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Film Review: Robocop (2014)

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SYNOPSIS:

When Detroit police officer, Alex Murphy, is critically wounded by a criminal mastermind his only hope of survival is the experimental robo-program at OmniCorp led by Dr. Dennett Norton. CEO Raymond Sellars sees Murphy as an opportunity to introduce his “robot soldier” technology to U.S. soil by putting a man into the suit making him a RoboCop.

REVIEW:

Robocop (2014) succeeds in making its own film while acknowledging and respecting its cinematic origins. Writer Joshua Zetumer and director Jose Padiha cast aside the campy, over-the-top aspects for a more human and action oriented retelling of Alex Murphy’s story. But for a film that has a lot of heart, it seems to lack its own distinctive beat. The direction is sharp, the acting is thoroughly enjoyable and the robot effects are a blast. It has all the right ingredients for a great sci-fi action film. But it never achieves that bite, the satire, the commentary that the original did. That being said, Robocop is a terrific film, a fun, energetic, thrilling movie with Joel Kinnanman giving a winning performance and Gary Oldman providing a complicated, rich supporting performance. Paired with Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson chewing on the scenery and Jackie Earle Haley having a fun as Rick Mattox, OmniCorp’s military tactician, the cast of Robocop make the film.

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“Dead or alive, you are coming with me.” is one of the many fondly remembered lines from the original Paul Verhoeven film from 1987. Robocop (2014), as do many modern remakes, strives hard to keep these signature lines in the film and manages to fare far better than many recent examples. While they provide a smile on those who remember, they also serve to remind the same individuals of what is lacking in this version. The question becomes does the rest of the film’s assets, which are thankfully many, make up for the missing socials stings and comical highlights. The presence of Samuel L. Jackson as Pat Novak pick up much of the slack balancing the more straightforward core narrative with the media’s exaggeration of each event. In these moments, Robocop sizzles and stings especially when Michael Keaton’s Raymond Sellars appears on the show opposite Senator Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier). Jackson’s dialog is sharp, satirical and delivered in a style only Jackson can. The film even exploits the PG-13 restrictions on the film and Jackson’s famous use of colorful language with the best use of censored “bleeps” in a good long time.

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It may be Joel Kinnaman – who has made a name for himself with the popular TV show, The Killing – who has the largest challenge in Robocop with the starring role as Alex Murphy. Peter Weller is identified with the role, the delivery and emotion behind the original character. Can he match “Dead or alive, you’re coming with me” in the same manner? Kinnaman brings his own unique qualities to the role, more down to Earth, more of a family man and equally honorable. As a police officer in this future Detroit, his Murphy is determined to bring down a local crime lord struggling with corruption within the force taking risks and working outside the rules; as a family man, he is a loving father and husband, charming and passionate. When he finally sees what he has become, not just the machine, but what lies underneath the robot exterior, the impact is felt by the character and the audience alike. It is not just a visual jolt, which is shocking enough, but an emotional gut punch to the character and the audience. There is not much left yet OmniCorp and Dr. Norton continue to toy and tinker with what is left, the brain, the personality, the man inside. But what makes him a man? What makes up his soul? Can Murphy recover when Dr. Norton is directed to hide Murphy’s personality, desires and fears under a stream of technology and drugs? What kind of Robocop will he become?

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As Dr. Dennett Norton, Gary Oldman brings a surprising amount of depth and complexity to the role. Oldman is always a highlight of any film in which he stars, but he is rises above the material. Norton’s struggles, while not as emotional as Murphy’s, are as interesting as anything else in Robocop, topping the effects and action. Sellars and OmniCorp are presenting the Norton character with an opportunity that challenges his morals against unmeasurable benefits and potential for bettering society. This gives Oldman the perfect mixture of modern scientific marvel and a mad Dr. Frankenstein to balance his performance. Each decision takes a toll on Norton with Oldman painting every success and consequence on his face, in his eyes, his voice. The more he buries Murphy’s humanity, the more Norton chips away at his own soul. It is fascinating and could be a film on its own thanks to Gary Oldman’s terrific performance.

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While it has been a while since Michael Keaton has had chance to show off his timing and talent, Robocop offers him the perfect scenario with CEO Raymond Sellars to remind everyone. He gets to chew on scenery with Samuel L. Jackson and show off his best Bruce Wayne as he constructs his master plan alongside his head of legal affairs Liz Kline (Jennifer Ehle) and his head of marketing Time Pope (Jay Baruschel). He breathes a lot of life and fun into the film with his lively character relishing in the manipulation and power the role holds. It is great to have Keaton back, especially the fun Keaton with the playful wink in his eye and sly smile, even his most scowling of grimaces.

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The entire cast brings a lot to enjoy in Robocop elevating the film above its sometimes pedestrian PG-13 low notes. Even though the aforementioned Ehle and Baruschel are frustratingly underused, others get their moments to truly shine in supporting roles. Jackie Earle Haley is superb as the military technician Rick Mattox brought in to train Robocop. Mattox does not like the idea of putting a man into the machine in the slightest and Haley gets the chance to bring a ferocity the role and a clever sense of humor. It what could have been simply the butt of a later joke in the film, Haley brings so much than that single note to the role, the film could have benefited with more of Haley and his character. Abbie Cornish is equally successful in making more of her role than the situations might suggest. She is not given nearly enough screen time, but when she is on she brings an emotional bond to the lead character and the heart of the film. She is torn between losing her husband or signing him over to an experiment that could miraculously save his life or tragically sign his soul over to the corporate devil. The loss she deals with is there just below the surface, a little more of that would have gone a long way.

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The visuals in Robocop are modernized a great deal for today’s audiences, benefiting more than many recent remakes from added dependency of CGI. Much like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the passing of the effects torch from practical to CGI is successful due to keeping the actor in the mix. The quieter moments with the character work in a far more interesting way especially when the mechanic and the science behind it all is pealed away. This Robocop ends up feeling more like a man in a machine than a man in a costume the original often felt like. Combined with the sounds of gears and machinery moving with every step, this Robocop steps up to a monumental FX comparison brilliantly and completely. He is faster, slicker, more aggressive. Within the confines of its PG-13 rating, the film focuses more on the metal where the original was more gooey, bloody and gross. A for this version, within the context of its own story, the lack of graphic gore works just fine; however, by comparison – which is both unavoidable and unfair – the 2014 version feels watered down, held back from digging into the true consequences and destructive nature of the character’s actions. Where the original displays an insatiable appetite for the gruesome side, Robocop (2014) casts that aside for a more straightforward sci-fi action presentation; this leaves the film just missing its mark – it is entertaining but not entirely a solid hit.

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Robocop (2014) is an entertaining re-imagining of a campy classic. Action packed, the film contains great performances and a fun sense of humor in its bookend Samuel L. Jackson set pieces. Not as wicked and gory as its source material, this version is more focused on the characters and the science of it. For much of the film, this approach works extraordinary well, especially when it involves either Gary Oldman or the mechanics that make up Robocop himself. The approach however lacks when it comes to the villains in the film such as Antione Vallon (Patrick Garrow) the gun /drug kingpin who is responsible for Murphy’s initial demise. Jackie Earle Haley almost makes up for it, but is not given enough to affect the entire film. The updated suit works far better than early trailers and promotional material suggested with Kinnaman giving the role a healthy dose of humanity. Robocop is worth it for the performances alone, the robo-action backs that notion up. While it will not have a lasting impact as the original did, it is a far better example of handling remakes than recent disasters have been.

4 out of 5

5 comments

  1. SteelScissorsInYourSkull

    In the first paragraph the reviewer points out how this RoboCop casts out the over-the-top aspects. This is the same as casting out RoboCop in it’s entirety.

    Most reviews, especially reviews like this that are deeply focused on actors/performance fail to understand the heart and soul of the original film. The over-the-top aspects are closely tied to the satire and themes which are the true core of the RoboCop experience.

    You cannot have RoboCop without an ‘R’. This has been proved multiple times since Verhoeven’s classic.

    With the original we got the work of a unique filmmaker who brought a level of intelligence and subtlety that’s still not appreciated at the level it should be. Yes, the action was amazingly fun, yes the characters were equally entertaining… but there was more and that’s why it’s a classic. Remaking RoboCop is akin to remaking A Clockwork Orange, an idiotic idea.

    The rape of RoboCop won’t get a penny from me.

     
    • SSIYS, I get where you are coming from. And, yes, it is the performances in Robocop 2014 that make the movie for me. This version is nothing like Verhoeven’s classic and who would want it to be. It steers pretty clear of trying to ape the original, it steers its own course.

      I”m not sure “subtlety” is a word I would associate with Robocop 1987 – it was fairly blatant IMHO. But the point is still taken. There is a unique quality to Verhoeven’s film – to all his films – that make the film stand out.

      I am still of the mind that a good story can be told over again, especially if from a new, fresh or different perspective. The original will always be the original, nothing will take that away from it – but why is it another artist cannot come along an paint the story with a different brush on a fresh canvas with different color or medium.

      I wonder if there were fans of Howard Hawks’ The Thing From Another World that belly ached about Carpenter’s Thing raping its source material. Or of the original Fly or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Possibly. Likely, even. Point is, this is not anything new to cinema.

      I know I am fairly alone in my opinions on remakes and so be it. I certainly would prefer original material over another retelling of stories I’ve seen. But if a true artist gets behind the story with a passion, then I’m game, I’m willing to give it a shot. I’m regularly disappointed, yes, but I’m often rather surprised as well. The recent Maniac remake comes to mind and Evil Dead (2013). Fright Night from a few years back had its charms, albeit imperfect. Dawn of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre succeeded as well. And I try to remember that some audiences, perhaps many audiences, have not seen the material before, to them it is fresh, entirely new – it may even become their favorite. Who am I to deny them that just because I hold the original dear?

      Say what you want, presume what you think, about my opinions of the original. I saw it in the theaters when it came out and loved it then – and still do now. I look to the remake as its own beast even though it is difficult to separate it from the source material. (And did not clearly communicate that in my review as much as I would have liked) You will be happy to know that by comparison, the new film does feel hollow due to that lack of “heart and soul.” But it takes a different look at the material, and why shouldn’t it.

      I hope you take the opportunity to listen to Episode 46 of Horror News Radio coming out the week of Feb 17th, I think you will be pleased with many of the other host’s opinions on the film and Verhoeven’s classic.

       
      • SteelScissorsInYourSkull

        Thanks for the in depth, thoughtful reply. It’s not that I object to another RoboCop, at one point in time I was excited to learn about this remake (reboot).

        I feel deeply disappointed because I believe the studio pulled a RoboCop 3 here; they neutered a property that is defined by it’s extremism so they could achieve a PG rating.

        I didn’t need or want a carbon copy of what’s come before but I do need the elements that define the heart of the original film. RoboCop needed to maintain the same tone with a focus on satire, absurdity and ultra-violence.

        As for remakes… yes it’s inevitable and most of the time it’s a bad idea. Some of the time I think: ‘Hey, they could do that better this time… i.e. the Amityville Horror which didn’t turn out much better than the achingly dull original. Sighs.

        The majority of the time we get utter crap such as remakes for: Carrie, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hitcher (wow, beyond bad). Sighs.

         
  2. I don’t usually like remakes and since the first Robocop was one of my favorite movies (I watched it and Total Recall everyday after school for almost a year lol) I was skeptical going in. I came out happy lol. They kept enough the same and changed the right things. I still like the original better. But I can an will say they did a good job with this remake.

     
  3. Nice, well thought out and entertaining review, Doc! I will get to this eventually and I do hold the original in very high regard. I feel that now I know what to really expect going in. Thanks man! Good work.

     

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