"Robocop" (2014) REVIEW

I'll admit it. Like practically everyone else who went to see this movie, I too had low expectations for it. The movie did let me down, though, but not the way I expected.

In the near future (2028), the government has military drones all over the world, maintaining peace in all the countries in the world except the U.S.A. You see, the American government doesn't want those drones on their streets. Why? Because the robots are robots, they have no emotions or independent thoughts. If one of them shot a kid, they wouldn't feel anything different from shooting a criminal. So, the head of Omnicorp (Micheal Keaton), gives in to corporate greed to make something people can rally behind, something with character and and independent thoughts, something that has the strength of a machine and the will of a man. They're going to put a man in a machine.

The movie was great from the beginning, from Samuel L. Jackson's performance as a media spokesman trying to get the public to approve of military drones to Joel Kinnaman kicking butt as Robocop. That is, until we get to the last 30 minutes of the movie. The story is still good, but the movie really changed pace at that point from an easy, slow pace to an extremely rushed pace. The movie could have easily been at least 45 minutes longer.

Another problem I want to point out, which kind of goes with the pacing issue, is that the movie had very little Robocop action in it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the message they delivered in the movie and having greed the antagonist of the film instead of a drug lord, but I felt the writers were too quick to end the story right when we got started on Robocop action.

Overall, I like the movie, but the rushed pacing in the end ruined it for me. I did enjoy some references and one-liners from the original 1987 flick, but I was upset that they took out some golden moments (The gun flip and the rape prevention scene are the first that come to mind). However, even though this reboot is not as good as the original, it's still a pretty good movie. I'd buy it for a dollar.

3.5/5 Stars

Comments

What to Read After Insomiac's Spider-Man

So you've just defeated the Sinister Six, maybe done a side mission here and there, or perhaps 100% completed what most are considering the best Spider-Man game ever made (and they're right). What now? Where do you go from here to learn more about the wisecracking wall-crawler? Besides Tom Holland's performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we've never really seen Spider-Man portrayed so solidly like we have here. This, my friends, is where the fun part comes in: Entering the vast world of Spider-Man presented in comics and novels. Allow me to be your guide, providing recommendations for any requests you may be wishing for. "I just want more..." Well, you're in luck because Marvel has 2 options for you! Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover is the official prequel novel to the game, taking place 6 months prior. It follows Spider-Man trying to find an imposter killing people, working with a newfound friend from the police force to take ...

Is Thanos the Best MCU Villain?

Spoilers ahead! Avengers: Infinity War set out to be a huge, climactic start to the final main wave that originated back with Iron Man in 2008. In this installment, audiences are finally getting a front row seat at the big bad Marvel has been teasing since the first Avengers film: Thanos. Infinity War takes a macguffin approach in this story, the main items the characters are fighting for being the six infinity stones. The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy team up to keep the stones from Thanos but, if you've seen the film, they fail to do so and half of the universe gets wiped out Left Behind style. The Avengers couldn't beat Thanos because he was much too powerful for them. This, in turn, should make him the best villain in this cinematic universe, correct? Well, not quite. Marvel has had a rocky track record when it came to good villains in their films for the past 10 years. There are great ones like Killmonger ( Black Panther ), Vulture ( Spid...

Books on Film by Black Authors

There's no real order to this list, nor can I guarantee which ones are worth reading or not. However, the quality of the books are not the point, but rather we should lend these voices our eyes, ears, and time, giving them a stronger voice than they would have had without at least mentioning them. Titles link to the Goodreads page for the specific book and additional links will be listed to buy the book from Barnes & Noble and/or Thriftbooks (non-affiliated). Don't forget to see if your local bookstore might have these in stock! Missing your favorite? Tweet me @AuthorKLau and I'll update the article! Independent Visions: A Critical Introduction to Recent Independent American Film by Donald Lyon Far from the big money movie machine of Hollywood lies the cutting-edge, artistically fresh world of American independent film. These independent filmmakers, working outside the formulas and constraints of the big studios, produce today’s most exciting and innovative movies. In ...

Kevin Lau

Search This Blog