RoboCop Reboot - Part 4

[Saint]

I think there's a lot of cool sci-fi potential when it comes to the inevitable reality of human augmentation and the question of ownership. If there's one thing the tech industry would love to kill, it's the concept of ownership-they want everything to be licensed, not owned. They want to control how you use their product by ensuring you don't actually own said product.

Since good sci-fi is about extrapolating on the fears of the now, there's a lot of potential in a story about a man who no longer owns his own body. Imagine if you lost an arm and it was replaced with a licensed, DRM locked product. For starters, you wouldn't have sweet super strength because the device wouldn't be licensed for that. It would be restricted. Secondly, oh, you want to go rock climbing? Your arm doesn't have the software for that, but you can download the rock-climbing app for a nominal fee! Want to use your arm in a way the manufacturer did not intend? Well, better go buy some back-alley jailbreaking software for your limb.

That's something the original Robocop covered, of course ("You're not an ordinary police officer, you're our product"), but of course it could never have predicted just how accurate that corporate attitude would become. It's infinitely more relevant now.

This film, with Robocop not being in control of his actions, could embrace that material. Certainly, it won't solve my main problem with the film, but if you do a good job of being a thoughtful science fiction film you've gone a long way towards swaying me. The trailer doesn't offer enough for me to expect anything, but it would be a nice surprise if this was something they covered.

 

[moviedoors]

I thought the trailer was okay.

I'm sure I'll piss some people off by saying this, but Robocop wasn't exactly a master piece. It was entertaining, and had some memorable stuff (the ED robot). Classic 80's. My point is, I wasn't exactly expecting a piece of art, so this trailer didn't disappoint.

Oh, it's art. It works fantastically as a big Hollywood entertainment and it has enormous satirical teeth. No exaggeration, I think it's one of the best movies of the 80's. Were I to make a top 20 best movies of the 80's, it would be in there somewhere for sure.

 

[Saint]

Oh, it's art. It works fantastically as a big Hollywood entertainment and it has enormous satirical teeth. No exaggeration, I think it's one of the best movies of the 80's. Were I to make a top 20 best movies of the 80's, it would be in there somewhere for sure.

Indeed. Robocop is my #2 all time favourite movie--and when you consider that there are at least 3 excellent Batman movies out there, that's a pretty meaningful statement of quality, coming from me--so to say my expectations for a Robocop film are high would be an understatement.

 

[jmc]

The film makers aren't missing the point of the original, they are doing their own thing. They need to be different and have different points. It makes sense. Making a pg-13 action movie doesn't show a lack of understanding of the original concept, because their concept is entirely different for a reason.

If they're going to do their own thing then do exactly that but give it a different name. If you're going to remake something you at least should keep the fundamentals of the original and this seems to remove it entirely. It's not a robot slowly reclaiming his humanity, it's clearly a human in an artificial body. That to me does show a lack of understanding of the original concept.

 

[BrollySupersj]

After watching the trailer 2 more times, it's grown on me. I think it'll be a good action movie with nice special effects. Leaving the hand still bugs me, but what the hell, it's not a deal breaker.

 

[moviedoors]

I gave it another look, and I'm still not swayed. But I was struck with this amusing thought: it looks like Dennis Reynolds became Robocop.

 

[Teelie]

Oh, it's art. It works fantastically as a big Hollywood entertainment and it has enormous satirical teeth. No exaggeration, I think it's one of the best movies of the 80's. Were I to make a top 20 best movies of the 80's, it would be in there somewhere for sure.

It certainly does.

 

[DrDoom]

I gave it another look, and I'm still not swayed. But I was struck with this amusing thought: it looks like Dennis Reynolds became Robocop.

HA, now I can't NOT see that

It certainly does.

DAFUQ?!?!?

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

If they're going to do their own thing then do exactly that but give it a different name. If you're going to remake something you at least should keep the fundamentals of the original and this seems to remove it entirely. It's not a robot slowly reclaiming his humanity, it's clearly a human in an artificial body. That to me does show a lack of understanding of the original concept.

Also the film isn't PG13 for artistic reasons or just to be different from the first, it's only reason for being PG13 is just to sell more tickets. I'm not even obsessed with the R rated like a lot of fanboys are but PG 13 Robocop just sounds wrong to me. Of course the rating issue isn't the biggest problem I see, I could get over that if it didn't look like generic action movie number 7.

Any warm reception for this trailer baffles me because it looks like any other generic action movie trailer from a early year release.

The trailer 100% reminds me of last years Total Recall remake trailer. Just painfully generic in every possible way. Maybe it's a poorly cut trailer that is hiding a good unique film? I don't know but what I do no is I didn't like it. I don't care for the look of the film, the presentation of the future, of Robocop's suit or most of the ideas and plot points put forth.

I'm not interested in seeing Robocop's family play a bigger role as something like that is a huge cliche at this point, I'm not interested in Sam Jackson's non acting and silly hair, I'm not interested in Alex Murphy (is that still his name I was too busy groaning in pain) being completely self aware from the get-go and I'm not interested in Nolan-Batman-Cop suit. Also what little I see of the satire looks like nothing special to me.

I am not totally against remakes as a good movie is a good movie but I have seen and heard nothing to make this movie seem like it's going to be worthwhile. If the next trailer for it makes it look appealing I will not pretend that it doesn't.

 

[InJustice]

I'm not interested in seeing Robocop's family play a bigger role as something like that is a huge cliche at this point, I'm not interested in Sam Jackson's non acting and silly hair, I'm not interested in Alex Murphy (is that still his name I was too busy groaning in pain) being completely self aware from the get-go and I'm not interested in Nolan-Batman-Cop suit. Also what little I see of the satire looks like nothing special to me.

What are you interested in seeing then?

 

[Immortalfire]

Just saw the trailer. Not impressed. As many of you have said, having contact with his family takes away a tragic part of the original film..he wanted to be with them, but ultimately accepted and believed that he couldn't. Having them still involved, and also having him still know who he is, not dying, just injured...no.

The tragedy aspects of the original are what it made it stand out among the brutal action.

 

[jacobed]

I'd say there is more tragedy in being so close to being with them but cannot. Rather than a few flashbacks he has.

 

[Paradox1]

I think having the family there is going to be immensely more tragic. There is going to be all kinds of rich storylines that can come from that. Since she decided to save him in that manner, what will Alex think? Will he blame her or thank her.

Omni Corp literally owns his ass I don't think they are going to let him go back home and be dad. How can he go back now, he's a freaking cyborg. They've taken an interesting spin on the original premise. I think it's a very promising film that looks very appealing visually.

 

[Frodo]

I saw the trailer and aside from seeing Michael Keaton again, which was nice, I was kinda meh toward it. I think Robocop may run into the problem that alot of these 80's remakes of films seem to run into which is that alot of what made them popular was the context of the time they were made and released in. However films like the Karate Kid remake are sort of timeless stories which could be told in 1984 or 2014, and regardless of geographic settings.

Those seem to do better because in alot of ways they aren't time dependent. Other 80's film remakes like Fright Night, Arthur, Nightmare on Elm street, A Team, and Total Recall were taking from source material which was very much defined by the decade they were created .

If the new Terminator film is a re-imagining or reboot, then it may suffer the same fate. This is not to say that the new Robo-cop wont be able to be made relevant for a 2013 audience but I have a feeling that even the modernization of it may not really jell for a 2013 audience.

I think if filmmakers want to remake 80's classics , they need to go to the stories which are timeless and were not fads or popular things at the moment. Stuff like War Games and Fast Times at Ridgemont high are no's no's imo. Something like Fatal Attraction however can be told in 1987 or in 2013.

 

[jmc]

I don't see how someone who's clearly still aware of who he is and who his family is as tragic at all. Murphy was dead in the original, his wife was widowed and once Robocop figured it out there was nothing he could do about it. Being trapped inside an artificial body with know way of reclaiming his past existence - that is tragic.

 

[Dyson]

I don't see how someone who's clearly still aware of who he is and who his family is as tragic at all.

Yes, Murphy is aware at first that he is still a man inside a machine - with memories, emotions, etc - but I bet as the film goes on, Oldman and Keaton's characters continue to tinker and screw around with Murphy's brain. In a nutshell, I think OmniCorp will slowly strip Murphy of his memories, his emotions and overall human identity as the corporation looks at Murphy as just a computer product that can be controlled 100 percent of the time and not a man with free will to do what he wants. If the story is told right, I think we'll all get that strong sense of tragedy as Murphy's humanity is taken from him piece by piece.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Saw trailer. I was not against this in principal. I'm not against remakes or reboots or what ever the pedantic title we fanboy/girl types have to give everything. I mean, The Maltese Falcon, Ben Hur, El Durado... All remakes, no? That being said I grew up with Robocop. My mom took me and my cousin to see it when I was 11. Mom is super cool. Anyway... I did not hate what I saw. Solid cast. Kinnaman nailed that last line I think. But other posters do bring up many good points. I will see this in the theatre myself though. Puddings and tastings and all that.

 

[jmc]

Yes, Murphy is aware at first that he is still a man inside a machine - with memories, emotions, etc - but I bet as the film goes on, Oldman and Keaton's characters continue to tinker and screw around with Murphy's brain. In a nutshell, I think OmniCorp will slowly strip Murphy of his memories, his emotions and overall human identity as the corporation looks at Murphy as just a computer product that can be controlled 100 percent of the time and not a man with free will to do what he wants. If the story is told right, I think we'll all get that strong sense of tragedy as Murphy's humanity is taken from him piece by piece.

So by the end he no longer has any humanity? That's not much of a character journey nor does it leave room to do anything in a potential sequel.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

^Yeah that sounds horrible and I doubt they will go that route because everything has to have a potential sequel lined up.

 

[BrollySupersj]

One thing I didn't expect to see was then classic colors. I thought he'd be all black all the time.

 

[Super Kal]

Yeah that's a bad ending for a movie...

Sorry, we made him completely robot now, no possibility for sequels, sorry

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

That Trailer looks Good!

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I've been holding out forever waiting for a new tranfer of the original, I never bought the blu-ray just because of all the bad reviews and thing's I've heard about it. It's like the first Terminator we JUST finally got a perfect transfer for it in the last year after how many cheap and crappy attempts? With the remake coming I fully expect a new and top notch transfer to be released.

 

[Dyson]

So by the end he no longer has any humanity? That's not much of a character journey nor does it leave room to do anything in a potential sequel.

Much like the original film, Murphy in this new film will probably begin to recall some memories and emotions aka fighting his computer system. Omnicorp wants to completely control Murphy and any action that he takes. In the trailer, Oldman's character, Dr. Norton, says, "the illusion of free will." Basically, Omnicorp sets up the RoboCop computer system to make Murphy think he is in control of everything he does, so I think as the film progresses, Oldman and Keaton want to ensure Murphy always thinks he is in control when they are truly controlling everything he does. They'll probably start messing around with his brain thus making him cold and robotic. His humanity stripped of him. A controlled product, but he'll probably then start recalling who is really was and he'll start fighting his own computer system. The ending, much like the original, Murphy in this version will understand who he really is by the end and a sense of his humanity restored.

Having zero control over your actions and having people screw around with your memories and emotions is VERY tragic and cruel and I think that is what Padilha is going for with this new RoboCop.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

To any of you that like to collect Robocop merchandise I just fell upon this shirt, which looks absolutely fantastic, I might have to have this.

http://creepy-tees.com/tshirts/robocop.htm