RoboCop (2014) Review

Good cop or bad cop?

Film review by Isaac Handelman

RoboCop probably didn’t need a remake. That’s important to get out of the way up front. Few asked for a re-imagining of the satirical, ultra-violent 1987 sci-fi action flick, but here we are with a budget-ballooned, effects-driven, modern remake of the classic film. And you know what? It’s not half bad. Jose Padhila’s RoboCop is uneven and its title character is totally devoid of a personality, but it’s consistent where it matters: delivering a direct adrenaline shot of entertainment. And as a bonus, the film actually comes close to making an intelligent statement.

RoboCop sets itself in a near-ish future, where robotic law enforcement has replaced traditional officers in most countries outside of America. The nefarious corporation behind these robotic protectors is Omnicorp, headed up by Raymond Sellers (Michael Keaton). Sellers decides that what the American populace needs to convince them of the legitimacy of robotic law enforcement is a tangible, relatable, semi-human icon to revere. Conveniently enough, police officer Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) suffers an injury that leaves him paralyzed. So Sellers calls upon Norton (Gary Oldman), a scientist who specializes in robotic prosthetics, to turn Murphy into a crime-fighting cyborg.

But Murphy's human side is almost never give time to shine through in the film. Joel 

Kinnaman's performance is serviceable; the issue here is that his character simply lacks anything resembling a personality. Murphy is, in fact, such a boring character, that I was absolutely mystified by the fact that the film's screenwriters actually seem to have expected viewers to care about him.

Less of an issue is the audience's capacity to root for Murphy. Of course, it's not all too difficult to make a crime-fighting robot easy to root for; that having been said, RoboCop is sleekly designed and is an intimidating onscreen presence. You do have to wonder why the designers over at Omnicorp decided to make the guy look so blatantly evil, but that's beside the point. What's important is that the new RoboCop makes for an easily cheer-able protagonist amidst gunfire, despite lacking any hint of humanity.

Unfortunately, though, much of the film's action is just that: gunfire. RoboCop's action sequences are quite entertaining for their novelty, but they aren't terribly dynamic, with most of the scenes consisting of RoboCop walking or jogging forward, mowing down all who stand in his path, while the enemies' bullets pang off his armor. RoboCop does get his hands dirty on occasion, but the volume of rote, uncreative action is disappointingly high.

Thankfully, RoboCop's lack of ingenuity in its action is made up for by the film's surprisingly compelling narrative. Its basic setup is clever and well-conceived, with some genuinely intelligent undertones. The screenplay is no masterpiece, but it tells an interesting tale that's far more multi-layered than your typical action fare. The film manages to evoke moments of honest emotion, and chronicles more than one intriguing sub-plot to keep the narrative fresh. By its close, RoboCop nearly makes a smart statement about the current state of America, though it falls just short of actually delivering said statement with gravitas.

The characters inhabiting RoboCop’s impressively-solid narrative are, with the exception of the main protagonist, an entertaining bunch. Abbie Cornish plays Alex’s wife, Clara, and imbues the character with believability, showcasing relatable human reactions to many of the gonzo events in the narrative. Her character, coupled with her strong performance, elevate the film’s emotional impact considerably. Gary Oldman is as great as ever in his role as Norton; this may not be the most prestigious performance of the veteran actor’s career, but it’s certainly one of his most purely likable and carelessly fun. The real standout is Samuel L. Jackson, who portrays media mogul Pat Novak in what is one of the most memorable turns in the actor’s career. What would have otherwise been a somewhat pointless supporting character is given enormous personality and a great touch of humor by Jackson’s booming charisma and screen-commanding presence.

Few would have expected RoboCop to deliver anything beyond dumb fun; at the end of the day, RoboCop delivers this, minus the “dumb.” It’s not quite the intelligent satire that its source material was, but RoboCop hits just enough political undertones and explores just enough emotional repercussions of its premise to call itself semi-smart action fare.