HOME | DD
SavageScribe — Why the New Robocop Works
Published: 2014-02-23 23:08:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 1294; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 17
Redirect to original
Description
A polarizing new film has arrived, and what can I say about it? Quite a bit, actually...More reviews & analysis available in video form at: www.youtube.com/user/SavageBro…
Feedback, of course, is most welcome.
---------------
Follow me on my Official Facebook, for all news, reviews and updates on my career:
www.facebook.com/abeldiazwrite…
Follow my Official Blog to learn about my own projects: abeldiazcinema.blogspot.co.uk/
Also, be sure to check out the ongoing journey of my own animated series, Very Strange Things, here (fun ahead!): verystrangethingsanimated.blog…
Related content
Comments: 30
Friday the 13th 1-4? (my guilty pleasures) are masterpieces by my standards by the way! You've got me pegged actually.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Fine, I can respect your opinion and I don't look you negatively for liking them... Personally they're not my cup of tea.
"Freddy VS Jason" is awesome, I gotta admit that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
And I'm going to have to say I think that movie is horrible.... ha!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Ooooh NOES! You're making me a saaaaad panda... Okay, crappy jokes aside, do you really dislike that film or you just said that because you were arguing with me? If you DO believe it's bad, I don't have a problem or look negatively at you.
My personal favorite movie serial killer, with all its flaws, has to be Chucky. I just can't have enough of that little guy.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You think me to simple if you think only the violence is what made the first Robocop great it was the substance that went along with the graphic violence.
You are all the minority critics agree with my opinion.
This movie is lacking depth and what is most sad is that you are all unaware, I can only imagine the lack of effort a movie needs for you to enjoy it.
Tell me how much do you enjoy the Transformer movies? Transformers 4 got you excited?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Could you please reply directly to my comments instead of keeping making others?
Anyways, you once said in that drawing of RoboCop that you didn't liked how the new one "is more light-hearted" you said so yourself.
Therefore I assumed that you love the original for its violence. If you didn't meant to say that, then please express your real thoughts.
And again, how does the reboot lack of depth? It actually made Murphy's family more flashed out while in the original movie they were just there for the sake of making you root for him. In this new movie they actually gave them a character.
But again, I don't like to compare the new one with the old one because they're different stories, I don't see the point of why you should comparing them other than repeating that the original is better with no elaboration.
I'm fine if you prefer the old one, I really love the original movie as well, and I just appreciate the new one for being a much better film that the two sequels the original movie got. The original film is a classic and it deserves something more respectful than those shitty sequels as legacy. The reboot makes stuff on its own but at the same time it keeps the goals of the original film and kind of expands its universe, something the sequels haven't done. That's why I really appreciate it. It does everything the shitty "Total Recall" remake of 2012 didn't.
Please, quit insisting that I have no taste because that doesn't insult me.
Anyhow, I don't really like Transformers movies. Therefore I don't care for the new one coming this year and I'll never watch it.
I disliked the first one and after watching the second one I gave up on this fanchise.
I'm more excited for "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes".
How about you? What are your most anticipated movies of 2014?
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I'm looking forward to those movies too. I highly enjoyed the first planet of the apes. I really like the director of Guardians of the Galaxy kinda reminds me of Paul Verhooven actually.
The new Captain America movie and Interstellar probably most of all. Christopher Nolan is my favorite.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I love the 1968 "Planet of the Apes" movie and "Rise" is indeed a breath of fresh air after the sequels the original movie got and that 2001 remake (even if it was better than the sequels, it's far from an excellent film).
James Gunn is the shit, I fuckin love him, "Slither" is one of my absolute favorite alien invasion films and "Super" really does feel like something Paul Verhoeven would have done, that was a spot on observation. I obviously own both films in my movie collection ^^
I think he's gonna be the next Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson if Guardians is successful.
I also have high hopes for "Godzilla" this year...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You have to realize you personally insulted me first.
All that aside.
I love the violence of the first but the substance that went with them, in that I mean it progressed the story or added a new element everytime action happened. There are so many memorable performances in the first movie, every character is dynamic. I just didn't walk away with that feeling. Most people and critics didn't either.
Thinka about in the first Robocop how he dies and compare that to the new death...doesn't compare. You feel his death, you want him to be ressurected it was as Verhooven planned to be christ-like. He loses everything his arms his legs his manhood taken by villains. The new death you're like oh he's okay burned but alive and then they chop everything off because he will be paralyzed and his wife signs the papers...wtfudge!
The training sequence and in china boring and unneccesary when you think of how this movie is supposed to take place on the mean streets of Detroit and yet it doesn't look bad at all and in real life Detroit is an even bigger shithole than it was in the 80's!
Michael Keaton as a villain...did not work. I thought he was an okay guy until his character did a 180 at the end.
The guy who played Robocop...actually worked. He did a good job. Impressed.
It was an enjoyable movie but in comparison to the original it fails in comparison and actually saying that makes me realize something.
The new Robocop just as Savagescribe says does work...it's enjoyable.
It just isn't the classic that the original is.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
If I insulted you I apologize.
I never really cared for the Jesus Chirst stuff and it doesn't add character depth or development to me.
And again, Murphy's family, the thing that makes him regain his humanity, are not that developed nor we know a lot about them in the original, while in the reboot they are MUCH more flashed out and the performances were good. THAT DOESN'T MEAN that I consider all the OTHER performances and characters from the original film like Clarence Boddicker, Dick Jones and Lewis to have no merit, I think they were awesome like the next person.
I personally loved the training scene especially because the actor who plays the trainer also played my favorite character from "Watchmen" and I fucking loved how they used the song "If I only had a heart" in the context of the film.
But I see why it didn't work with you now.
Yeah, I do agree that the death scene isn't as powerful as the one from the original and Antonie, the new Clarence Boddicker-wannabe is an underwhelming villain. I thought Keaton was okay, he was like an evil Bob Morton... But hands down, at least we can all agree he's smarter than all the retarded villians from RoboCop 2 and 3 combined.
BTW, Samuel Jackson was hilarious as the propaganda guy, I loved everytime he appeared and talked.
I don't consider the reboot to be a classic either, I just appreciate how they FINALLY made a RoboCop movie that doesn't suck. The original movie needed a better legacy than the shitty sequels and those horrible TV shows that just ridicules the character of RoboCop.
That's how I see it. And I do agree the classic remains a classic. Personally my favorite Paul Verhoeven film is Total Recall.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Ha just saw the tagged comment not the more elaborate reply. Whoops Killb94
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
What do you want from me?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
...Mother of Mercy... is TERRIBLE at handling an argument.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Use your words killb94 not avatars.
If you have a difference of opinion with my points of view state them.
You're getting older now and even though you may still read picture books more mature people prefer words strung together to produce sentences to display coherent thoughts.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
So let's recap... You state that there's a difference of opinion... Then you assume that I'm young (despite the fact you don't even know me) read picture books and I need to use coherent thoughts in a failed attempht to provoke me.
You failed. Have a good day, sir.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Okay, seriously, I talked to ThePhantomShadow a few days ago and the reason why he dislikes the new one is because "it's more light-hearted and less violent!"
...This is bloody insulting. If for him what makes the original RoboCop great is the violence and gore, HE COMPLETELY misses the entire point of his so beloved movie. Yes, I said that.
The core of "RoboCop" is all in its themes about humanity, loss of identity, questioning what is the right way to use technology and satire on society being overwhelmed and controlled by corporations and political propaganda.
All stuff the Reboot delivered perfectly, struggle on humanity, the right use of technology and satire on political/corporation propaganda.
When you're making a reboot/remake, you can make it more or less violent, unrealistic or more grounded on reality... But the most important thing is that you UNDERSTAND what truly makes the source material great. The makers of this Reboot knew what RoboCop is really all about and put their own spin to those topics, even improving in some as you pointed out in this review.
Same goes with Peter Jackson's "King Kong" remake, it's not about stopmotion special effects, it's not about monster fights, it's all about the human greed and the relationship between beauty and the beast, and that one especially was done beautifully by Jackson.
Seriously, if what makes the original 1987 film great it's the violence and gore, then I suppose all the brainless "Friday the 13th" movies are masterpieces as well by that logic.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Why the new Robocop doesn't work: Just watch the original again. Doesn't compare.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Even though its focus is different, so they're not really aiming for the same thing, and the story is not
even really from the same perspective as the original.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're right. But the characters have no depth they put so many around him, you could predict what each and every one of them did...they were all stereotypes and never showed more or less than that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Even though that same argument could be applied to the original, as they were not exactly incredibly deep, three-dimesional characters, and were there more to serve the satire & agenda that Verhoven was creating. They were a means to an end.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Good point but they were more realistic in their unflinching depiction and their roles had much better actors.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Rather than a remake, this movie is just a new Robocop movie, just like when Marvel puts out a new Spider-man with a new actor and some changes to modernize it. Plenty of other examples of that happening, but the point is that this movie's real goal is to do the same thing a new Batman, Bond, or Transformers show does. It needs to bring that hero to the new generation and if successful, another great hero continues to be valid in the world. In my opinion they achieved that goal quite well. My kids can watch this with the PG-13 rating but it wasn't so kid friendly that it turns away older people. It wasn't perfect, but those thinking the first one was, much less its sequels, may not be living in reality.
I'd say this was good enough for a sequel, and hope that sequel is even better, because then one of my favorite 80s movie characters gets to continue being one of the greats instead of being forgotten in time.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I try to approach all "remakes" with that ideal, of considering them to be a new movie, just with a familiar IP. Very good essay.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I agree with most of what you say, and the movie does work if you think of it as a new Robocop story rather than a remake. But you didn't really cover what your title suggests. Why the movie works. Personally I thought the film was quite a mess. Why was the US in Iran? Why was the ED 209 (as well as the other robots) readily available before the Robocop initiative? Why is the Robocop initiative important if exoskeletons and bullet proof casings already exist? Why bother with the overly convoluted process of dopamine dipping when a mind wipe was an option from the outset?
I did enjoy watching the movie, it was a solid and well made product. But it was full of gaping holes which should have all been addressed.
PS: The final scene with Samuel L. Jackson was hilarious.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
The 'works' refers to the ideas of the film, which is what I focused on.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I Also agree, i;m pretty neutral about it, while it is a bit bloated with a lot of good ideas, it was very entertaining and did drag a bit. I Like it more as its own thing, I Liked the twist of the villain, etc. lots of pros and cons but I like your review on it and ti does work.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0