RoboCop. Rated M (science fiction themes and violence). 117 minutes.
Directed by José Padilha. Screenplay by Joshua Zetumer.
Verdict: A slick remake of an unforgettable classic.
Remakes (or the current ‘buzz word’ reboots), are continuing to sweep
through Hollywood like a plague, with Godzilla, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
Endless Love and even little orphan Annie just a few of the titles lining up
for release this year. The first remake off the rank is this slick entry into
what will become a very crowded field.
If you haven’t seen Paul Verhoeven’s celebrated original, released in
1987, there’s much to engage with in this re-telling of the story of adoring
father, husband and Detroit policeman Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman).
Fearing the police are closing in on their illegal weapons trade,
Murphy is targeted by the gang who almost kill him by blowing up his car. When
he regains consciousness, Murphy discovers that technology company OmniCorp,
led by CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton), has encased what remained of his
body into a state-of-the-art robotic suit. Sellars needs to win the trust of
the American people by humanising the company’s robot soldiers that are seen as
ruthless killing machines, incapable of considering how dangerous situations
might be resolved with less brutal efficiency.
As was the case in the original, the themes of greed and exploitation
play out in an ethically challenged minefield – with the rules of engagement
starkly illustrated in the film’s opening sequences set in a US-occupied
Tehran. When OmniCorp’s drones kill an innocent Iranian boy during a live cross
to Pat Novak’s (Samuel L. Jackson) television program, the political pressure
on the corporation results in Dr Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) being given
permission to go to whatever lengths are necessary to develop a more humanised
version of the drones.
While it certainly suffers by comparison to the original, Padilha’s
less boisterous version still wields a significant amount of clout, with the
consequences of the story still as thought-provoking as they were back in 1987.
And that just may be the point.
This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
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