The original RoboCopis an undisputed classic that spans genres and generations. As a result, the RoboCopreboot is going to have an exceptionally difficult time making its case to modern audiences. The first trailer from Jose Padhila's attempt to remake a movie with this kind of baggage does its very best to distance itself enough from the original to let audiences know that this isn't a traditional remake, while hitting just enough of the story beats to let us know what we're looking at.
The trailer plays more like RoboCop: The Next Generation than it does a reboot of the 1987 film. While it's still Alex Murphy under the suit (which, we admit, looks better in motion than any of the stills we've seen let on), his origin has been changed to a more "PG-13" variety, robbing audiences of the extraordinarily brutal sequence which initially landed the original film an "X" rating. A look at the cast list indicates that "Alex Murphy" is the only familiar character in the film, further distancing itself from its roots. This may turn out to be a good thing. Or not. Does it succeed? Judge for yourself.
The appeal of Paul Verhoeven's original stems from its masterful straddling of genres: it's got as much action as any two Die Hard movies, the ultra-violent sci-fi edge of films like Aliensor The Terminator, some truly horrific moments, and just enough satire to give you a nudge without becoming so self aware that it mocks itself. The sequels never managed to approach this delicate balance, and the franchise never really took off the way it should (despite a couple of TV series, an animated cartoon, a toy line, etc). This new RoboCopcertainly looks slick enough, but ol' Robo has his work cut out for him this time.
RoboCopstars Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, and Joel Kinnaman. The film opens on February 7, 2014.