Movie Review: Robocop (2014)

The Future of Law Enforcement has been remade for the next generation, and it's a totally different interpretation altogether.

Way back in 1987, two writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner changed the way we viewed Sci-Fi and Action for the future by introducing a character who was literally Part-Man and Part-Machine... A Police Officer turned Cyborg who went under the name "Robocop". The original film released that year was directed by Paul Verhoeven and starred Peter Weller in the titular role as Alex Murphy, who dies in the line of duty and gets a second chance at life by being the tool for a megacorporation's effort to dispatch crime in a futuristic version of the city of Detroit. The focus of the movie was not just Murphy's transformation into Robocop, but his subsequent efforts to find and exact revenge on those responsible for killing him, as well as regaining the humanity he lost after turning into a machine.

Flashforward to 2014, and after two sequels that saw Weller reprise his role for Robocop 2 and Robert John Burke take over for Robocop 3, the film series has been rebooted and is now under the hands of Brazilian film director Jose Padilha, who makes his Hollywood and English film debut with this reimagining of "Robocop". Holding the same plot structure as its predecessor, the film still explores Alex Murphy's transformation into the cyborg police officer... But is handled much more intimately and given more exposition thanks to the involvement of a all-star supporting cast that definitely begs this interpretation of the concept to be watch.

That being said, here's the review of Robocop 2014 - which opened last February 6 in international territories, and February 12 in the US. Thanks again goes to Columbia Pictures PH for bringing the film to our shores!

It's hard not to compare originals with remakes, and Robocop 2014 falls in line with that list where fans of the 1987 film will most likely have mixed feelings over the new concept. Truth be told, I was among those numbers, and the earlier trailers for the film like the one seen above didn't help to convince me that I may be walking into a film that wasn't going to be faithful to the original.

Robocop Trailer #1
However, all that changed when I finally got to see the film myself, and while yes it certainly is a substantially different film altogether, I surprisingly found this take decent and worthwhile to see in theaters just for a totally refreshing experience. In this new version, Alex Murphy is a detective working for the Detroit Police Department, rooting out crime and corruption with his best friend and partner Lewis (who is no longer the tough female cop once played by Nancy Allen, but now an African-American buddy instead). He is also a dedicated family man, married to a devoted wife named Clara and both the happy parents of young boy named David. When a crimeboss has crooked cops plant a bomb in Murphy's car that leaves him horribly injured and disfigured, Omnicorp and its CEO Raymond Sellars convince his wife to allow her husband to undergo a procedure that transforms him into a cyborg. Now part-man and part-machine, Alex is given a new lease in life as the future of law enforcement against crime, Robocop.

Robocop Trailer #2
Robocop of course, played by Joel Kinnaman, is very much different from his predecessor. He still knows who he is and retains some more parts of himself apart from the head or brain, which includes his right hand albeit not too much to make him a whole human being. Unlike the original who had to rediscover his memories and humanity, the 2014 version retains his memories, but is continually plugged in and supervised by his creators and OmniCorp to process and make sure he functions well. Also, the color scheme for Robo for most of the movie is black, but early on the original silver armor shows itself as a prototype before the company goes for something more "tactical".  It's an interesting redesign, but while it serves its purposes and poses as a nod to a certain supporting character's tastes (looking at Michael Keaton) many as am I are still partial to the classic nevertheless.

Now the main selling point of this movie is not only the chance to see a new adaptation of Robo in the big screen, but a well-rounded all-star supporting cast highlighted by some of the biggest names known to movies and popculture. Sure you've got Joel Kinnaman in the titular role as Alex Murphy/ Robocop, but you've got Michael "Batman '89" Keaton as the CEO of Omnicorp Raymond Sellars, Gary "Jim Gordon" Oldman as the creator of Robocop Dr. Dennett Norton, Samuel "Nick Fury" L. Jackson as mechanized crime control supporter and TV Show host Patrick Novak, and Jackie Earle "Rorschach"Haley as Omnicorp Military tactician Rick Mattox. That's quite an impressive line-up of actors to pique anyone's interest to go and see this movie, and seeing two Batman movie veterans interact with two other comic book movie guys is just something else. The story isn't a copy or caricature of the original either, and takes into its own direction by doing the opposite of not actually killing Murphy gruesomely and just making him transform into a cyborg because of the accident that leaves him with gruesome injuries. The satirical commentary and ads from the original are also toned down for the remake, but instead politics and the morality of using machines and playing God come into the mix.

Overall, this Robocop will never replace the original, but it's got a heart and beat of its own that will entertain viewers looking for something a little different in interpretation and presentation. While there's certainly room for a sequel if the filmmakers do decide to push through with it, this experiment is good enough as a standalone as well.

Rating - 3/5