the-top violence, this film has a more political view with themes of corporate greed and safety at the cost of one’s liberty. I also really liked that in this one, Murphy’s family plays a bigger role in the story whereas in the original film (as well as its sequels) they were barely in it. Even some of the ‘questionable’ filmmaking choices that a lot of people were worried about actually turned out fine in the end. Robocop’s new black suit does look pretty cool and it actually fits pretty well within the film itself. Even if you’re still not that much of a fan of it, don’t worry because he is in the classic silver suit for a brief time. Also, while this film may not be as violent as the original, the action sequences are pretty darn good for a PG-13 rated film.

Like the original film, this one also benefits from a terrific cast. In the case of this film, it’s especially in regards to the supporting cast. Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman (who plays the head scientist responsible for the creation of Robocop), Abbie Cornish, and Samuel L. Jackson (who plays the host of a television program in support of robotic law enforcement) all do excellent jobs, as does Joel Kinnaman in the lead role of Alex Murphy/Robocop. Sure, it’s not the ‘best’ performance in the movie but in the end he turns out to be a very worthy successor to Peter Weller in the role. If I did have any complaints about this film in general, it would be that its villains are actually really weak. There’s one villain who you think would play a major part in the film seeing how this one has a hand in Murphy’s accident, resulting in him being turned into Robocop, but they don’t really do anything with him. Then you have another villain who’s basically the ‘main villain’ but you would never really guess that he’s a bad guy because he doesn’t really act like one, even at the end when Robocop is trying to take him down.

I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the 2014 iteration of ‘Robocop’. That’s mainly because this is more of a reboot than a remake, managing to do things differently from the original while maintaining a few similarities to it. Even though the film does have some pretty weak villains, the action sequences are really good for a PG-13 rated ‘Robocop’ film and the acting is very good from all involved. The bottom line here is that this film was ultimately not the disaster that a lot of people were speculating it would turn out to be. Is it as good as the original? No, but then again it doesn’t have to be. The original will still live on as one of the great sci-fi films but this reboot manages to do things good enough that it ends up being one of the better remakes to have ever come out and the best Robocop film since the original. I’m pleased to say that Paul Verhoeven’s classic is no longer the only good Robocop film.

Rating: 4/5