I always have the same question when it comes to remakes/reboots, “Are they really necessary?” and the latest reboot for me to review was RoboCop and I’m asking the same question!
Back in 1987 a new film came out, the story of a cop that was left for dead and then pieced back together in to a cyborg cop, know as RoboCop, a slightly violent movie with an 18 certificate and a gory start to RoboCop’s creation!
Skip forward to 2014 and the character of Alex Murphy (played by Joel Kinnaman) is reduced down to a 12A cerificate in attempt to get younger audience and bums on seats.
Now I have to say I’m a big fan of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 cult classic, so I had to watch the reboot with that in mind and watch it as if I hadn’t seen the original, but that was so hard to do.
RoboCop Suited and Rebooted for a Modern Audience!
So where to start, well first, unlike many remakes, RoboCop isn’t a direct copy of the original, subtle changes have been made for the modern-day audiences, RoboCop is more agile than in the 1987 version and the film seems more emotional when it comes to Murphy’s family.
The violence is considerable toned down, now with a 12A certificate, the violence has been put to one side and is more action than blood-shed, you also get to see a different side of Murphy as he tries to discover his humanity after being stripped down to a head, brain and walking life-support machine!
The body count is really reduced for this version, with RoboCop opting for taser cartridges over a Mini-Gun and a big death count!
Director José Padilha, has done a good job with his version of the RoboCop franchise, but and this is the clincher, although a few nods to the original have been added such as RoboCop starting with the grey suit, before Sellars (played by Michael Keaton) decides it should be black and few lines such as “Dead or Alive, You’re coming with me” are in there.
They even threw in a few parts of the original RoboCop theme in to the score and the opening title sequence, almost to say, “Yes, this is RoboCop“.
But for me, there is nothing like the original, it was fine as it was and still is, the RoboCop franchise really didn’t need a 2014 reboot, but then again, the film will bring some people to the 1987 film, special if they haven’t seen it and wonder what all the fuss is about.
With a good selection of cast such as Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Jackie Earle Hayley, RoboCop is a film that once the action starts it goes pretty well, it does seem at times that it’s dragging and you start thinking to yourself, “Hmmm, looks like they are working this one for a sequel!“.
So I can’t really say that RoboCop is bad or terrible, it’s just not the original, which has so many fans, it works for what it is, but it is a shame that it at least didn’t get a 15 certificate for a lot more.
RoboCop 2014 is a brave attempt at trying to remake a film to a wider audience and maybe to bring a lot more people in to theatres, which is never a bad thing, it’s going to get mixed reactions, but as always, my review is on the film itself. It’s fun, silly and great for those that have never seen the original.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
