Robocop (Reboot)

Just in from a late screening of this and really rather enjoyed it. Due to some issues the film was screened in the "luxury theatre" which is just a fancy name for a screen with decent leg room and comfortable seats. I've never seen a late screening so packed though given the size of the screen I imagine that it would look pretty empty had it been in the main screen.

The original Robocop is considered a classic for the way it managed to be a brutally violent action film that had intelligence to spare and a sense of humor. This remake has little of those ingredients intact but much like Robocop himself, it's a new film for a new generationan and for a bit of throw away Friday night fun it does an admirable job. It's never going to attain the status of Verhoeven's original but it's far from the disaster so many hoped that it would be.

José Padilha is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Robocop remake and has already delivered a striking critique of over zelous law enforcement in disadvantaged areas. Much like his work in the Elite Squad series, Padilha anchors Robocop with some of the most inventive, frenetic and realistic gun-play in quite some time. While it lacks the gratuitous violence of the original it doesn't fell like some watered down, bloodless entity, and most surprisingly there's some genuine tension created thanks to a number of inventive tricks Padilha employs so as to hide the gore. One unexpected highlight is the fact that it's one of the few action films in recent years that shows the aftermath with bodies swimming in blood. It's a small thing but key to selling the more realist approach to the action.

Less successful is the core story in which post explosion Murphy isn't the blank slate of the original. Instead, he retains all his memories and emotions and his interaction with his wife is amongst the oddest romances ever played out on screen. Abbie Cornish played the downtrodden wife and spends most of the film crying and asking where here husband is. There are some interesting themes that could be explored given the situation but the film has no interest in doing anything other than get to the next set piece. Anyways, even if it did try to say something, so little chemistry exists between Cornish and Joel Kinnaman that no one would care.

The decision to keep Murphy's marriage integral to the plot was a mistake, especially when the relationship between Murphy and Dr. Dennett Norton is far more interesting and dynamic. There's a fatherly love displayed by Oldman but that's more likely to be due to his performance than anything in the script. The biggest oversight is the manner in which Detroit is portrayed. Few cities have such a tragic past and it's almost as if all involved are unaware of it's reputation and sordid past. The original portrayed the city with a gritty realism the made it more character than back drop but here it's just feels like every generic quasi sci-fi city of the future.

Robocop feels like a missed opportunity. There's some interesting ideas and it explores a few themes but simply doesn't know what to do them. The villains here are cutouts from every evil corporation in the history of cinema and the relationship between Robo and his colleagues is glossed over and the heart of the film, the relationship between Murphy and his family feels manufactured simply to try and add some tension. While it's nowhere near as good as the original, it's still far from the dud many expected and Padilha really impresses. Robocop is perfectly acceptable fodder for a Friday night. It's a slice of throw away fun that won't linger long in the memory but while it lasts it's never boring and there's certainly a hell of a lot worse out there atm.