Robocop 2014 (Post-release)
- Thread starter nitrox
- Start date
Let me start by saying I love the original Robocop in all of its classic Paul Verhoeven satirical cheesiness. I like the original design and I liked the original story. With that being said, I watched it recently, and it is a little tough to watch in spots because it IS so cheesy, but I accept that was part of the point. Sadly, beneath the satire is a very interesting story that never gets fully explored.
When I saw the new suit, I wasn't crazy about it. The one hand seemed ridiculous and the all black seemed very boring. I wasn't looking forward to it and couldn't imagine that the film would be anything but another lame attempt to suck money out of an 80's property while offering us nothing but a poorly executed rehash of what we have already seen.
I was wrong.
Both Kristen and I walked out of the movies at the same time and she spoke first what I was thinking, but a little too ashamed to say: "I liked this as good if not better than the original." While the most basic element of the new movie; a cyborg cop is the same, that is about it and that is a very good thing! If this had simply been a rehash of the story we already know, I would have been bored and hated it, but it isn't. This is a very different story that focuses on a very different aspect of robocop, one we didn't get in Paul V's version because he WAS too focused on the satire. The new movie has heart and emotion that is never seen in the original movie or just glossed over lightly. It focuses on the moral implications as well as the emotional distress of going from an able-bodied human to being... well, you will see.
The movie still had some satire but the movie itself isn't a satire. It also had a bit of a political tinge to it regarding drones in America and while I generally hate Samuel Jackson's performances, he seemed perfect in delivering that message. While many movies like this can't seem to help themselves when it comes to referencing the previous work, this one did it in very subtle ways and didn't overdo it. We got some classic lines as well as some classic scenes, but they weren't constantly beating you in the face with "remember this" moments.
I still think the one bare hand is silly and the explanation for it was weak at best. I still hate the all black suit, but the reasoning behind that is totally logical. Was it a perfect movie or even a great movie? Ehhh... maybe not, but it was definitely a GOOD movie and I enjoyed it a heck of lot more than I expected to.
When I saw the new suit, I wasn't crazy about it. The one hand seemed ridiculous and the all black seemed very boring. I wasn't looking forward to it and couldn't imagine that the film would be anything but another lame attempt to suck money out of an 80's property while offering us nothing but a poorly executed rehash of what we have already seen.
I was wrong.
Both Kristen and I walked out of the movies at the same time and she spoke first what I was thinking, but a little too ashamed to say: "I liked this as good if not better than the original." While the most basic element of the new movie; a cyborg cop is the same, that is about it and that is a very good thing! If this had simply been a rehash of the story we already know, I would have been bored and hated it, but it isn't. This is a very different story that focuses on a very different aspect of robocop, one we didn't get in Paul V's version because he WAS too focused on the satire. The new movie has heart and emotion that is never seen in the original movie or just glossed over lightly. It focuses on the moral implications as well as the emotional distress of going from an able-bodied human to being... well, you will see.
The movie still had some satire but the movie itself isn't a satire. It also had a bit of a political tinge to it regarding drones in America and while I generally hate Samuel Jackson's performances, he seemed perfect in delivering that message. While many movies like this can't seem to help themselves when it comes to referencing the previous work, this one did it in very subtle ways and didn't overdo it. We got some classic lines as well as some classic scenes, but they weren't constantly beating you in the face with "remember this" moments.
I still think the one bare hand is silly and the explanation for it was weak at best. I still hate the all black suit, but the reasoning behind that is totally logical. Was it a perfect movie or even a great movie? Ehhh... maybe not, but it was definitely a GOOD movie and I enjoyed it a heck of lot more than I expected to.
Prometheus
Dredd
300
Book of Eli
District 9
Now... those may not be THE top 5 as I don't have a complete list in front of me, but those are 5 that I really loved.
Master Dahark
Well-Known Member
Meaning 2000 to 2009? Hmmmmm pretty hard to narrow it down really. These may not be 'Citizen Kane', but these are a few movies that gave me the most enjoyment
Casino Royale
Batman Begins
Pirates of the Caribbean
Taken
Lord of the Rings
crabra comander
Master Member
Well, looks like I'm going to watch this. Art I really didn't care for Book of Eli.
But District 9 is definitely a favorite of mine. Probably watch this next week.
But District 9 is definitely a favorite of mine. Probably watch this next week.
crabra comander, give it a shot. I expected to hate it and walked out pleasantly entertained and I feel like the Robocop story has been expanded... something that I think many remakes, reboots and sequels utterly fail to do.
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Also, I think
On a final note, I will say that I was a bit disappointed by ED-209. They were much more vicious, powerful and what I suppose they tactically should be, but they lacked the lovable and memorable character of the original film.
the scene in which what is left of Murphy was one of the most powerful reveals I have seen in a very long time. The horror of that moment was very well executed and the emotional response from the entire theater was very cool to watch. That was perhaps the single greatest moment in the movie.
On a final note, I will say that I was a bit disappointed by ED-209. They were much more vicious, powerful and what I suppose they tactically should be, but they lacked the lovable and memorable character of the original film.
Werstrooper
Well-Known Member
Never been happier to be right about a movie, I defended this film through all the bashing it received over the last two years. Art, I felt the same way when leaving the cinema, I thought to myself "Damn did the original Robo just become Irrelevant?"
As for the hand issue I have a little input on that, thought it was obvious TBH...
The musician that had both augmented arms couldn't play the guitar without emotion, His hands could feel objects but there's obviously an unnatural connection that throws the whole system off. By Murphy having a hand he still has a connection with the world. He can still feel therefore his connection with the rest of the suit is normal.
Just another reason to call this film a smart film. all the answers to the hand and other things are in this film, most people were just expecting to be 'hand fed' all the information like every other current blockbuster.
I love the fact this film has made me think, I'll be honest I wasn't expecting that myself but it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise on top of an already awesome movie.
As for the hand issue I have a little input on that, thought it was obvious TBH...
The musician that had both augmented arms couldn't play the guitar without emotion, His hands could feel objects but there's obviously an unnatural connection that throws the whole system off. By Murphy having a hand he still has a connection with the world. He can still feel therefore his connection with the rest of the suit is normal.
Just another reason to call this film a smart film. all the answers to the hand and other things are in this film, most people were just expecting to be 'hand fed' all the information like every other current blockbuster.
I love the fact this film has made me think, I'll be honest I wasn't expecting that myself but it has turned out to be a pleasant surprise on top of an already awesome movie.
JD
Master Member
So, they took Robocop and turned it into a pretty standard action film. Not that it was a bad action movie, but I sure seemed to have seen a completely different movie than some of the reviews I've read here. It did have some very cool moments, but overall it just seemed pretty standard.
Master Dahark
Well-Known Member
Perhaps you just went in wanting to hate it?
Old Trenchy
Active Member
I commend any film wanting to be more than just a 'dumb action flick' but despite some potentially great ideas being set up it ultimately does end up a little average (but still not 'dumb').
Loved the silver suit (ignoring the hand no matter what reason is given for that it still looks silly), performances ranged between serviceable and fantastic (Gary Oldman being the stand out and seeing Michael Keaton doing anything is a plus) but the lack of an interesting villain left me wanting. Sometimes the quality of bad guy can make or break a story like this. Overall the story was a little awkward and lacking in fun for me.
Didn't hate the film but it didn't light my fire either despite the earnest attempt.
Loved the silver suit (ignoring the hand no matter what reason is given for that it still looks silly), performances ranged between serviceable and fantastic (Gary Oldman being the stand out and seeing Michael Keaton doing anything is a plus) but the lack of an interesting villain left me wanting. Sometimes the quality of bad guy can make or break a story like this. Overall the story was a little awkward and lacking in fun for me.
Didn't hate the film but it didn't light my fire either despite the earnest attempt.
airair
Sr Member
Me too.
I'm astonished how people can accept generic mediocrity and claim it as good or even acceptable.
This movie failed spectacularly for me. The generic shaky cam footage was pathetic, whilst the "music" score was downright disgraceful, it sounds as though Pedro Broffman was told to come up with some crappy TV cop show music that just plunders in the background, while the generic "hip" modern shaky cam obscures the view.
This so called claim that this movie is more "serious" than the original is frankly laughable. The CGI was atrocious too in many instances. The way Robo just jumps about like Spiderman was hilarious.
The single scene in Robocop (1987) when he goes back to his family house and tries to remember shows more emotion and moral compass than this entire 2014 remake/reboot or whatever the hell its called.
I came in with an open mind, and Jose Padillha had a chance to do something, but obviously studio inteference gave him problems.
This movie had none of the shock, none of the balls of the original.
It failed in my opinion. It seems people are happy with generic mediocrity!
Totally. Just look at the poll over at ComingSoon.net :facepalm
Deric
Sr Member
I know people keep complaining about the CGI work - honestly the only thing that stood out was when he was fighting the ED-209's.
Due to this thread, I decided to give the original a watch again with my son. This was the first time I've seen it in HD and it's a bit tough at times especially the stop motion effects and the robo-vision. The robo-vision actually gave me a headache at the beginning when he is built. They tone down the effect later in the movie so its not as bad. The Dick Jones puppet looked terrible in HD and why they used a puppet seemed odd to me. The suit still holds up though even though you can see all the fabric parts and rubbery parts wrinkled from time to time. Clarence Boddicker was a better villain than the thug from the 2014 movie but his character had a central role compared to that of the new one.
Though I was completely against it when I heard the remake was to happen. I think they did the right thing re-imaging it. This movie feels like a new story. I'm still not a fan of the hand but I am a big fan of the family element they have in there this time. In the original his wife apparently burned pictures and smashed personal items of Murphy's and left them in their home when she left. That always bothered me even as a kid. My son even had questions during that scene. You don't see any of the family part of the original until the second movie. In the 2014 movie you see a woman who is desperate to keep her husband alive even though she might not understand what that outcome is. I understand it is still comparing apples to oranges though since Alex dies in the original and doesn't in the reboot.
The original will always be what I picture Robocop as in my mind but the new one is one of the better reboots. It even made sense to me why he would use a tazer type device more than a gun. The only missed opportunity of that was when he KILLED the unarmed cop I stated earlier in this thread. If he would have tazed him it might have setup a laugh and it would have been completely in-line with his emotions at the time versus murdering him. At that point I actually sided with shutting him down like they did in the movie. The threat of him killing the next person he was interrogating seemed real at that point.
Due to this thread, I decided to give the original a watch again with my son. This was the first time I've seen it in HD and it's a bit tough at times especially the stop motion effects and the robo-vision. The robo-vision actually gave me a headache at the beginning when he is built. They tone down the effect later in the movie so its not as bad. The Dick Jones puppet looked terrible in HD and why they used a puppet seemed odd to me. The suit still holds up though even though you can see all the fabric parts and rubbery parts wrinkled from time to time. Clarence Boddicker was a better villain than the thug from the 2014 movie but his character had a central role compared to that of the new one.
Though I was completely against it when I heard the remake was to happen. I think they did the right thing re-imaging it. This movie feels like a new story. I'm still not a fan of the hand but I am a big fan of the family element they have in there this time. In the original his wife apparently burned pictures and smashed personal items of Murphy's and left them in their home when she left. That always bothered me even as a kid. My son even had questions during that scene. You don't see any of the family part of the original until the second movie. In the 2014 movie you see a woman who is desperate to keep her husband alive even though she might not understand what that outcome is. I understand it is still comparing apples to oranges though since Alex dies in the original and doesn't in the reboot.
The original will always be what I picture Robocop as in my mind but the new one is one of the better reboots. It even made sense to me why he would use a tazer type device more than a gun. The only missed opportunity of that was when he KILLED the unarmed cop I stated earlier in this thread. If he would have tazed him it might have setup a laugh and it would have been completely in-line with his emotions at the time versus murdering him. At that point I actually sided with shutting him down like they did in the movie. The threat of him killing the next person he was interrogating seemed real at that point.
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
I will NEVER understand why some people get so upset when someone else likes a movie they hate, right down to insulting remarks.
JD
Master Member
I generally don't complain about CG - I don't think bad CG is any worse than bad practical... and I do think good CG can surpass good practical. I don't have that dislike that quite a few people (especially here) seem to have.
There was one scene in particular that caught my eye. Now, I live in metro Detroit (in fact, I'm climbing to the top of our most notable building in full firefighter gear for the American Lung Association) so I know the skyline. And yes, it was cool to see the Ren Cen (that building) and other buildings featured prominently - well they did put the OCP building in an odd spot and at one point while showing us the skyline and the CG'd OCP building it really looked that there were just a bunch of CG blank boxes sitting in as buildings - looked terribly unfinished and just not thought out at all.
There was one scene in particular that caught my eye. Now, I live in metro Detroit (in fact, I'm climbing to the top of our most notable building in full firefighter gear for the American Lung Association) so I know the skyline. And yes, it was cool to see the Ren Cen (that building) and other buildings featured prominently - well they did put the OCP building in an odd spot and at one point while showing us the skyline and the CG'd OCP building it really looked that there were just a bunch of CG blank boxes sitting in as buildings - looked terribly unfinished and just not thought out at all.
Yeah; I admit I dislike this movie, but I'm not gonna insult someone for liking it. We have our tastes, and we all have the right to like or not like a movie. While a movie may suck, the people we congregate with here do not.
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