Robocop (2014): The Review

RoboCop opened in Kenya last Friday, Feb 7th, both in normal theaters and at IMAX Kenya. With all the discussions centered on reboots and this film not really pegged for success, is the film worth the cinema ticket price? Our take:

Plot: “In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop – is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer.”

The Good

To put it how one critique put it, the film has soul. In a time when action movies tend to have a bit of grit and smart story to them (not to mention mind boggling twists and turns), RoboCop succeeds in dwelling on the notion of the impact being part robot and part man would have on you. especially if you were formerly fully human with a wife and kid to boot!

The first RoboCop movie never fully explored the effects of having your humanity stripped away from you, yes even if it’s to save your life, who wants to be devoid of our natural senses? experiences and basic human functions and life processes. If you’re looking for an emotional and realistic anchoring on that theme, you’ll find it here.

The action is good. Not just on the basis of things getting shot up and blown up, but in terms of good justifiable cause behind them. The supporting cast (Michael keaton, Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson) bring a sense of gravitas, conviction and depth to the world created. Gary Oldman’s character, the good Dr. Dennett Norton who working under the ruthless Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton), transforms Joel Kinnaman’s Alex Murphy into RoboCop, steals the show in our books. He epitomizes the theme of humanity through out.

The Bad

No movie is without its flaws. Perhaps there are some instances especially towards the end where things were wrapped up a bit too quick. And also, quite possibly the only flaw we see in the film, it got slightly too wrapped up on the whole part-human-and-part-robot-struggle theme that led to a hurried third act in some scenes.

All in all, as evidenced in the final showdown pitting RoboCop vs Sellars, the film is more thematic in nature than its original franchise, but still a better offering than what some quarters expected.

Rating: 3/5

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