It’s a Man! It’s a Machine! It’s a….Remake

CAST

Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley, and Samuel L Jackson

DIRECTOR
Jose’ Padilha

STUDIO
Sony Pictures

RATING

PG-13

RELEASE
February 12, 2014

RUNNING TIME
108 minutes

REVIEW:

Another year, another childhood favorite remade for a new generation. Hollywood continues to pillaged the movie shelf of the Gen X era  with hopes that somehow they can revisit an iconic character and give them an upgrade. Our beloved Robocop is the latest victim.

Last summer, when I attended San Diego Comic Con, I was privileged to sit in the coveted Hall H and attend the Robocop panel where we were presented with cast and director to enlighten us as to what we would be looking forward to in the coming months followed by an advanced screening of ten minutes of the film. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really excited for this film after what I saw and heard.

Fast forward a few months, the movie is pushed from August 2013 to February 2014, the bad press begins to fly, the film is branded with a PG-13 instead of the R rating we were anticipating, the excitement fades and Robocop becomes just another movie to see in the bowels of what we call…February movies. I can’t sit here and tell you that I had much hope for Jose’ Padilha’s film at this point…as a matter of fact, I was worried about my emotional reaction to this film, but needless to say I wasn’t expecting much. On a cold night, Monday February 10th, 2014, I entered the theater to accept what has come to be.

We find ourselves in the year 2028, where the US government has begun using robot combat units, designed and manufactured by Omnicorp, to clean up war ravaged countries and keep the peace around the world. Opposition back in the United States towards robots protecting and patrolling our streets is at an all time high due to Senate opposition, the people want human beings to continue to hold that post. Omnicorp’s CEO, Raymond Sellars (Keaton) must ook for a way to sell his law enforcing robots to the unconvinced American public.

Omnicorp decides to incorporate the human element into their creation. A robot who’s half man, half machine with the hopes of solidifying the companies future and the approval of the US Senate. Enter Alex Murphy (Kinnaman), a loving father and husband and a good cop, who is injured after a car bomb that almost claimed his life. The opportunity is presented to Alex’s wife Clara (Cornish) to save her husband’s life by allowing Dr Dennett Norton (Oldman), Omnicorp’s lead scientist, to turn her husband into a machine. Now I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m sorta, kinda thinking things might go awry for these Omnicorp chaps.

  Robocop on the surface is ripe with potential. The source material, the 1987 classic written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, was due for an update and the director of Brazilian mega-hit Elite Squad, Jose’ Padilha, seemed to be the perfect person to bring this remake to the screen. Padilha does an admirable job trying to stay true to the original content while bringing a fresh take to the character. The cast, including Gary Oldman, Jackie Earle Haley, and Michael Keaton, portray their characters with the same attention to detail we’ve come to appreciate from these seasoned actors, and new comer Joel Kinnaman does an admirable job stepping into the big shoes left behind by Peter Weller. But the acting and the director’s approach aren’t the problem with this film…its the execution.

The first half of the movie was very tolerable and had me doubting my feelings of disbelief that were running ramped thru my mind before the movie started, but the second half of the movie reaffirmed my concerns. From the cookie cutter approach to the emotional relationship between Alex and his family to the gaping plot points that left many scenes and story lines unfinished to the anti climatic showdown  between Alex and Sellars to the conclusion of the film which was nothing short of sloppy and uneventful. Everything that we loved about the 1987 film was ultimately missing from this 2014 version. The emotional connection we felt to Alex Murphy back then seems amiss and forced in this version and it doesn’t stop there…I think in the end, the thing that derailed this film the most was that it was missing the FUN from the original movie.

This film is like that girlfriend you had when you were younger. As you get older you find yourself reminiscing about lost time and wonder what ever became of that person that left such a mark, ultimately you run into that person only to realize he/she does not hold up after all these years. Robocop (2014) is not a bad movie, but it is not a memorable one. It will not stand the test of time as the original and nor should it, but it does deserve at least one viewing to appease your inner love for the character.

Stars

2 out of 5

Superhero Bracket Round 1 Complete!

Its been a lot of fun counting up the votes on Twitter, Facebook, and Cinemit.com..but the funs not over! We have more rounds to go and only 9 short weeks in order to do it…the goal was to have the final matchup the week of the release of Captain America: The Winter Solider and we plan on keeping that commitment.

Have a look at the winners…see which path your favorite must take in order to win it all…and remember…vote vote vote!

We said HEISENBERG….not EISENBERG….

 

And let the debate begin….

As the clock struck11 am EST on the last day of January, 2014, the announcement we’ve all been wai…uh…wai…wait what? Did I read this write? Eisenberg to star as Superman’s greatest foe, Lex Luthor. Must be a typo…right? I mean…COLUMBUS was gonna go from fighting Zombies to fighting Supes? What..the…Fuuuuuuh…ooooh lets review this decision before making a final opinion shall we?

Jesse Eisenberg, one of Hollywood’s brightest shining stars. An up and coming indy guy with movies such as The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, Zombieland, Candy Land (OK I made that one up) and of course, The Social Network where he played the bastard who all gave us Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Mark Zuckerberg. Certainly an actor who’s shown promise in the films he’s selected and built himself a niche following with Zombieland, but let’s be serious here and while we’re at it, honest with ourselves, does this guy seem Lex Luthor material?

Alexander Joseph “Lex” Luthor, the archenemy of Superman. A wealthy, power hungry, high intelligent mastermind whose ultimate goal in world domination and the death of the Man of Steel. Lex Luthor, who is ranked 4th on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time. A character whose legacy is so coveted that there are many who believe the casting of Luthor was actually more important to a successful film than Superman himself. Certainly this type of role would be secured by a megastar with a screen presence that’s second to none, rather Warner Bros opted for a wild card with little track record to show their decision to be valid.

But this isn’t to say that Warner Bros hasn’t found a gem in a pile of glass….I present exhibit A

Gene Hackman’s portrayal of Lex Luthor in the late 70s and 80s was fantastic and on par with what comic book fans came to know of Luthor at the time. The writing for his character was toned down as much of what went into comics during this time and what we received is an amp’d up version of a tame comic book villain. Hackman was charismatic and funny and menacing all at the same time. His acting complimented the characters strengths and toned down the weaknesses while also being able to play the character with a comedic side. A perfect mixture for the films that were made.

Hackman is the benchmark, but would a repeat performance of this character’s portrayal be what these new films need? I for one don’t think so.

Kevin Spacey added to the legacy of this character with his portrayal in Superman Returns in 2006. Spacey evolved the character from Gene Hackman’s performance but added an edgy side which coincided with the comic book portrayal of the time. With every change in writer and artist, each wants to leave their mark on a legendary franchise like Superman, so as the times change, so does the content of comics and film. So long was the campy, toned down Superman and what replaced it was an era of Superman which would see violence amplified, deeper character back story exploration, and a rivalry between Luthor and Superman that would ultimately lead these characters down dark paths.

Spacey brought his version to the screen with a calm intensity and we watched as his mental game of cat and mouse unraveled in front of us. Bryan Singer took these characters farther into the darkness, but pulled back once he realized the world wasn’t ready for that film.

And then of course there’s Michael Rosenbaum’s fantastic portrayal of Lex Luthor on the CW television show Smallville. A valiant effort from a virtual unknown who was confined to portray his Luthor on a very restrictive media, television, and did his best to leave HIS mark on the character.

For me, Rosenbaum was a welcome surprise. A new take on the character which was allowed to develop over the course of seasons rather than hours and gave us a detailed description of what made Lex Luthor tick and how we would ultimately see the man we’ve all come to loathe (or love) depending on your allegiance.

There are many who championed for Rosenbaum to continue his portrayal into the film world, fans hoping for a chance to see their choice in Superman Returns but ultimately left saying “maybe next time”…well, next time has come…and next time has went..

Which leads us to now…

Can Jesse Eisenberg leave a lasting impression like these other actors have? Of course he can, but its a gamble that Warner Brothers is playing and Jesse is holding all the cards…

Your deal…