ROBOCOP - 12th February 2014

Went along to see the rebooted, reimagined, resurrected 'ROBOCOP' last night at my local Multiplex. Once again, Hollywood must be starved of originality, and has updated this late 80's franchise for a whole new audience.

What we have here is a near identical plot to the original storyline, just updated for 2014 with all the latest space age technology that money can buy. Our hero of the story is Detroit cop Alex Murphy played well enough by newcomer Joel Kinnaman, who in a revenge attack by the Detroit underworld is blown to bits when his car explodes outside his family home one evening.

Fast forward and what's left of Alex (which isn't much really!) is connected up to US$2.6B of ultra technology so creating part human mostly machine to clean up the streets of Detroit criminal scum and indeed the USA, so that Omnicorp (the company behind the investment and the technology) can become rich, very rich! Michael Keaton heads up Omnicorp and plays it solidly and stoically intent on getting his man/machine out there against the will of the politicians and a sceptical public. But the public love a morality tale and a human touch and so a man (or what's left of him) inside a machine is infinitely better than just a machine - particularly where justice is concerned. The Doctor of the piece is Gary Oldman who is also very good as the researcher and ground breaking surgeon who rebuilds Alex with all manner of super sensors, processors, micro chips, hydraulics, pumps, valves and advanced weaponry to instil peace and justice upon the city. The storyline is moved along by Samuel L. Jackson as the reporter with the voice of America, Pat Novak, who every night on prime time TV extols the virtues of Robocops and how they will help keep America safe!

Needless to say when Michael Keaton wanted to put a man inside a machine he wasn't counting on what was left to regain its emotion, its conscience, and its memory and so he comes to an inevitable sticky end, leaving the good Doctor to come to our Robocop's salvation when the credits start rolling.

This film is part 'TERMINATOR' and part 'IRON MAN', but these two movies did a better job on many fronts. Also starring Abbie Cornish and Jackie Earle Haley to add to the impressive cast, it is the technology scenes that are most impressive, together with how our Robocop is built from Alex's 'remains' which is well delivered. Overall though this is predictable stuff, particularly having seen the first two instalments way back when, when these movies and their premise were groundbreaking - today when this stuff is all around us this is just your average remake Ho-Hum facsimile, which however, is still likely to spawn a sequel!


-Steve, at Odeon Online-