It’s the year 2028 and OmniCorp is a leader in robot technology. They have really made a name for themselves throughout the world with their products, however American law enforcement isn’t so fast to embrace them. The US considers changing its tune after one of its police officers, Alex Murphy (played by Joel Kinnaman) is mortally wounded after an explosion occurs at the hands of enemies. His only hope is to become a cyborg. His family agrees and while OmniCorp has jumped at this opportunity, they are in for more than they bargained for when the man inside assumes control over the machine which carries out their ultimate wishes.
It seems like no classic is immune from warranting a reboot these days, so learning that a new Robocop was in the works wasn’t a huge surprise. It’s the right type of film to get one, especially considering what they can do these days in terms of special effects.
While the effects of the original are laughable today, I can fully admit that as a 5 year old, watching the intimidating ED-209 running around and killing people was the stuff my nightmares were made of.
I was somewhat skeptical about this new one because it had a PG-13 rating. The original Robocop was rated R and some of that grittiness was part of what made it special. From the scene where Alex Murphy (an iconic role for Peter Weller) is brutally attacked by the bad guys to the scene where a bad guy falls into a vat of acid and explodes when struck by a car, these were moments that made the film standout. Granted that Robocop was produced with a modest $13 million budget. Even back then that wasn’t very expensive. With the new one carrying a $100 million price tag, a PG-13 rating was practically a must to ensure they churn a profit.
I wasn’t very impressed with the black version of the suit but I liked the silver version. Its style reminded more of the original. The newer ED-209s were definitely scarier and more abundant at least.
There were a lot of big named stars attached to this one and while overall it was okay, it still felt like it was missing that extra something to make it feel special like the original. This is the age of Transformers, Iron Man, Avengers, etc. hitting the big screen so perhaps that’s what makes this feel more generic.
Overall the film is watchable, but it’s nothing new.