Review: 'RoboCop' (2014)

http://e-manic.blogspot.in/2014/02/review-robocop-2014.html

PLOT: After an attempt on his life, a critically-wounded Detroit policeman, Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), is revived by Omnicorp, a multi-national conglomerate, that turns him into a $2.7 billion cyborg cop. Once he's back on the streets of Detroit, Murphy tries to solve his own slaying, while his distraught wife (Abbie Cornish) and son try to figure out whether this new half-man/half-machine is still the husband and father they once knew.

REVIEW: Paul Verhoevens RoboCop was not a film that needed to be remade. With its countless memorable lines and scenes, over-the-top violence, and awesome, original sci-fi world building, the 1987 movie remains an action classic to this day. Its a shame that this will always remain a strike against the new RoboCop from director Jos Padilha, because with the exception of a few detrimental flaws, the remake actually plays with some legitimately fascinating, different ideas that come together to make an attention-worthy entry in the science-fiction genre. 

Taking the original plan and making the proper adjustments to make the movie a closer extension of our own world, the film takes audiences to the year 2028, where one of the most controversial issues around the globe is the increased use of robotic drones in both war zones and city streets. With the American people split on the issue -- many fearing that drones have no morality or value for human life -- robotics manufacturer OmniCorp, led by CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton), is forced to explore a new avenue: putting a man inside a machine.

Enter Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), an honest Detroit cop, husband and father who is blown to smithereens with a car bomb after beginning an investigation into one of the most powerful crime lords in the city. With the help of the bright Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman), the company is able to retain Murphys life by putting what remains of him into a robotic suit of armor. It seems the answer to swaying the American people has been found  that is, until the executives and scientists begin to change the titular heros dopamine levels, emotions and free will, leading the experiment down a dangerous rabbit hole of incredibly important and risky ethical implications. 

Unlike most remakes, which simply work with the originals themes and ideas without much alteration, Padilhas RoboCop is not only different, but actually quite brilliant. Like all the best sci-fi out there, the film is an entertaining, thought-provoking reflection on issues were dealing with in our contemporary world - namely drone warfare - seen from a different angle. Its handled both seriously (such as when Dr. Norton struggles with the ethical implications of changing Murphys brain chemistry when in Battle Mode) and in satire (namely through a pro-robot TV news show called The Novak Element, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson), and comes together as a intellectual conversation starter. 

Its in expressing these thoughts and ideas that RoboCop stumbles like an ED-209 on a flight of stairs. The film dedicates an important chunk of its 108 minute runtime towards the building of the titular cyborg and Murphys emotional and physical journey through the process, and as important as that is, it winds up harming the storys pacing and structure, the audience left waiting for Murphy to finally depart his training facility and head on to the streets of Detroit. This problem compounds as the film falls into the trap of telling instead of showing. Possibly handicapped by the PG-13 rating, the movie constantly has characters talking about how dangerous the world has become and the importance of technological advancement in law enforcement, but fails to ever actually show the threats upon the streets or what RoboCop is doing to end them (which, naturally, has a deep impact upon the action sequences, which are too few and far between). 

Doing their part to fortify the film is what actually amounts to a terrific ensemble performance by the entire cast. Stepping into the shoes of Peter Weller, Kinnaman puts upon an impressive leading man turn, really nailing every emotional moment for his complex character. Likewise, Oldman  who really deals with the most important moral decisions in the plot  creates Dr. Norton to be both sympathetic and human. Really stealing the spotlight at every turn, however, is Keaton, who both brings a fun charisma to Sellars while also capturing the pitch-absolute moral ambiguity of a classic 80s corporate villain. 

The stop of the film suggests that there is a future for the new RoboCop as a series, and while that didnt exactly work out too well in the 90s, there is some potential here. For every of its deep flaws, the movie Padilha and screenwriter Joshua Zetumer have crafted puts down an interesting groundwork, taking an old idea in a new direction and actually having something to say. Its not Verhoeven, but its a begin.