RoboCop
Dir: José Padilha
2014
****
The question 'How do you remake a film like RoboCop' kind of misses the point. 'Why would you ever think of remaking RoboCop' is the better question but only after watching said remake did I realise the answer. The message of the original is strong and actually pretty important so it makes sense to update that for a younger audience. There are touching nods and references to the original film that the fans will understand and should like. The scene in which Murphy gets his hand shot off is the stuff of great playground debate when I was a child, so to do the opposite and only save Murphy's hand in the remake is my kind of quirky. Quirky is this film all over. The structure and idea are the same but just updated. The satire isn't the same but it is still there, it's just that pointing out certain issues such as the current use of drones is serious business. José Padilha has an agenda and he executes it perfectly and anyone who doubts him should watch Bus 174 immediately. RoboCop 2014 is just as anti-corporation as the first, it just goes that little bit further and is anti-media, anti-war, anti-neoconservative, anti-capitalist, anti-patriotism and just a smidge anti-American - or at least the bad elements of America I've already listed. Funny really how all of the satire that was overlooked in the first film seems to have also been overlooked here. Okay, so I liked the Silver suit better too and the soundtrack doesn't even compare but this is one remake that is more than competent, is justified and also quite brilliant.