Directed by: José Padilha
Casts: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish
Genre: Science Fiction, Action Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: 30 January 2014
Robocop is a cult classic that most kids growing up in the 1990s would definitely know about. In this modern remake, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is the forerunner in advance technology, particularly in military weaponry. Determined to bring their technologies back home, they see the perfect opportunity when detective Alex Murphy, who is also a loving husband and father, was caught in a near-fatal car explosion. Offering the only option to save the life of Murphy by turning him into part-man, part-machine, OmniCorp plan to use Murphy as a start to instate the RoboCop program in every city and generating billions of profits. They almost succeed, but they miscalculated one thing: the man inside the machine has a stronger sense of justice than any man-made program.
Praise: I will admit I am very sceptical of yet another Hollywood remake of a well-known franchise. RoboCop is so well-established that all I'm seeing is Hollywood's next attempt to revive an old phenomenon to generate more profit. But I have to say that the revamp of Robocop's story, characterisation, theme and even the suit design is plausibly refreshing. The overall tone of the film is more balanced as opposed to the more gory 1987 original. I am not saying that the darker original is a bad thing; in fact I love the 1987 RoboCop more. Will get to that later. But by injecting several other themes such as family love and the scientist-conscience-guilt of a certain Dr. Norton (Gary Oldman), there is more soul in the film and offer other perspectives of things to ponder at.
Joel Kinnaman's take on a modern-day Murphy is pretty amiable. His performance is believable and coupled with a strong support from Abbie Cornish as his wife Clara Murphy, RoboCop has become more relatable to us audience. In fact, I find the particular scene where he is struggling to override the controlling program in him by playing the scene of his son in his mind over and over again to be very emotionally impactful. Gary Oldman is way over the charts in this one; the best I have seen him ever since the Dark Knight trilogies. His take on a conflicted scientist, doing between what he is told and what he believe is right, to pursue ambition or embrace humanity. I find him the most appealing character in the entire film.
Not to forget Samuel L Jackson's stunt as the egoistic TV presenter Pat Novak. This role is no cupcake; every word uttered from his mouth depicts the illness of American media, of American corporate monopoly and of the ill-proudness of American society over their own nation.
The film's special effects and CGIs are sleek and nifty. Though a black colour RoboCop is like a byproduct of Tony Stark-meet-Bruce Wayne, eventually I kinda dig into the more slender, modern and less bulky look. It's a RoboCop with more cool-factor to offer. With some new twists and thrill, it is a decent remake.
Complains: I simply do not find the film memorable at all. This remake feels way too pacified for my liking. As mentioned above, I appreciate director José Padilha's effort to generate some fresh metals for us audiences to gnaw on but ultimately, the darker and grittier RoboCop reigned supreme. There just wasn't enough intensity in the overall film to even keep me focused or interested. I constantly find myself having time for my thoughts to wander on the other stuffs like how pretty Clara's hair is or how weird it is to see Lewis as a dude.
Next we have one-dimensional villains that further made the film more dull than ever. Michael Keaton as OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars ticks off every single criteria in the checklist of cliché corporate villain - rich, egoistic, greedy, and a pushover. There is no 2nd page to Sellars; no character depth. The same simplicity can be said about OmniCorp's military tactician Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley). Cheesy villains waiting to be knock off by RoboCop just doesn't cut it.
The film is different enough than that of the original but not necessarily an improvement. In a matters of months, or weeks even, people will forget pretty much about the new RoboCop.
Rating: 5.7/10
Hit or Miss: Watch it just to see how RoboCop will look like in black. It doesn't make you cringe watching it, but like I said, it's an easily forgettable film. Miss.
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