Robocop (2014)

WHY DOES Hollywood insist on producing new versions of originally successful films?

Producers are out of favour with fans from the get-go, with immeasurable pressure to deliver a film that will not only pay tribute to its original incarnation, but be even better.

In 2012 we had the total failure of Total Recall, which itself was an Arnold Shwarzenegger-led cult favourite when released in 1990.

For the last few weeks at the Saraton Theatre we have been able to digest the reimagining of Robocop, and it fairs a lot better than Total Recall’s remake did.

In fact, it almost better than the original.

Gone is the somewhat satirical feel of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 Robocop, replaced with a darker Hollywood action-style flick we have grown accustomed to in recent years.

Jose Padilha’s reimagining follows a similar plot to the Verhoeven’s classic: a corporation wants to remove crime with robotic help, a leading police officer suffers a debilitating injury by a criminal’s hand, said corporation turns him into the first half man-half machine Robocop who solves his own murder and unveils a conspiracy.

Joel Kinnaman is the leading man as policeman Alex Murphy, who is investigating crime boss Antoine Vallon (Patrick Garrow) in his spare time. He gets on the wrong side of Vallon who takes revenge, having a car bomb planted on Murphy’s car which explodes outside his home, severely injuring him.

This is when Murphy becomes Robocop, thanks to a program led by Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) and financed by OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton).

Samuel L. Jackson appears in his first of seven roles for 2014 as Pat Novak, a television host who uses his program to show his support for robotic crime control and to guide us through stages of the film.

Robcop’s move away from the satiric feel of the original is an inspired and wise one, presenting Padilha’s film as a completely different film, not just a reboot.

Improved technology gives Robocop an edge the original didn’t, from Novak’s fully digital television program, to Robocop’s famous motorbike and OmniCorp’s machines.

Fans of the original may avoid Padilha’s version on principle, but science fiction and action fans should enjoy it.

It should also appreciated by fellow Hollywood producers and directors, with Padilha showing how to successfully reimagine an old film and breathe new life into a franchise.

The acting will not earn any awards, nor will it be in running for the Best Picture, but it is a rare case of a remake being a little better than the original.

Definitely worth a dollar.