RoboCop (2014)
TOMATOMETER
Critics Consensus: While it's far better than it could have been, José Padilha's RoboCop remake fails to offer a significant improvement over the original.
Critics Consensus: While it's far better than it could have been, José Padilha's RoboCop remake fails to offer a significant improvement over the original.
Trailer
Photos
ADVERTISEMENT
Movie Info
In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years - and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) - a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit - is … More- Rating:
- PG-13 (for intense sequences of action including frenetic gun violence, brief strong language, sensuality and some drug material)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- José Padilha
- Written By:
- Ed Neumeier , Michael Miner , Josh Zetumer , Nick Schenk
- In Theaters:
- Feb 12, 2014 Wide
- On DVD:
- Jun 3, 2014
- US Box Office:
- $58.6M
Cast
-
Joel Kinnaman
as Alex Murphy/Robocop -
Gary Oldman
as Norton -
Michael Keaton
as Raymond Sellars -
Samuel L. Jackson
as Pat Novak -
Abbie Cornish
as Clara Murphy -
Marianne Jean-Baptis...
as Chief Karen Dean
Related News & Features
-
RT Podcast: Ep. 016 - Fault in Our Stars cast & Griffin Dunne
– Rotten Tomatoes
RoboCop Videos
Photos
Friend Ratings
No Friends? Inconceivable! Log in to see what your friends have to say.
Critic Reviews for RoboCop
All Critics (192) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (93) | Rotten (99) | DVD (1)
Surveying the peculiar array of 1980s retreads clustered into release this week, I'm reminded of Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II, traveling forward in time 30 years to discover that everything is still the same, only worse.
Padilha is Brazilian, and it's interesting that both RoboCops have been made by men whose non-Hollywood work focused on their respective countries' curdled politics.
This Robo-reboot tries fiercely to update the satirical punch and stylistic perversity Paul Verhoeven's 1987 original. It's a futile gesture.
Cynical, boring, PG-13 retread.
Neither Alex Murphy's internal moral conflict nor the larger, vaguely satiric portrait of a global culture dependent on high-tech law enforcement seem to be the main point of this Robocop remake, which raises the question of what is meant to be the point.
It's well made, polished, and hits every mark - but is it crazy to want a futuristic sci-fi action flick about a motorcycle-riding metal supercop to be just a little more fun?
Most older viewers will probably feel that RoboCop cannot match Verhoeven's satirical originality, but the computer age has made the core ethos more relevant to contemporary society.
It's not a problem that they went and remade Robocop. But the biggest problem with this Robocop is that it's a remake.
Director José Padilha is clearly trying to do something different, but the end product is frustratingly underwhelming.
"Robocop" is a remake that manages to find its own way. It may lack the social satire of the 1987 original, but it's sharper and more believable than the film that went before.
Without the essential emotional attachment to Murphy, the entire project was in vain from the start, turning this into just another big, loud action flick with nothing at its core.
An impressive supporting cast does the best it can with small and somewhat undefined stereotypes.
This 'RoboCop' spends more time developing the man behind the machine, making him more complex and less detached (at least, at first).
This version feels more slick and calculated than gritty and provocative, and it lacks the freshness of its predecessor despite attempts to update various story elements.
A typically inferior remake...
Nothing special, but manages to avoid the junk heap
Having set up RoboCop as a drone whose humanity has been ruthlessly programmed out, the filmmakers can't figure out how to give him back meaningful agency.
This remake of the science fiction classic is definitely on the right track with its approach to social commentary, but doesn't stick the landing enough for it to work.
blandly inoffensive.... It's like they took the original and sanded off all the sharp corners and rough edges to make something slicker, but also undeniably rote.
Padilha protracts Murphy's existential ordeal,so that the revenge plot that motivates the action becomes secondary to Murphy's struggle to hold onto his identity even as political, corporate and scientific interests seek to erase it.
Caso você queira assistir ao mesmo filme, o melhor caminho é revisitar o trabalho de Paul Verhoeven, já que esta criação de José Padilha é algo bastante diferente. Mas não menos admirável.
It won't tick off the original Robocop loyalists, and might even impress a few of them.
The satire's still there, albeit not as angry and more obvious, and the targets have shifted. It may not have the original's subversive nutso attitude but there's a couple of crazy surprises up its sleeve and a surprisingly engaging story.
It's far from memorable but the cast acquit themselves with aplomb while impressive action sequences will give excitable types plenty of bang bang for their buck.
"RoboCop" was released more than a quarter-century ago. Two sobering things about this juicy remake are how little has changed since then - and how much of it has come true.
Good acting, great special effects and a perspective that keeps its heart in the right place.
Audience Reviews for RoboCop
The question 'How do you remake a film like RoboCop' kind of misses the point. 'Why would you ever think of remaking RoboCop' is the better question but only after watching said remake did I realise the answer. The message of the original is strong and actually pretty important so it makes sense to update that for a younger audience. There are touching nods and references to the original film that the fans will understand and should like. The scene in which Murphy gets his hand shot off is the stuff of great playground debate when I was a child, so to do the opposite and only save Murphy's hand in the remake is my kind of quirky. Quirky is this film all over. The structure and idea are the same but just updated. The satire isn't the same but it is still there, it's just that pointing out certain issues such as the current use of drones is serious business. José Padilha has an agenda and he executes it perfectly and anyone who doubts him should watch Bus 174 immediately. RoboCop 2014 is just as anti-corporation as the first, it just goes that little bit further and is anti-media, anti-war, anti-neoconservative, anti-capitalist, anti-patriotism and just a smidge anti-American - or at least the bad elements of America I've already listed. Funny really how all of the satire that was overlooked in the first film seems to have also been overlooked here. Okay, so I liked the Silver suit better too and the soundtrack does even compare but this is one remake that is more than competent, is justified and also quite brilliant.
http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/robocop-dir-jose-padilha-2014-question.html
Super Reviewer
It's not a train wreck, that's for sure. But for every great scene of emotional, moral tension brought by Oldman and Kinnaman it takes several steps back with Jackson, Keaton and Haley's completely unbelievable, overly comical characters.
I did enjoy the satirical political themes explored with the plot, but just the way everything was handled came off painfully juvenile. People may say this remake was more believable, but that just tells me how completely unreal the original must've been.
The action sequences are also pretty subpar for this day and age. Between all the Marvel films, Bay's Transformers and all that business there's just much more to be desired for a Sci Fi franchise.
Super Reviewer
A total blast in every way. This in one spectacular and incredibly fun movie to watch. It's not a card-board cut-out of the original but is its own beast and works well in almost every way. It's better than the original picture. It's a smart, stylish, super-charged action-thriller with brains. A explosively entertaining roller-coaster ride from start to finish. It has some of the best crafted action sequences and special effects this year in a movie. Director, Jose Padilha crafts a pure guilty pleasure with his own cool and wickedly inventive take on the character and story. A sharp, funny and wickedly cool action-packed thrill-ride that a lot of fire-power and a tremendous amount of heart. The all-star cast is great to watch. Joel Kinnaman is sensational, once again showing he is true movie star material, this time in one of the most iconic superhero characters brought to the screen. Gary Oldman is brilliant. Michael Keaton is excellent. Jackie Earl Haley is terrific. Abie Cornish is fantastic. Samuel L. Jackson is a blast. Some of these actors look like they are just having the time of their lives playing some of these characters. A mind-blowing and insanely good movie.
MoreSuper Reviewer
Most remakes nowdays are complete throwaways. At first you're like "yes! can't wait to see this because the original is awesome". Then when it's over you just go "meh, I'll stick with the original". "Robocop" is kind of the same way. The movie is well made and has some great performances. But once it's over and everything has sunk in, it feels kind of pointless, because the original is stuck with you. Joel Kinneman steps in as the half robot/half cop, and he does fantastic. I'm a huge fan of his from "The Killing", and he does great. As does Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley, and Gary Oldman. This movie has a terrific cast. Samuel L Jackson has a small role as a political talk show host, that could have been bigger and meant more. But it doesn't bring anything new to the franchise or take it to another level. It is exactly what the original was, a B+ action movie with some subtext. Maybe if it was rated R like the original and could have gone harder, it would have been better. I mean, it's not that it's a bad movie, but it isn't. It's just in 5 years when you want to watch "Robocop", you will always choose the original over this, and in 15 years this will be forgotten. Could be wrong, but that seems to be the case for most remakes. Good for a one time watch or rental.
MoreSuper Reviewer
RoboCop Quotes
- Rick Mattox:
- I wouldn't buy that for a dollar.
- Tom Pope:
- I wouldn't buy that for a dollar.
- Alex Murphy / Robocop:
- What kind of suit is this?
- Norton:
- It's not a suit, Alex. It's you.
- Raymond Sellars:
- People don't know what they want most of the time until you show it to them.
- Norton:
- Your body may be gone, but you're still here.
- Pat Novak:
- They fear what they don't understand.
Discussion Forum
Discuss RoboCop on our Movie forum!
