Just as I considered Total Recall one of the "classics" from my generation, I would say Robocop was more so. I remember being so enthralled by a vigilante-type protector of the people in Officer Murphy as Robocop that I asked my mom in grade school for a lunchbox with his likeness on the front.
Or maybe that was Rambo.
Either way, I probably shouldn't have had either one. Hahaha!! I don't recall ever seeing the movies though. Probably a good thing that I had strict parents as far as my movie tastes were concerned, because both of those movies are extremely violent.
SYNOPSIS (1987): In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
DIRECTOR: Paul Verhoevan vs. Jose Padilha
I touched on this a little bit in the previous podcast for Total Recall: Verhoevan has the skill and the reputation for making good movies. Padilha, on the other hand, does not. His 2014 remake of another titular and iconic character in Robocop was his third movie and it fell way short, just as the remake of Total Recall did.
I never realized how similar the comparisons for this movie and the previous one are; both originals are iconic and beloved movies while the remakes both try to improve on them but only succeed in producing flash and not a lot of substance.
WINNER: Original, Paul Verhoevan
SCREENPLAY: Edward Neumeier/Michael Miner vs. Joshua Zetumer
The remake focused a lot more on the political aspect and moral dilemma of putting a man under all that physical and psychological stress of essentially being transformed into a cyborg. And the fact that the remake was inter-cut a lot by Samuel L. Jackson giving monologues via newscast updates.
I love Samuel L. and all, but damn, enough with that crap! Just show us the progression instead of cutting away from the action to bore us for 10 minutes at a time.
Not to mention that the remake had a PG-13 rating as opposed to an R-rating in the original. I guess they really wanted to market the remake to kids after all instead of adults; and the lesser rating achieved that to some extent.
Watch this YouTube clip from Screen Junkies and you'll be able to decide for youself:
CAST/ACTING: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith vs. Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton
While I commend Weller for his portrayal of Robocop in the original, and even That 70's Show actor Kurtwood Smith for being the perfect casting choice to play the bad guy, you have to give the acting cred to incredible method actors Oldman and Keaton.
Keaton was the original Batman for Pete sakes! Do YOU want to vote against him?! I know I sure don't! Hahaha!
You have to expect any actor playing the lead for a movie about being a heartless, mindless cyborg has to be pretty dry in his delivery. Both leading men did it well. While the original incorporated a lot more humor and one-liners into Weller's performance, his take was better.
Overall, though, the original just couldn't match the popularity nor the much better acting of all its main characters as the remake.
WINNER: Remake
MUSIC/SCORE: Basil Poledouris vs. Pedro Bromfman
There were several times when I cringed at the music choice of the remake. While, yes, I'm aware that the original was made in the mid-80's, its use in this film with the added "cheese" already with the effects and one-liners, the 80's music really worked for this film.
WINNER: Original, Basil Poledouris
Robocop (1987):
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88% or 7.8/10 average rating
- IMDb.com: 7.5/10 from 169,088 users
- Metacritic: 67/100
- Rotten Tomatoes: 49% or 5.6/10 average rating
- IMDb.com: 6.2/10 from 171,668 users
- Metacritic: 52/100
"I'll buy that for a dollar!" I'll buy the win for the original any day of the week.
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