RoboCop (**)
Directed
by: José Padilha
Starring:
Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish,
Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel, Aimee
Garcia
Seen:
February 7th 2014
**
Out of ****
Another
remake of an ancient movie that I haven’t seen, RoboCop is a barely acceptable
action movie with some pretty cool action sequences. But when I walked out of
the cinema my overwhelming feeling about it was that it was… stupid. There are laudable
attempts at social commentary which are not really smart enough to warrant
anything beyond the lifting of a corner of your mouth, much less a snicker. And
oh my, does it feature some truly annoying characters – Samuel L. Jackson, I’m
looking at you…
In a semi-dystopian
future in the year 2028, the enormous company OmniCorp (movie staple for the
everywhere-and-everything-super-bad-guy) deals in mechanised infantry, on a globally
massive scale. Every country in the world is using their technology for street
policing, except for The United States, where the Dreyfuss Act prevents it.
OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Keaton) tasks his brightest scientist Dr. Dennett
Norton (Oldman) with creating a human-robot hybrid that will make the powers
that be reassess the Dreyfuss Act, in order for OmniCorp to also sell in the
USA (If the USA isn’t buying, but the REST OF THE WORLD are, why not just leave
them out of it and keep making billions as is?). Norton starts looking for a
viable injured policeman for the program, and he settles on the recently very
badly bombed Alex Murphy (Kinnaman).
Once
RoboCop is ready for testing, OmniCorp’s military tactician Rick Mattox (Haley)
is proven to be right about his capability when his human instincts make him slower
than the machines they’ve been trying to sell. When the police database is
uploaded to RoboCop’s brain the trauma further affects him, for which Norton
devises a cunning solution – lower RoboCop’s dopamine, thereby reducing him to
an emotionless – but very effective – crime fighting machine. They are told to
keep him from his wife Clara (Cornish), since she is probably the only thing
that could still trigger emotion in him. But as time passes RoboCop’s humanity
starts coming through again, and OmniCorp will rue the day that they messed
with (human) nature.
The
movie looks very good, with great production values and shiny action sequences,
but also features some bad acting (everyone) and silly plot devices (RoboCop’s
programming prevents him from arresting the real bad guys…). The first time
RoboCop moved I cringed, as every smallest move he makes produces a mechanic
sound – even turning his head, and it persisted… There is an element of social
commentary here, but in this age of overtly corrupt police and decades-long
military overspending the movie is simply joining a chorus of more influential
voices in the form of the uncle no one talks about. Art imitates real life, but
this movie is too bad to even be considered art. I stand by my original feeling
– RoboCop is stupid.
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