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Released nationwide on February 12, 2014: this futuristic sci-fi reboot of the 1980's
classic of the same name is the latest in a long line of unoriginal cash grabs for Hollywood.
Surprisingly though, it doesn't suck... it's actually a lot of fun: so if it manages to
earn back its $130-million dollar budget, you can probably expect a sequel or two. Immediately
opening with a snippet of Basil Poledouris's iconic theme, and the big metallic text logo,
it's apparent it isn't necessarily attempting to distance itself from its predecessor, even
including some humorous callbacks for good measure. Although it takes many liberties
from the source material, the plot is similar: a Detroit police officer is killed in the
line of duty, only to be resurrected as a crime-fighting cyborg, also functioning as
a marketing puppet for a greedy conglomerate. Relatively unknown outside of Sweden, 34-year-old
Joel Kinnaman stars as the title character, and thanks to a smart decision to focus more
on RoboCop's psychological struggles, carries a fair amount of the film on his shoulders.
Unfortunately, Kinnaman is rarely charismatic, and delivers his lines with all the passion
of, pardon the pun, a robot. Thankfully, he's surrounded by a great cast that includes Gary
Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley, and Samuel L. Jackson - some of whom are able
to shine more than others. Plus, nerds in the audience will really enjoy seeing Commissioner
Gordon and Batman share several scenes together. The film's most unnerving scene however has
Oldman showing Kinnaman what's really left of his human body after his "death"... piece-by-piece,
everything but a handful or organs are removed... leaving literally nothing but a floating head
suspended in front of a mirror. So shocked and horrified by what he sees, the newly birthed
RoboCop immediately asks to die. It's s quick moment of sheer brilliance for the film, that
truly elevates its emotional power above and beyond the shallower original. Earlier, Abbie
Cornish, playing the part of the weeping and angry wife, argues, "You said you could save
him, but what kind of a life will he have?" Despite going a bit overboard with some shaky-cam,
one action set piece has RoboCop hunting down bipedal drones in an empty warehouse, set
to the unexpectedly effective sounds of Focus's prog-rock hit, "Hocus Pocus". This scene's
frequent use of POV shots, complete with an on-screen kill count makes it play out like
an awesome video game. Director José Padilha's decision to go for a PG-13 rating means much
of the original's trademark violence has been watered down. One disorienting pitch-black
shoot-out, lit only by muzzle flashes was almost seizure-inducing. A touch longer than
it needs to be at 118-minutes, but the realistic visuals will keep you entertained. While fans
of the series mayn't enjoy this as much as the original, this is still a well-made reboot
worthy of the franchise name, and one I wouldn't mind seeing again. "RoboCop", is a "Gripping
and absorbing, despite clunkiness." Here are some of your thoughts from the comments.
Our scores for "RoboCop"... a SIX and an EIGHT. Several criticized this film for even existing,
but were at least entertained by the action, rating this a GOOD. Even though I didn't care
for the new matte-black paint job, I was surprised by this picture - and watching them back-to-back,
I honestly enjoyed it more than the original. I thought it was GREAT.