RoboCop (6/3/2014)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action including frenetic gun violence throughout, brief strong language, sensuality and some drug material.

Starring Joel Kinnaman, Michael Keaton. Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman, Jay Baruchel and Jackie Earle Haley

Directed by Jose Padilha

Another Hollywood re-boot that failed to live up to the hype.

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it’s meant billions for OmniCorp’s bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

I’ll start this review by making it clear that the original Robocop was one of my personal favorites in the early 90’s (I was 14 when it was released in 1987 and was not allowed to see a rated R film). Knowing that, you can imagine both my trepidation and excitement when I heard Hollywood was rebooting it. Then I heard it was getting a PG-13 rating, so I gathered up my expectations and walked into the theater.

The first hour of the film was pretty entertaining. Murphy’s near death experience and “transformation” are brutal and disturbing. His “coming to terms” with his new form are really well done. Unfortunately the film starts to take a significant nose dive at the point of Robocop’s big public unveiling. Here’s how bad it gets. The entire Detroit PD database – approximately 17 years worth of the criminals’ data gets uploaded into Robocop’s memory. This causes Robocop to overload, making him more robotic but ultimately leads to him making a very public arrest. It just feels so clumsy.

The effects are generally good but the Robocop/ED-209 battle is a very typical, over-CGIed fest and has none of the weight of the original. But the film’s biggest issue is the decision to make it a PG-13 rating. I have to believe that was a financial decision and not an artistic one. Hearing Detroit’s worst criminals talk without swearing is unrealistic and unbelievable. I’m not endorsing profanity, I’m simply saying it is a difficult obstacle to overcome when the filmmakers want me to believe certain things and then show me something very different.

There aren’t any particular standout performances other than Gary Oldman who almost always delivers. Kinnaman is on in The Killing, but seemed out of his range here. And Michael Keaton was less than impressive. One aspect of the film that did not work for me was Samuel L. Jackson’s character/narrator. It tells us nothing interesting that we don’t already know and Jackson does his shouty thing to excess, especially at the cringe-worthy end. Think his new Capitol One commercials – just about a robot policing force…“What’s in your streets?”

I whole-heartedly endorse Hollywood remaking and rebooting films…when it’s done right. Films like The Amazing Spiderman, Man of Steel, Star Trek, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Nolan’s Batman trilogy are some of the best reboots. Then there are films like Total Recall, The Planet of the Apes and The Dukes of Hazzard…which they should not have wasted their money making. For me this one falls squarely in the latter group…so I say go see it but “only if it’s free.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity and it’s mild for a PG-13 film. There is a partially bleeped use of the F-word, and a partially bleeped S-word. There are a few other milder profanities.

There is a lot of violence and some very intense gunfight scenes. It is pretty disturbing when we see Robocop’s organs/brain when he does not have his armor on.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. Alex’s wife, Clara, is forced to make a horrible choice: allow her husband to die or allow OmniCorp to use his body to create a robocop. Do you think that was a difficult decision?


2. When was the last time you had to make a difficult decision? What was it?


3. What are some things you do when you have to make a decision?


4. Read Proverbs 3:5-6
   
   With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.
   
   
5. How does this verse help when making a difficult decision?