In the long list of remakes and reboots that no one ever asked for or wanted, Robocop is right there at the top. How can anyone hope to approximate Paul Verhoeven’s slice of 80s action? How can someone fill Peter Weller’s big metal boots? The fact is that no one can, and it’s asking for trouble to even try.
But perhaps the Robocop remake will actually find something new to do with the story of a cop who becomes a robot. While that may be wishful thinking, the latest trailer for the film hopes to convince a skeptical audience that this remake is both timely and necessary.
The most convincing bit of this whole trailer is not so much the trailer itself but rather the introduction by director Jose Padilha. Padhila opens by acknowledging his debt to the original film, and what he was hoping to do with the remake. Referencing the use of drones and the possibility of a future robot army, or at least an army in which human soldiers play little part, Padhila makes a good case for why Robocop is relevant to our world today. With that in mind, we go into the trailer, hoping to see some evidence of the director’s argument.
The evidence is there, especially at the beginning as Samuel L. Jackson recounts the usefulness of robot peacekeepers around the world, and the desirability of having robot policemen on every corner. But then we actually get into the nitty-gritty of the plot, and the trailer begins to fall apart. While we have a great cast backing up star Joel Kinnaman, the trailer does little to showcase them, instead opting for explosions and gunshots and a distinct feeling that we’ve seen this all before. It looks just like one more big, dumb action movie.
However, do not take my word for it: watch the Robocop trailer below and decide for yourself.
Robocop hits theatres February 12, 2014.
