Jordan’s take
“RoboCop” has brilliant acting, impeccable special effects and great action scenes.
America has replaced all of its oversea forces with global company OmniCorp’s robotic warfare to save lives in the year 2028. Thanks to Senator Hubert Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) and the Dreyfuss Act, the robots will never step foot on American soil, but OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) is trying his hardest to repeal the act.
Dreyfuss’s argument is thatrobots have no feelings, so Sellars tells his lead robot designer Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) to place a man in a robot.
Meanwhile, Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is serving as a police officer in Chicago when his car explodes, leaving him with no chance of survival outside of robotics and becoming RoboCop.
I was wary of “RoboCop” being an “I, Robot” type film from the beginning, but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned into an awesome film with only a few robots.
The acting was incredible, but I didn’t expect anything less from a cast that included Keaton, Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson.
Oldman was by far my favorite character and actor. His character faced difficult situations throughout the film, and Oldman didn’t disappoint in making the viewer feel his stress.
Keaton is perfect as the CEO of OmniCorp, who just wants his robots to keep Americans safe. The problem with that logicis how his robots would keep them safe.
Jackson played Pat Novak, the semi-corrupt reporter on the robotic creations. He wasn’t in the film much, but he dominated while on screen because of his strong, loud voice.
The surprise of the film was Kinnaman, who was perfect as the emotionless drone that he becomes as RoboCop. His emotions that came out when he finally was reunited with his family were perfect.
The special effects were beautifully placed, and there wasn’t one moment when I thought, “‘Wow, that was obviously fake.” Everything worked into the film perfectly without any unnecessary explosions or gunfire that films of this caliber usually bring.
The action was amazing. There was one point when RoboCop is solving a crime, and he finds the man he is searching for, but the man is prepared with plenty of gunfire and has an idea to use night vision goggles. The scene was beautifully mastered.
The only problem I had with the film was it was slow between the car explosion and the creation of RoboCop. I felt myself starting to drift off as it was in those few moments, but it didn’t disappoint after that.
I am giving “RoboCop” an A- because of its few slow moments, but also because everything else was awesome.
Ethan’s take
“Robocop” is a thrill ride that delivers on all fronts.
Very few people of my generation are familiar with the 1987 hit, “RoboCop,” but my dad briefly explained its plot to me, and I was interested to see how the new adaptation could compare.
There were differences from the original, but the overall story remained. Having never seen the original myself, I can’t say if the differences were major or subtle, but this rendition should be enjoyable for fans of the original regardless.
The new technology that is available now compared with what was available in 1987 obviously made a huge difference for the film. The film-makers spared no expense in ensuring the graphics and special effects for the film were top notch. There are no instances in the movie that look fake or ridiculous.
The use of a first-person camera angle makes the film particularly interesting, as it allows viewers to see from RoboCop’s perspective during a few of the shoot-outs. This helps immerse the viewer in the action. The first-person point of view can sometimes come across a bit awkward when it is unexpected, but the transitions are smooth enough that it adds to the scene, rather than take away from it.
Sometimes movies spend too much time and money on the graphics that the budget for the cast suffers and there is a shortage of good actors. This was not the case with “RoboCop.” Great acting abounds with strong supporting roles from Oldman, Jackson and Keaton. The lead actor, Swedish Joel Kinnaman, gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in an action movie.
Kinnaman had the hardest job of the cast in playing the dismembered detective who has to cope with the loss of his body. In one scene, it’s easy to feel empathy for his situation as he struggles with the mixed emotions of wanting to see his family and not knowing how or if his family life will work with his new robotic body.
After having mixed expectations when the opening credits rolled, I left the theater pleasantly surprised.
I give RoboCop a well-deserved A-.
