‘Robocop’ revs up new wave of justice

Robocop+poster+used+with+permission

“Robocop” poster used with permission

The remake of the 1987 “Robocop“makes a resurgence in a fresh, modified storyline in a new movie of the same title. The remake brings back the character Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) aka the “Robocop” we all know and love with more human and compassionate traits not seen in the original; with the enhanced role of Murphy’s family contributing to this effect.

In the original, Murphy was completely robotic and had little to no human emotions until his partner, Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen), brings him back to a reality and reminds him of his humanity. In the remake his family fills the role of Lewis, reminding him over time that he’s a father as well as a husband. The overall replacement of Anne Lewis with Murphy’s family replaces the somewhat awkward relation between co-workers with a heartwarming family element that shows that there is still Murphy inside of “Robocop.”

Another change involved the shifting antagonist from Dick Jones, corrupt executive of OCP (Omni Consumer Products) , to Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton), CEO of OCP’s daughter company, Omnicorp. The shift here was incredible as Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) was a corrupt and obvious villain, whereas Raymond Sellars was an overly ambitious businessman who didn’t realize the extent of harm his actions caused. The shift shows that it doesn’t take a monster to perform a villainous act, but anyone who is obliviously ambitious, not realizing the extent of the harm they’re causing.

The remake had a moderately different plot from the original, but it captured realism and human emotion that the original seemed to lack, making it better than the original “Robocop” while still retaining badass action scenes. It is rated PG-13, a great movie for “Robocop” fans and for anyone. It has a running time of  121 minutes, completely worth every second.

 

by GREG ZHELEZNY