My Week in Movies - February 27th

This week I only managed to catch the Robocop remake. It proved timely but not probably not timeless.

Robocop
In preparation for my viewing of Robocop this week, I re-watched the original with Peter Weller as Officer Murphy. It's not quite how I remember it, the violence is excessive. I certainly didn't catch the satirical statements when I was younger. To me Robocop was an awesome cyborg cop who beat up bad guys. But that's my childhood memory and nostalgia. The remade Robocop is interesting and relevant to today's society. Robocop touches on the war on terror, drones, nation building, national security and political commentary. The story was modified, the satire is far more visible and the violence is actually toned down a bit. Murphy's still a cop with a family who is killed, rebuilt and struggles with his humanity, or lack thereof. But he's not the only man struggling with ethical issues, his creator, Dr. Norton, played by Gary Oldman. Jackie Earle Haley's Mattox and Michael Keaton's Raymond Sellars provide solid antagonists. I'm not always a fan of remakes or adaptations but I didn't find this film particularly problematic but it wasn't great either. It's relevant to current events and yet I'm not sure if it will hold up over the years.

Grade: C+

Next week, I'll be out to see Liam Neeson's latest action/thriller, Non-Stop.