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Special Features – A RoboCop for the 21st Century

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With the first trailer released this morning [watch it here], Chris Cooper looks forward to a RoboCop for the 21st century….
“What’s up with his right hand!”
“He looks like a man in a suit!”
“Why is Samuel L. Jackson wearing a dead cat on his head?”
Well, the last one I can agree with. But the first two statements have me wondering what exactly people expect of a remake, in this case of Paul Verhoeven’s 80’s classic RoboCop, which has just released it’s first trailer.

Make a slavish remake, and audiences will question what the point was. Deviate too far away from the original and it will be condemned for forgetting what made it great in the first place. Seems like any film-maker lucky enough to get their hands on a well known property is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was skeptical of this project when it was announced. How could they possibly produce something better than the original? Well, if you think about it, they don’t need to.

Peter Weller’s RoboCop has a special place for many people, with iconic suit design and movement. Kurtwood Smith is funny yet horrifying as Clarence Boddicker, and the script is insanely quotable. I’ve got quite a soft spot for ED-209 too. So what does director José Padilha do? He’s taken the core ideas – man’s identity, media and capitalism – and taken them in a different direction.

Each decade’s vision of the future is informed heavily by what is currently happening. The Jetsons didn’t get it predict everything correctly in the 60’s and Verhoeven didn’t get it all right in the 80’s. This is a 2013 take on the future. We can give blind people sight, and re-attach hands, so it stands to reason that a new RoboCop would be more nimble, athletic and far less robotic in his movements. As they clearly aren’t going for total body prosthesis this time, the right hand could be kept to provide a human touch, as social interaction and image is paramount. Drones are now used in conflicts around the world, and the new film appears to take this onto a logical conclusion of using them for urban pacification.

All the changes I’ve seen so far make sense when you look at it in context. I’m hopeful that the appearance of Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman and Samuel L. Jackson means the script has some merit. Keaton in particular is interesting, as he is seldom seen, leading me to hope that he wouldn’t be involved in it just to pay the bills.

Before you pick up your pitchforks and scream for blood, think it through. Anyone can look at a spy pic from a set, and make a hasty decision. Do yourself a favour and be better than that.

No one is taking the original away from you. If the new take turns out to be a dud, we all turn our backs and go back to happily watching Weller ‘thump-thump’ his way around. No harm done.

But if it’s good, it can stand beside the old incarnation and be something to enjoyed. It doesn’t have to replace it, and we’ll all be fortunate enough to have two takes on the story. Not everything needs remaking, but strong characters and ideas can survive changes and updates. They can even thrive. I believe RoboCop is one such idea.

It may turn out terrible. But for now, why not choose to be hopeful and give the new team a chance? I’m sure they’d be thankful for your co-operation.

What are your thoughts on the RoboCop trailer? Let us know in the comments below…

Chris Cooper

Originally published September 6, 2013. Updated December 13, 2019.

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