ROBOCOP (2014) – The Review

We’re just a few weeks into 2014, and it’s already time for film goers to encounter the dreaded “r word”. Or could it be a trio of words? Alright, let’s fully address the controversial threesome: remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings. The oldest is the first one, the now-spurned remake. They were commonplace particularly in the early sound era as many silent films were revisited in order to utilize the new sound technology. Then a few years later these early “talkies” were done once more in full, blazing Technicolor (and 3D and stereophonic sound, Cinerama, etc.). THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM was remade in color and 3D as HOUSE OF WAX. But soon remakes were getting a “bad rap”, perhaps spurred in the mid-1970’s when the dismal Dino DeLaurentis produced KING KONG flopped with critics and the public. Maybe cable TV and the burgeoning home video market had a hand in this. The public had greater access to the originals (back then, your only chance was “The Late, Late Show” or at revival theatres and college film programs). This brings us to the second word, the reboots, which often applies to film franchises. The Daniel Craig CASINO ROYALE was a reboot of the long-running Bond series, for example. For individual one-shot films, the re-imagining term is usually tossed about instead of remake, especially newer US movies based on classic novels or lauded foreign films. This was the case with last year’s new screen version of Stephen King’s nearly 40 year-old novel, CARRIE which landed at multiplexes with a load thud.

But that certainly hasn’t deterred Hollywood. Opening today is a new screen incarnation of ROBOCOP, which could be considered a reboot and re-imagining. The much beloved 1987 original  spawned two follow-up feature films and a TV min-series sequel. And, amazingly, despite its R rating (which was achieved after several edits to avoid the abhorrent NC-17), the film was marketed to kids with a comic book series, a toy line, and even an animated TV show! But besides the science fiction elements and action sequences that film provided an element that set it apart from the 80’s “shoot-em-ups”: satire. This may be one of the reasons it’s recalled so fondly today (it even got a classy Criterion DVD edition a few years back). It was set in a world not that many years from our own, and like the very serious NETWORK, many of its digs and predictions about the media came true. Now finally after many years of legal wranglings (the former Orion Pictures property was scooped up by MGM), that cyborg is ready to hit those mean streets once more. Despite having tremendous affection for that nearly 27 year-old classic, I tried to approach this telling with an open mind. Although as it started to unspool, I could hear that electronically enhanced voice of Peter Weller delivering one of his many quoted lines of dialogue: “Your move, creep!”.

As it opens we’re planted right on the set of 2028’s most popular media pundit, Pat Novak (Samuel L Jackson). On his nightly program/soapbox he sings the praises of defense contractor Omnicorp and its founder Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton). A remote report from Iran shows the village streets being patrolled by two of the company’s cybernetic products, the huge hulking ED-209’s and the man-sized robots the ED-208’s. All seems to be peaceful until some locals launch a suicide attack on the machines. After the skirmish is quickly contained, the report is cut short. Novak decries the fact that these products are not used in stateside law enforcement thanks to a bill spearheaded by Senator Dreyfus (Zach Grenier) that bans the police from using robotics. Sellars is determined to find away around the bill in order reap huge profits from selling his creations to American police stations. What if there was a human being inside the machine. Sellars calls in his robot prosthetics expert Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) to vet a test subject for the new product. Meanwhile in Detroit, undercover police officer Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is gravely injured by a car bomb while investigating an arms merchant and drug kingpin who may have some of Murphy’s fellow cops on his payroll. The heroic officer seems to be the perfect candidate for Omnicorp, so after Alex’s wife Clara (Abbie Cornish) gives permission the project goes forward. The result is Robocop, an unstoppable cyborg lawman. But there are complications as Omnicorp tries to keep Alex away from his wife and ten year-old son. When he makes his own attempted murder priority one, the company tries to adjust his body chemistry in order to comply with their demands (and inspire the Dreyfus bill to be rescinded). Can Murphy fight them and retain his humanity?

Kinnaman (best known for AMC TV’s “The Killing”) spends most of his screen time before his cyber-upgrade glowering and snarling as “the one cop that won’t be bought” (well the same goes for Michael K Williams as his pal/partner Jack). We get some brief moments of tenderness with the family leading to the big change. Unlike Weller in the 87 model, the visor covering the top half of the face only goes down during combat, so Kinnaman is able to emote more as he adjusts to his new armored self (even shedding tears as he pleads for termination). This helps us better get inside Murphy’s head and Kinnaman adds to our sympathy for him by using his expressive eyes. Unfortunately there’s perhaps greater chemistry between him and Williams than with Cornish as his long-suffering wife. She keeps out of much of the main action, mainly showing up sporadically to cry and become a thorn in Omnicorp’s side until she needs to be rescued in the film’s final action-filled finale. Oldman does what he can with the under-written role of noble man of science tethered to the heartless, greedy company. He wants to help Murphy while fending off and arguing with his creepy bosses. We see that he’s conflicted, but his priorities seem to be muddled. We have a tough time figuring out his real loyalties. It’s great to see Michael Keaton in a major role here as a twisted spin on his Bruce Wayne turn from over two decades ago. His affable nature hides his greed and power lust. He eschews finely tailored three-piece suits so as to look like an “average Joe” (he leaves that attire to his two main lackeys played by Jay Baruchel and Jennifer Ehle), but he never hesitates to deceive  and destroy anyone in his way. Another of his aids is a tough military man played with steely swagger by Jackie Earle Haley. He believes in machines, not men (especially the very human Murphy). Jackson brings his usual energy to his role as the pompous, pontificating pundit but this gas-bag isn’t that different from the character that Stephen Colbert has perfected for that last few years on late night TV.

The thing that ‘s most striking about this “re-doing” is the lack of anything very striking about it. In order to appeal to the broadest audience possible the makers have gone for the “safe” PG-13 rating and have rendered everything almost toothless, a lot less bark and very little bite. Murphy’s just a jet black Iron Man with fewer gadgets (he can’t fly, but dig the cool cycle!). There’s a touch of subversive satire in the opening Iran sequence as villagers trying to go about their business must stop, raise their arms, and allow the ominous machines to scan them and access them as a threat (like going on a flight several times a day). But that’s soon ditched for another “pile on” the one percenters. Yeah, we know “Mr. Businessman is an evil guy” already. Sure we had company creeps in the original, but they also had a terrific sleazy gang led by Kurtwood Smith (the Dad from “That 70’s Show”?). Now, besides the sinister Sellars there’s a generic, vaguely European colorless crime boss named Vallon. There’s almost an attempt for all-out revenge mayhem when Murphy overrides the system and goes after the corruption at the police station. But he (and the film’s burst of momentum) is quickly shut down. The only other time the new film can get a rise from the audience is when someone reuses a classic line from the original or the great Basil Poledouris theme is briefly heard. And this Detroit doesn’t seem like such a scary, crime-ridden place (I’m sure several cities were standing in for the much-maligned burg). In the earlier tale we rooted for Murphy to reclaim his humanity (he’s thought to be dead and slowly awakes to his earlier life), but here his memories are still complete after his reboot, then he loses them, and tries to regain them which causes the film to lose its thrust and actually come screeching to a halt in some of the domestic drama scenes. Brazilian director Jose Padhila tries to keep the story flowing, but the action set pieces are merely different levels on a “first person shooter” video game (there’s 50 points, and a bonus point). Thanks to CGI we can see Murphy out of the suit more, and the heaving lungs and exposed brain are impressively gruesome, but the film seems to be many steps backward from the smarter and more gleefully gory (and funny) original. The 1987 model is a classic with no need of an upgrade, The 2014 is shinier and faster, but I guess I’m still too fond of that bulky, clunky armored lantern-jawed lawman. As he would say, “Thank you for your co-operation”.

3 out of 5