Blu-ray Review: ‘RoboCop’ Remake Struggles with Identity

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Average: 4.8 (4 votes)

CHICAGO – After years of being envisioned with numerous directors (“Noah’s” Darren Aronofsky was once attached), a new version of “RoboCop” has arrived. While the original 80s classic stood out for its foresight into current cultural turmoil, this remake is more a product of movies of the past, and to be more specific, our recent beloved superhero movies.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

This film from director Jose Padilha is a decent one, but it’s more like a prologue than a work that can stand on its own. This is the “Batman Begins” or “Man of Steel” of the hopeful new franchise installation, but without the same amount of intrigue as the former. Instead, “RoboCop” remains stuck between wanting to be dialogue-driven but also accessible with action. The camera itself has more movement than its hero, which makes for a couple dynamic scenes, but not an extraordinary protagonist.

“RoboCop” is not just the sole responsibility of “The Killing” actor Joel Kinnaman, who has the fortune (misfortune?) of wearing the robotic helmet of a cult favorite. The film is boosted by a supporting performance by Gary Oldman, a scientist who creates RoboCop, but is constantly conflicted with the moral ambiguities he is perpetuating; Oldman provides the film its best performance by far.

One big problem of this “RoboCop” is that within its struggle to settle on a identity, it fails to create a strong opposing force to its human computer. Michael Keaton is an inspired choice to be the bad guy CEO that treats RoboCop like a product, but makes too obvious the invincibility that defines our hero. The idea of corporate power defeating Robocop more than physical power is an interesting one (and a recurring idea through the franchise), but isn’t fully driven home within this remake.

Should he be able to ride again, the character of RoboCop has promise, now that his story has been re-introduced. Let’s just hope that the filmmakers for the next movie will know better of what they want to do with him.

RoboCop was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2014
“RoboCop” was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2014
Photo credit: MGM

Synopsis: In the year 2028, greedy conglomerate OmniCorp uses robotic technology to transform critically injured police officer Alex Murphy (Kinnaman)into the ultimate crime fighter. He’s part man, part machine … he’s RoboCop. Back on the streets, Murphy is hardwired for law enforcement, but the mind and memories of the human inside long to take over. [Courtesy of MGM]

Special Features:
o “RoboCop” in High Definition
o Deleted Scenes
o “RoboCop: Engineered for the 21st Century”
o “Omnicorp Product Annoucement”
o Digital Copy of “RoboCop”
o DVD Copy of “RoboCop”

“RoboCop” was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2014.

By Nick Allen
Contributor
HollywoodChicago.com

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