Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Columbia Pictures, Strike Entertainment,
Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Aimee Garcia, Miguel Ferrer
Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a Detroit cop in 2028 when he is critically injured in an assassination attempt. He has no way to survive, but OmniCorp, a huge corporation that is trying to convince the U.S. that their Robot law enforcement machines are the future. These machines are faster, smarted, are tied to the crime database, and can enforce the law as no human could. But the government of the U.S. to allow them on the street, even though they’ve won over most of the rest of the world. They see an opportunity to use a human mind and a robot body to meld the robot law enforcement robot with a human mind. But when they get too greedy, and when Alex finds some dirty officials high up in the program, they decide to terminate the project and are all set to turn off Robocop. With some help from his creator, he tries to save himself once again.
This is a remake of the `1987 film with Paul Verhoeven. When a remake is done, nearly 25 years after the original, there’s always a call for a comparison. I’m going to give that to you in just a moment. But first, let me talk to those who have never seen the original. This is a very exciting action movie with great CGI effects, fast paced, lots of battle scenes, and very intriguing to watch. It’s an excellent action film, and you’re probably best off watching this one.
Now, for the comparison. The original film had a really great impact on people because the techniques of the time were not as sophisticated as they are today. The battle between RoboCop and the ED-209 is one of the classic battles of all times. The impression this film left on those of us leaves us who are familiar with it with a fond memory. A new film is not going to compare well with that. But actually, if you can get past the fact that it is a new time, and take the new film on it’s own, it will give you a much more pleasant experience. The new film is snazzy with the CGI effects which takes a lot away from the human impact and influence that the original one gives us. I really love the original, and this one doesn’t nearly approach the feelings that the original gave us. But it still is a really good film. The first half, at least, explaining how and why it all happened, and looking closely to the change that it made on Alex and his family is especially interesting. But when the battle starts, it’s a huge CGI fest that is over the top that reminds me more of the Kung Fu films of the 70’s where 15 guys would take on the hero and the hero takes them all out. This is similar. They appear to be so in love the technology, that the story is hard to accept. It’s just blast and shoot and roll, with no real feeling. After while, you don’t really care, and there is no amazing battle between Alex and ED-209 like there was in the first one. If I was to take my personal choice of the two, I would prefer the first by a little, although I am really glad I watched the remake. I still have a yearning to go back and see the 1987 one again though and see if it was a good as I remember.
For those who remember the original, the line “I wouldn’t buy that for a dollar” was a pretty cheap tribute to the original, although I must admit that it made me laugh just the same. But I need to know what the heck Samuel L Jackson was doing? That made me think of The Hunger Games every time he popped up on screen.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
