Robocop (2014)

How far would you be willing to go so save your own life? In February 2014, Murphy’s option would change everything in his life.

Directing this 118 minute action/crime/sci-fi/thriller is Jose Padiha.

Some of the cast is: Joel Kinaman as Alex Murphy, Abbie Cornish as Clara Murphy, Michael K. Williams as Jack Lewis, Gary Oldman as Dr. Dennett Norton, Michael Keaton as Raymond Sellars, Jackie Earle Haley as Rick Mattox, Jay Baruchel as Tom Pope, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Chief Karen Dean, Patrick Garrow as Antoine Vallon and Samuel L. Jackson as Pat Novak.

Murphy is a cop in the year 2028 and he’s hot on the trail of a crime boss named Vallon. Unfortunately, Murphy was getting too close to catching up with Vallon, which is why Murphy met with an almost fatal accident. While the car bomb was meant to kill him, instead it left him in critical condition, giving OmniCorp a candidate for a new program they are working on. The program is the first of it’s kind, one where human and machine would be combined. If all works out, this could mean a whole new kind of law enforcement. Problem is, this new look that saved Murphy’s life wasn’t something he was prepared for, nor was everything he had to give up for it. Now, he must not only come to terms with his new life, but also do the job he was made for… being a cop.

Robocop 2014 is something that should bring excitement to my eyes when I see the title. The mind blowing thought of seeing so many great scenes getting a fresh paint job. Which, after seeing it would make my fingers dance with joy over the keyboard during the review, wanting to tell you how bad you have to see this movie. Sadly, things don’t always turn out the way you hope they will.

The storyline was about the same as the original, with some changes here and there. They also changed the focus in a few spots, which is where I felt the overall storyline wound up feeling light. It didn’t deliver a punch it when it was all said and done. Part of that also has to go to Kinaman not having a strong script. In spite of the script, the cast did a good job. Unfortunately, with all the big names I can’t say it helped one bit. You don’t really spend enough time with them to get into their character. Except for Kinaman and Oldman, which did really good with what they had. So it ends up being just a flashy-cool looking action flick. Speaking of flashy-cool, the special effects did do a great job. There are a few scenes when they are putting Robocop together that were just sci-fi cool.

The playthrough of the film felt rushed, spots that would’ve have been great to sit for a spell were quickly pushed through, and then they choose to drag their feet in the oddest of places. It didn’t have that gritty look this time around. It was kind of cleaner looking, and not because of the technology of filming. The sets where nice and clean, the city doesn’t look like crime is a problem there like in the first one. As for the updated look of Robocop, I didn’t really care for it. Because of the tactical black paint job, the new face shield and keeping his one “human hand” (which made no sense). If nothing else, it stands out from the original I guess, yet I don’t see it standing the test of time like the original.

 

Summary : Fans of the original will be let down, but I'm sure there's something here for the sci-fi fans to enjoy.

It's rated PG-13 for violence and language.


Rating


Average

3