Movie Review: Robocop (2014)

Robocop (2014)

In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy - a loving husband, father and good cop - is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer.  Short synopsis of Robocop taken from IMDb.com

Another micro-review.  The remake of Robocop...  I liked it.  I usually don't like the re-imagining's of good (or some might even argue "great," though you'd have to be a bit odd to say that about 1987's Robocop, I think) 1980s films, but this one worked out fine for me.  I liked the way they took an action flick and threw a cerebral bent to it.  And I enjoyed the addressing of modern issues, such as the persistent uncertainty about the need for a "man in the loop" when a combat decision should be made. The first film touched on this, but this reboot really addressed it heavily.

It's next to impossible for anyone who has seen both films not to compare them.  And that is a bit of a shame, as the modern one has taken the original idea and done some clever things with it.  Then again, it is a bit of a let-down in some ways, seeing as it took nearly thirty years for Robocop to make it back to the screen in any decent form (I'm not counting either the 1989 or 1993 original sequels here, and with good reason).  However... I do object to the whole Cylon look of the visor in the new suit. / Source: article.wn.com

Overall, it was worth the cheap seats admission price.  I'd not feel it was as good if I'd spent full price on it, nor would I watch it repeatedly, but 2014's Robocop was worth my time.  As always, my usual note that the film contains strong language, violence and adult themes that are not, in this reviewer's opinion, appropriate for younger audiences.  But for me, it was good popcorn fun with more brains than the original.  Of course, when you think about it, that isn't really saying much.

Yahoo did a comparison of the two films and I must say, I agree with most of their scoring in this case.  And the summary also fits my take on 2014's Robocop as well.  Worth a look.

The parting comment:

Source: moviepilot.com

Now that Peter Weller's incarnation of Robocop is out of a job, what does he do all day?  Sit around in his pink robo-bunny slippers and robe and read the paper, that's what.