Robocop (2014), the remake of Robocop (1987), hits theaters this week, so I guessed it is time to review the original Robocop that was so popular that it was able to warrant a remake, because every popular ‘80s movie is now being remade. I do not believe it is the big classics, which are still great, that should be remade. I believe the films to be remade are films that had a great premise, but were bad. An example of this is the horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). This film was not exactly bad, but its budget was only $375,000. Therefore, the quality of the outcome of the film was very bad. The remake, Evil Dead (2013), had a studio fund it. Therefore, it was able to have an outcome quality that was very good. And that is one of the good horror remakes. It is fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Anyway, it is time to get back on course. Is Robocop (1987) a film that could be remade? I think so.
Many people
refer to this film as a classic. Though, there are also many people who say
that it is “just good”. I would be part of the people that say Robocop (1987) is just good. This film
is directed by Paul Verhoeven and stars Peter Weller. I should not have to
explain this plot because it is a classic, but I will anyway. When a Detroit
cop is injured to very near death, he is able to join the force by being made
into a cyborg as a robot cop, but not all goes to plan.
I had fun
with many elements of the film. It is a moderately and mostly enjoyable film.
It also had some fun and cool action sequences. There were some good thrills
from the movie. Though, it suffers from pacing issues. I am not saying that it
was too slow; I am saying that it is not pacing linearly. There will be two
back-to-back action sequences, then a while without anything. If the action
sequences would have been placed evenly apart, then the film would not have
these pacing issues. It is important for a film to be paced linearly, because
with the uneven and choppy way this film was paced, it had many dull moments
and there were times where I was bored with the film.
Robocop (1987) is a very original film.
At its time, there was really no film like it. It was different and today there
are films that try to mimic it. It is also very inventive. It goes on an
unconventional route and explores new things that films at the time did not go
into. Its originality and inventiveness help carry the film.
The plot for
this film takes several turns in a different direction. Some of the turns were
ones that helped keep my interest, but several of them made the film seem
unfocused. This flaw lies in the script. There was no way the director
(Verhoeven) could have explored the plot in a different way, unless there was a
new script. It is the story that makes the film unfocused. The many, many turns
the film take almost forget the initial premise the film already had. It is
like the screenwriter thought that the primary story was not good enough and needed
to be changed.
There are
also other flaws with the script. For one, Robocop (Officer Alex J. Murphy) is
an underdeveloped character. I did not know much about him; therefore, in a
scene specifically for this character, I did not care. I also did not care
about him in the action sequences, so it was nearly impossible for the film to
have intensity. Another flaw is the dialogue. Sometimes this film relies on the
cheesiness and over-the-top elements of the film to keep viewers entertained.
Though, the cheesiness here adds nothing to the film. As it would in a film
today, it takes away from the film. And the over-the-top violence also takes
away from the film. I knew the filmmakers were trying to make these elements
work, but they came off silly and unnecessary for me.
With all of
these flaws with the script, there are good things, but mainly with the directing
style of how these things were done. One thing I liked is that this film
illustrated how some corporations may be to help other people, but they could
be very bad inside. This is one of the first films to do this. This is part of
how inventive the film is. Another thing I noticed that is great is the writing
for the news. From the headlines to the commercials, it is a fantastic satire
of American culture. The commercials depict how dumb some things in our culture
are, and the reports depict how violent we can be. The writing and directing
behind these two things are very good. And the overall directing of the film was
very good. Everything is framed and shot very well, and the scenes look good.
Robocop (1987) is a good movie. It has
flaws with the script and some of the execution, but it is still, for the most
part, a very well done movie and most of that credit goes to the director. It is
original, unconventional, and inventive. Do I think this is a classic? No. This
is a film that could be remade, and not just because of the dated CGI. The
script could be better and the film could be less cheesy and over-the-top.
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