RoboCop (2014) Review

Hollywood is ripe with remakes these days, whether it be classic franchises being restarted, or originals that didn't do too hot getting another chance. RoboCop is next on the list of reboots, this time in PG-13 form. This will probably upset many fans of the original's ultra-violence. Personally, I've never been a big fan of the original RoboCop. I respected its satirical elements and found its premise intriguing, but just never really enjoyed it as much as many others have.

As I said, there are many fans of the original that will probably be unhappy with this new take on RoboCop. It's sleeker, but will be ultimately found inferior, I think.

One thing that can't be faulted about this movie is the cast. Its filled with big names and newcomers, too. Joel Kinnaman, largely unknown, plays Alex Murphy, who is RoboCop. I actually thought he did a very nice job. Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley, and Jay Baruchel all do very well in their parts as well.

The only performance I didn't care for was that of Samuel L. Jackson, which is surprising considering it's Samuel L. Jackson. His character is a candid talk show host whose TV show gets the inside scoop on all of the hot topics, which in this case is robotics in law enforcement. I didn't find the show or the host too compelling or entertaining, which is a shame.

There are some pretty big and interesting political and ethical questions brought up in RoboCop. I liked that the movie offered the viewers a chance to think during all the action, something a lot of modern blockbusters miss. These ideas largely replaced the satire that the original so heavily supplied.

I didn't think there was enough action in the film, which surprised me. I was expecting too much action. The action scenes that were in the movie were poorly executed and sloppily filmed in my opinion. I didn't like the shaky cam that was utilized, and some of the action sequences were just dizzying and difficult to look at.

Now, that being said, there were elements of the film that I did enjoy, one of these being the ideas presented that I previously mentioned. Another aspect that I liked was the brief period of time where Alex Murphy's dopamine level is dropped to around 2%, causing him to be unable to feel emotion. Murphy has to fight this, and overcome it simply with his own sheer will, and I actually found that very affecting. I just wish it was explored much more fully.

The remake of RoboCop is not terrible. It isn't near as good as it could have been, though, and is sure to disappoint many fans of the original. With more quality action sequences, a bit stronger script, and more exploration of the ideas it presents, this could have been a fine action movie with a lasting effect. Instead, it's just alright. Entertaining to a certain extent, but ultimately not substantial enough to satisfy, leaving it unfortunately forgettable.

Conclusion

Much of the satire and violence of the original has been replaced with some fairly compelling political thoughts, but the new RoboCop's promising potential and impressive cast are let down by loud, poorly executed action sequences and a failure to fully explore the interesting ideas it presents. 

Rating: 6/10