Robocop 2014 (Post-release)

[Father]

Saw it today and I loved it. Yes, it wasn't the original but I didn't spend every minute of the movie comparing it to the original. The special effects were great in this movie. The Robo-body looked awesome. The "reveal" of him being taken apart from the body was awesome. He takes some serious battle damage in various parts of the movie.

While I didn't really want to see SLJ in this, I thought it was pretty spot-on in how they played up the media manipulation and one-sided party-favoring. I don't know if he was supposed to be dem or republican... (seemed more of a parody of Fox conservativism) it's the future so who knows how people will lean. Point was how one-sided it was, like how they conveniently cut live-footage when things aren't going their way. I think this was a pretty good parody of today's media-stylings.

As a war amputee I really related/connected to Murphy's point of view of "how will my family look at me". I thought all of the "Made in Japan" scenes were pretty cool, especially when they first wake him up. Also liked his wife's concerns of "what kind of life will he have" when having to decide on whether to accept Omnicorp's offer to 'prosthetize" him. Was a little surprised by how much and how long they were able to shut her out/keep her away from him after his return... but I also appreciated not getting too much family stuff.

Also liked the rehab center scene. Kind of a nice build up to "Here's what's currently possible". I don't know if it was intended but I thought it showed that if Omnicorp really cared about him they could have put him back together the way they did with the people in the rehab clinic: prosthetic arm and leg, skin grafting, hearing aids, etc.... there was really no reason to completely rip him apart... he was just a tool in their agenda.

The OCP execs were all pretty soulless. I'm on the fence about that. I think Keaton did about as well as I'd expect from him, maybe just a tad less. I really liked Jennifer Ehle, so I was a little let down by just how rigid and vacant she was. But it was also good because it played into the fact that they wanted a candidate that could be completely cut apart and they needed to pressure his wife to sign off on it. In today's reality there are so many soldiers that have lost more than Murphy did... I kind of feel like they actually should have messed him up even more than they did... at least both legs amputated and some serious chunks out of his torso.

The soundtrack was ok. It hasn't blown me away, but I'll give it a few more listens to be sure.

I thought they could have gotten a more "known" villain... but I liked the guy because he reminded me of a younger Peter Fonda (I actually thought it might be him in the previews). Overall I thought the bad guys (criminals) didn't have much depth to them. Not that the original's had too much more, but they were at least characters. The ones in this movie were more just place holders.

I thought Jackie Earle Haley was good... I get his opposition to Murphy as a corporate lacky, but I Kind of thought he would be more sympathetic and end up siding with Murphy.

The RoboBody... the real hand took nothing away from the movie and would probably have been better to explore with the family interaction, like touching his wife's face or something. The black body has grown on me over the last few months of previews and I loved how they did the silver body. Thought it looked fantastic.

Anyway... my hope in a sequel is that Norton/OCP builds Murphy a more "family-friendly" body, something more human-cyborg where he could wear clothes... and then when he needs to do RoboCop stuff he goes to the police station, is unplugged from that off-duty body and into the silver body. This could open him up to be a little more vulnerable when off-duty but expand on the re-integrating into home life story line. I liked that part and I think it's very relevant to a country today coming out of 13+ years of war. So, while not maybe not so much a parody of society like the original movie and maybe more a social commentary, it still worked well in my opinion.
- Politically driven media manipulation
- Overseas "pacification"
- What's good for us to do in the rest of the world not being ok in our own (use of drones?)
- Corporate world (outsourcing... Robo being rebuilt and all of the robots being made in China)
- Police corruption

It would be cool to have them maybe retire him from duty and give him a weak cybernetic body and have him experience the "missing being bulletproof and being in the action", which would also work well in a war recovering society. If they end up making more Robos in the next one it would be cool if they DIDN'T have it be a monster like the original sequel but just a 2.0 version of the anthropomorphic/bi-pedal robot body. Maybe have it play into corrupt cops volunteering themselves without being busted up... not appreciating having sound bodies and only seeing the cybernetics as an "upgrade" without taking into consideration what they'd be giving up, and having them have psychotic breaks as a result. Or volunteering for it and being corrupted by the power and getting overly violent.

Anyway... I hope it does well enough to get a sequel, although by the sound of it Jose Padilha didn't enjoy the experience at all... because of all the meddling from the corporate execs (art imitating life imitating art?).

I'd like to see them do a body style maybe like one of these (obviously not female, but that "look")... or something more "skinned", but still kind of cybernetic looking.

 

[Argonaut]

I'm still rather uninitiated to Robocop, having not even seen the original trilogy until a few weeks ago, but I've been a huge fan since then. I loved everything about the original, from the violence, to the satire, to the swearing, to the commercials, to the black humor, to the suit: EVERYTHING. But with that said, I enjoyed the reboot just as much, if not more than the original

Before I say anything else, I want to address the PG-13 rating. The excessive use of swearing and violence in the original was for the sake of satire. It wasn't to be realistic, it was to criticize society. And while the reboot has a few satirical elements, I think we can all agree that it is by no means a satire. If it's a social commentary at all, it would be to evoke modern philosophical questions: is it ok for a robot to take a human life? The reboot doesn't highlight the same issues, and really has no need to be that graphic. Simple as that.

Now some things that I liked:

-The original theme.
-"Now I WOULDN'T pay a dollar for that."
-The body reveal scene. It was just as horrifying for me as it was Murphy. I really didn't get a sense of the horror of becoming a cyborg from the original.
-The family element, which I think was quite sadly missing from the original.
-Robocop maintaining his humanity. It's not like the original, but it's satisfying
-Being born and raised in Michigan, I'm quite familiar with Detroit. When Robocop rode through his neighborhood, it looked like it could have been across the street from where I lived, it was so spot on. (Detroit the city, however, not so much).
-The hand was a little off-putting at first, but Werstrooper convinced me that it was for the best.
-Supporting cast.
-And I may be over-thinking this, but when the marketing guy says "We are going to make a LOT of money," sounded like satire on reboots/blockbusters. :lol

And from what some of the other folks have said, this movie seems like a love it or hate it movie. For me, I give it a 3/5

 

[airair]

wow, you must be easily pleased.

Better than the original?

Absolute rubbish.
The original destroys this tame watered down unneccessary remake with dollars to spare.

People don't realise how smart and clever Verhoeven is. He is one of the main reasons of why Robocop 1987 is so good and why Total Recall was so good.

2014's rubber cop is just a tame, pointless excercise in selling toys to kids, nothing more, nothing less. It has none of the grit, intelligence and balls as the original.

Family element? the original 1987 movie summed up the family element in a single powerful scene, it doesn't need to spoon feed you like this remake does, with Mrs Robocop crying and having Robo Son having an emotional moment.

I don't like being spoon fed, but it seems today's generation loves being spoon fed everything, rather than having something subtle shown.
As for everyone raving about the completely overrated "body reveal" scene, its quite laughable. If people find that horrifying or disturbing, well frankly you've been living a sheltered life. I'ts about as horrifying as watching a cartoon. It wasn't horrifying in any shape or form, it was more comical than anything else.

Kinnaman ghetto type voice just didn't work for this character. You see his head there, and then you see an obvious CGI set of lungs which is hardly horrifiying.

If you found that horrifying, I guess you would pass out at a few F bombs!

My, i've seen movies overrated in my time, but this remake takes the biscuit! So much rubbish praise for a weak attempt. Even the director has been heard saying he hated working on this, because every idea he had was shot down by the studio.

As for people claiming this movie is somehow "philisophical" and more indepth than the original, are frankly in my opinion deluded.
This movie was very boring, generic, and nothing stood out for me.

Gary Oldman is just about the only decent thing about this movie, as was Michael Keaton.
It felt more like a TV series than an actual film. The cinematography was amatuerish with far too much documentary shaky cam style.

I'm still rather uninitiated to Robocop, having not even seen the original trilogy until a few weeks ago, but I've been a huge fan since then. I loved everything about the original, from the violence, to the satire, to the swearing, to the commercials, to the black humor, to the suit: EVERYTHING. But with that said, I think the reboot is just as good, if not better than the original

Before I say anything else, I want to address the PG-13 rating. The excessive use of swearing and violence in the original was for the sake of satire. It wasn't to be realistic, it was to criticize society. And while the reboot has a few satirical elements, I think we can all agree that it is by no means a satire. If it's a social commentary at all, it would be to evoke modern philosophical questions: is it ok for a robot to take a human life? The reboot doesn't highlight the same issues, and really has no need to be that graphic. Simple as that.

Now some things that I liked:

-The original theme.
-"Now I WOULDN'T pay a dollar for that."
-The body reveal scene. It was just as horrifying for me as it was Murphy. I really didn't get a sense of the horror of becoming a cyborg from the original.
-The family element, which I think was quite sadly missing from the original.
-Robocop maintaining his humanity. It's not like the original, but it's satisfying
-Being born and raised in Michigan, I'm quite familiar with Detroit. When Robocop rode through his neighborhood, it looked like it could have been across the street from where I lived, it was so spot on. (Detroit the city, however, not so much).
-The hand was a little off-putting at first, but Werstrooper convinced me that it was for the best.
-Supporting cast.
-And I may be over-thinking this, but when the marketing guy says "We are going to make a LOT of money," sounded like satire on reboots/blockbusters. :lol

And from what some of the other folks have said, this movie seems like a love it or hate it movie. For me, I give it a 4.5/5

 

[ironman42]

Look the original is a brilliant piece of work, it was satire, violence , comedy, it had it all. One of my all time favorite movies. But this new version is a GOOD movie. It's not trying to be the original which I appreciated, it took a different angle on a Robocop and I think they did a great job.

I was all for hating the idea from everything I saw before the release but I figured what the hell I want to be how bad they butchered it....but they didn't they did a good job presenting a different take on Robocop. And its not truly a remake which was the right thing to do. I wish the box office was better, it deserves to make money domestically.

So its not the original, which is good since you can't touch that movie. But on its own a good action movie far better then most of the other crap that has come out recently.

 

[Argonaut]

I literally just came back from the movie when I posted that and the post-movie high is starting to wear off a little, so I might need to correct a few things. I don't think this movie is as good as the original. I ENJOYED this movie as much as, if not more than the original. Critically, the original wins by a long shot. And I think I may have come off wrong. I DO NOT enjoy being spoon fed in movies. A great movie is one that makes you think, but a good flick is one that is entertaining. The original was great, but the reboot is good. While the family element was a tad overdone here, I prefer that to what went on in the original: just barely enough to establish Murphy as a family man. And to make things clear, I DID NOT claim this to be a philosophical movie. I said it was not a social commentary, but if it had to be at all, it would raise one small philosophical question. And I hardly think I'm as squeamish as you claim. I simply meant that this movie made me think about how if I was Murphy, how much it would suck. The original was more along the lines of "WHAT A ******** BAD ASS! I WISH I COULD BE LIKE HIM!"

Honestly, I think that the original Robocop is one of the greatest films of all time. But I also think that this movie is a worthy reboot. It doesn't have what you like about the original, but that's sort of the point. It's not supposed to be the same. It's a different take on it (though it is kind of sad that Padilha wasn't allowed complete creative license over it), and I really don't think it deserves the kind of hate it's getting. Just my $0.02.

wow, you must be easily pleased.

Better than the original?

Absolute rubbish.
The original destroys this tame watered down unneccessary remake with dollars to spare.

People don't realise how smart and clever Verhoeven is. He is one of the main reasons of why Robocop 1987 is so good and why Total Recall was so good.

2014's rubber cop is just a tame, pointless excercise in selling toys to kids, nothing more, nothing less. It has none of the grit, intelligence and balls as the original.

Family element? the original 1987 movie summed up the family element in a single powerful scene, it doesn't need to spoon feed you like this remake does, with Mrs Robocop crying and having Robo Son having an emotional moment.

I don't like being spoon fed, but it seems today's generation loves being spoon fed everything, rather than having something subtle shown.
As for everyone raving about the completely overrated "body reveal" scene, its quite laughable. If people find that horrifying or disturbing, well frankly you've been living a sheltered life. I'ts about as horrifying as watching a cartoon. It wasn't horrifying in any shape or form, it was more comical than anything else.

Kinnaman ghetto type voice just didn't work for this character. You see his head there, and then you see an obvious CGI set of lungs which is hardly horrifiying.

If you found that horrifying, I guess you would pass out at a few F bombs!

My, i've seen movies overrated in my time, but this remake takes the biscuit! So much rubbish praise for a weak attempt. Even the director has been heard saying he hated working on this, because every idea he had was shot down by the studio.

As for people claiming this movie is somehow "philisophical" and more indepth than the original, are frankly in my opinion deluded.
This movie was very boring, generic, and nothing stood out for me.

Gary Oldman is just about the only decent thing about this movie, as was Michael Keaton.
It felt more like a TV series than an actual film. The cinematography was amatuerish with far too much documentary shaky cam style.

 

[airair]

I actually think Padillah is a good director, if you watch his other films he knows how to do action properly. It seems he was held back by the studio in this big budget movie.

Maybe he was underestimating how much control the studio would have over his ideas.

 

[Deric]

Wow really surprised that when people express their opinions of a movie, others attack them directly by saying if you liked this then YOU are that. I don't understand why people on here can't state they didn't like certain elements for their reasons without insulting the person that doesn't agree on it.

 

[Father]

Wow really surprised that when people express their opinions of a movie, others attack them directly by saying if you liked this then YOU are that. I don't understand why people on here can't state they didn't like certain elements for their reasons without insulting the person that doesn't agree on it.

That no longer surprises me. At least not on an internet forum where people are 10x more boisterous about their opinions and will attack anything that opposes it.

The original was original. It was fun. I actually laugh at the cursing because it's used so excessively and colorfully. The original design was great for what was available at the time. Verhoeven did a great job.

This movie is great as well. I'm older than I was then and actually don't see the need for the adult language as much to enjoy a movie. Excessive language is almost a trademark for 80's movies. Now, maybe because we're so conditioned to be offended by everything, it actually bothers me if not done right. Like the show Deadwood... stopped watching that after two episodes because of the language. I challenge someone to tell me that somehow makes me less of a man in person. The effects were 100%. And going back and watching the original, I can see obvious flaws in the original suit. In some ways it looks like something someone has made on here, specifically the black undersuit parts. It has a painted foam look to it. Then there are the obvious visual flaws like when he takes his helmet off... where's the jaw/chin cup go? How about when he ejects the data spike thing and swings his arm to put it in the computer... obviously not even connected to his body. And while the stop-motion was fantastic, the CGI robots look as if not more real. That's not putting the original down. It's just the reality of technology moving forward after 24 years.

YOu can't hold JOse Padilha responsible since he and Kinneman (according to IMDb trivia) fought for an R rating but the studio held it back because they already went over budget.

 

[pengbuzz]

Wow really surprised that when people express their opinions of a movie, others attack them directly by saying if you liked this then YOU are that. I don't understand why people on here can't state they didn't like certain elements for their reasons without insulting the person that doesn't agree on it.

Right; folks really need to separate the issues from the people presenting them.

Folks, could we please have a discussion about the movie WITHOUT taking pot-shots at one another? You're not demonstrating "loyalty" to the original by tearing others apart; you're just making an ***** of yourself and hurting others when you insult people for their opinions. I know I'm not a mod here, nor do I have any extensive time here, but we need to be setting a standard for others, not sinking to the same crap that plagues the rest of the internet.

The RPF is only as good as the people who post here; let's show the Internet what kind of propmakers and modelmakers this forum is made of!

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As to the topic at hand: I admit the "body unplug reveal" did add a bit more to this movie than I was expecting, to the point I'm actually going to reverse myself here and consider seeing it when it comes out on video. I'll still hold a place for the original, but this version (rubbercop suit and all) may be worth a look-see. And perhaps we may see a director's version when it comes out on video and get the stuff that Padhilla wanted to put in but couldn't.

 

[Wes R]

i'm betting there'll be a director's cut and that he kept all the stuff he wanted to put in. They always do the "unrated director's cut" these days. I like to remind folks that if you don't like what someone posts there is an ignore setting. I think i'll see the director's cut edition though, they're always better and i do agree that body reveal is horrifying to think of yourself in that position.

 

[Father]

i'm betting there'll be a director's cut and that he kept all the stuff he wanted to put in. They always do the "unrated director's cut" these days. I like to remind folks that if you don't like what someone posts there is an ignore setting. I think i'll see the director's cut edition though, they're always better and i do agree that body reveal is horrifying to think of yourself in that position.

I"m only going by the trivia provided by IMDb but I got the impression they were pretty much watching over his shoulder the entire time to make sure he made a PG-13 movie. Not like Verhoeven who was making what he wanted figuring they would just edit it until it got the rating they wanted after the fact. The movie was already over budget so making anything more than what the studio execs wanted was not acceptable. I'm guessing there will only be a little more than what we already get in the theatrical version. Not like the original was really that much worse than what I remember seeing. The violence was just longer. The ED-209 shooting Mr. Kinney in the board room was longer, Murphy's death was longer... that's about all I really noticed.

 

[Wes R]

I have a feeling the studio was watching him since he was already over budget and knowing this being a Robocop movie that the director might try to go over the top to start with.

 

[Art Andrews]

Does anyone know who made the prop weapons for this movie? There's one I loved...

I know SAT/ISS and Legacy had involvement, but I don't know who made what. SAT does a lot of weapons, while Legacy tends to do armor.

 

[aliensarchive]

Walter Klassen did the Robo gun.

Walter Klassen FX - Film Equipment, Special Effects Props Walter Klassen FX

 

[Wes R]

I know SAT/ISS and Legacy had involvement, but I don't know who made what. SAT does a lot of weapons, while Legacy tends to do armor.

I think Legacy did some of the live action Halo stuff, at least for Forward Unto Dawn didn't they?

 

[Art Andrews]

I think Legacy did some of the live action Halo stuff, at least for Forward Unto Dawn didn't they?

They certainly had a lot of HALO helmets in their shop when we visited.

 

[ironman42]

Ya There was a behind the scenes thing about halo forward unto dawn, and it was with the guys at legacy that made the master chief suit for sure. I don't remember if it they did any of the other suits but chief for sure.

 

[Wes R]

They certainly had a lot of HALO helmets in their shop when we visited.

They're probably ramping up for the Halo TV series that only xbox 1 owners will see on that xbox channel.

 

[Ronan87]

Just saw it, and i have to say it was pretty good. Around a 7.5/10, maybe a bit more.

It's a nice modern version of a classic that still gives a good homage to the original (plenty of throwback to the original in this one!). I don't know how anyone can't like this version since it's simply a modernize version (to appeal to a different audience, and time's change afterall). It's not a copy/paste, but different like the new Star Trek movies.

Now my only grip... ******* parents bringing little kids to see a 13+ Robocop movie... guess what? They cried since it was somewhat shocking and pretty loud.... DURP DURP DURP... Oh and a bit less spoonfeeding would be nice...

 

[Wes R]

Just saw it, and i have to say it was pretty good. Around a 7.5/10, maybe a bit more.

It's a nice modern version of a classic that still gives a good homage to the original (plenty of throwback to the original in this one!). I don't know how anyone can't like this version since it's simply a modernize version (to appeal to a different audience, and time's change afterall). It's not a copy/paste, but different like the new Star Trek movies.

Now my only grip... ******* parents bringing little kids to see a 13+ Robocop movie... guess what? They cried since it was somewhat shocking and pretty loud.... DURP DURP DURP... Oh and a bit less spoonfeeding would be nice...

Sadly this isn't anything knew. I remember going to Jurassic park and some idiot had a newborn in a car seat there.