Robocop (2014):
Starring - Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Batman, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson,
a lot of cool people.
Synopsis:
The US uses robots to enforce the world everywhere except on
the homeland. The American people will not accept a technology they cannot
relate to. Enter Robert-cop, the man with the plan! Wait, no, sorry. Alex
Murphy is attacked and left for dead, giving OmniCorp a fresh body with which
to integrate their technology, making the first human/robot hybrid enforcement
officer! And yes, they call him Robocop. Because it’s catchy.
There has been A LOT of hatred for this movie on the
internet since its release. Not just by the usual web fans boys, ready to
crucify anything resembling their childhood that isn’t exactly how they
imagined it, but by critics. I know a lot of people don’t put stock into critics’
opinions any more, but I certainly do. So, I walked into this movie expecting
it to be lousy. What I got was actually quite entertaining. It’s longer than it
needs to be and it does sometimes meander on details that seem to be
distracting from the action, but otherwise I can hardly fault the movie. I didn’t
watch it while constantly comparing it to the original; that would have, of
course, resulted in disappointment because the original is a gory, funny
masterpiece of cinema that shouldn’t be compared to any other movie, not even
its own sequels. Robocop 2014 is heavy on story, making this into an origin-story
that unfortunately will probably not get any follow ups. I want more though. I
want to see more hopping around action scenes, more gooey looking body horror
special effects, and an R rating next time (pretty please). I could total be
wrong about this movie; I even have evidence to the opposite of my opinion. A
couple of older people sitting behind be kept talking during the movie and
eventually they BOTH feel asleep. I don’t think they liked it as much as I did.
What I Liked:
-Pretty good special effects. I didn’t see an obnoxious use
of computer magic where practical would have served better. I just had a lot of
fun watching Robodude shoot a bunch of other robots and ride around on his cool
motor bikes.
-The cast. I named a bunch of them up top, but there were a
lot of other great people in it. Jay Baruchel plays a good imitation of the
asshole from Die Hard who tried to negotiate with the terrorists and called
Hans “bubbie”. Jennifer Ehle is a OmniCorp corporate officer who is cold,
calculated, evil. Jackie Earl Haley is in a role as a weapons specialist, but
who cares about that. I did not recognize Haley because he was not being a
scary creep job. This is a guy who has played Rorschach in the Watchmen movie,
Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare remake, and a sexual deviant in Little
Children. He was practically normal in this movie. Unless he humped Robocop off
screen. It could have happened.
-As I said earlier, I liked the story. Robocop’s wife and
child actually play a factor in the plot. OmniCorp is not just a bunch of
cartoon villains. Samuel L Jackson’s character is a cartoon, but it is perfect
for the plot.
-Sam Jackson gets his own like section, because his stuff
was so fun.
What I didn’t like:
-The length. The movie is longer than it needs to be.
Although I cannot quite key down what scenes I would shave off in the editing
room. Maybe some of the board room stuff, but I don’t know. I liked seeing all
the OmniCorp employees and Gary Oldman chat it up.
-The side villain. Of course, OmniCorp is not the only threat
in RoboCop’s life. Crooked cops and crime lords are out there, ready to get in
Robbie the robot’s way. This is where I couldn’t help but compare it to the
original movie. Kurtwood Smith is an amazingly evil villain in Robocop 1987,
not afraid to get his hands dirty and outright challenging the hero to come
after him. He rules the city, and you can see why the city might need a robotic
police substitute to take on such an evil, powerful force. The villain equivalent
in the 2014 Robocop doesn’t even bear mentioning. He is merely a stepping stone
in the plot and is taken out way too easily.
What I hated:
-old people who sit behind you and talk constantly no matter
how often you shush them, like fucking children.
Verdict:
If you are coming into this movie expecting a summer
blockbuster caliber action flick, you will be disappointed. This is an
interesting Sci-fi action/drama, on par with something like Minority Report.
See it in the theater if you want, waiting to rent it won’t hurt you either. I
liked it. I’d watch it again.
Other movies for this week include another 2014 release, and one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'll tell you all about them on Sunday!
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