You’re an idiot if you expect this film to be the same as the original.
The point of a remake is to try something new with the same basic idea. Take Batman for example; he has endured because there are so many variations on his story. So why can’t RoboCop enjoy the same process of reinvention?
Fortunately, José Padilha’s English language debut generally makes wise choices, with several homages to the original classic only adding to the new story.
Alex Murphy is a devoted Father, Husband, and Police Officer who comes a cropper in the line of duty. With his Wife’s consent, Alex becomes part of a program to get a man inside a machine. But mega conglomerate OCP have other, less beneolent thoughts too. Success with Alex will allow OCP to circumvent a government act preventing robots being used on American soil.
The first scenes of Alex awaking in his new body are heart-breaking. A technically impressive and gut wrenching scene, as Alex finds out what is left of him, raises the question ‘What makes you….you?’. Depression and sadness quite rightly pervade this scene.
Various levels of moral ambiguity are touched upon as Alex is tinkered upon before RoboCop is unveiled. He/It quickly proceeds to stamp down on crime, lowering rates in an unprecedented fashion. But will his humanity be able to compete with the robotics? You won’t have needed to see the original to figure that one out.
Action may be sparse, but works in relation to the story. To shoehorn in ‘MOAR ACTION’ would have ruined the more thoughtful and slower paced story. This film attempts to build the world as much as the man.
The cast is impressive. Scenes between Oldman and Keaton were high points, though how much of that is do with them both being Batman alumni I couldn’t tell you. Sellars is a tricky character, with Keaton slowly peeling away the layers to reveal his malevolent nature. You can see the torture on Oldman as his character tries to do the right thing, but goes to increasingly dangerous lengths at the behest of Sellars.
Kinnaman deserves a lot of credit for taking on the role so strongly tied to Peter Weller. Alex’s transformation into RoboCop may push the boundaries of technology but also feels spot on emotionally. He owns this version of the character and I’d love to see more of him.
The 12a certificate attached to this version should tell you everything you need to know; 2014 Robocop doesn’t contain the intense violence of the original. Still, I found several scenes were really pushing the boundaries of what that certificate should allow.
I’m not sure if it even needs a sequel, as much as I’d like one. The story concludes at a natural point and I really hope someone has a really good idea before starting work on a follow up.
It saddens me to think more people won’t open up and accept a new version. We don’t need to walk down the same path as before. Luckily the 2014 story has the balls to go its own way, and I really enjoyed it for that fact. Pop your nostalgia away in your leg holster and enjoy a fresh take.
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