BIAS ALERT: The 1987 ‘Robocop’ is probably one of my favorite movies of all time and definitely my biggest guilty pleasure in terms of film. It was a low budget, fun, action ride that has since achieved legendary cult status for those of us who were nerdy teenage fanboys during the 80’s. The genius (and yes, I use that term lightly) of the 1987 Robocop was its’ ability to skillfully and cleverly lampoon the Reagan era society, while at the same time providing us a sobering look at how technology was just beginning to affect and merge with our our lives (remember; no internet, personal computers, or smart phones back then). It was a modern day Frankenstein tale with a modern technology twist and lots of cool action to boot. Despite all of ’87 Robocop’s humor and action, there was a moving story of what it means to be human combined with a lot of emotional gravitas if you were willing to be swept up by it.
When they announced the 2014 reboot, I thought; “Why mess with the Mona Lisa”. Robocop was a cult classic, but definitely a period piece. I wondered how could they adapt it to our current environment. Well, I’m going to state right out that the reboot was not a great film, but it is a very respectable reimagining of Robocop which stays true to the essence of Robocop and what it is all about. The current incarnation is a much darker and more meditative exercise than the original. Instead of exploring a robot discovering his buried humanity, it approaches it from the other angle of a man slowly understanding that he is losing his humanity into a machine. Joel Kinnamen plays the current incarnation of Robocop with a full arrange of emotion and personality as opposed to Peter Weller’s automaton rendition. I almost wish I could write this review without comparing, but there were too many similarities to avoid that type of review.
Instead of lampooning Reagonomics and Detroit urban decay, the current incarnation focuses on the sacrificing of civil liberties for the sake of safety as well as protection from terrorism (and also Detroit urban decay, amazing 25 yrs later that’s still the topic). The cool factor of technology is tempered with the sobering reality of seeing how intrusive technology can be in our day to day life. The updated film does what it is supposed to do and that is help us analyze our times through an exaggerated science fiction perspective.
Michael Keaton plays the evil OmniCorp president Raymond Sellars with a Steve Jobs style of eccentricity. He is determined to bring a product with a human persona to market. The American public will not tolerate having mindless drones and robots in law enforcement, so his mission is to humanize his products. Gary Oldman (I’ve said before, he’s my favorite actor) is the Dr Frankenstein style Dr Dennet Norton. His creation of Robocop is a work of genius, but even he has no idea of it’s consequences or implications.
As stated before, Joel Kinnamen takes on the role of Detroit cop Alex Murphy. He is a family man who is ripped from humanity when what remains of his body after a murder attempt is placed in a mechanical body. In the original, Murphy struggles to remember and reconnect with his family. He battles to become more than the machine he’s been turned into. In this version, Murphy is fully cognitive and agonizes how he can still remain a husband and father in a completely prosthetic body. He fears losing himself to his machine side. A much more broad range of emotions is required than the original, but Peter Weller did a much better job at the emotional nuances and subtleties . I found most of the performances in this film respectable (I will keep going back to that word). Jackie Earle Haley as the Quality Control chief and even Jay Baruchel as Sellars executive Lieutenant were all engaging. Samuel L Jackson as the Bill O’Reilly style Pat Novak (Host of the ‘Novak Element’) provided a perfect skewering of the current cable news climate of combining news and sensationalized commentary. A great performance which looked like he enjoyed playing way too much.
Overall, for those Robocop purists out there, this film does not remake or dishonor the original. The original stands on it’s own and always will. The current incarnation of Robocop can be enjoyed on it’s own merit as well as provide little tidbits that have a pleasant nostalgia. The phrases “I’d buy that for a Dollar” and “Dead or alive; you’re coming with me” can be found and still makes the inner 80’s nerd in all of us smile. Definitely a darker ride than the original, but still a lot of fun. It reflects how the times have changed. I recommend despite the 2 and a half stars I'm giving it.
I give this film ** 1/2 stars
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