We went and saw "Robocop" today. And it was cool. The actors (holy cow, whatta cast!) did amazing things with the material they were given. Full props for that.
But it sure didn't give me a protag to care about. It could have been way awesome rather than just cool, and it wasn't. Something like that, with ramifications like that, should be exploring what makes us human, what separates us from machines, and the cost of the tech they're throwing out into the field.
And, instead, it boiled down to a simple revenge plot spiced with an Evil Corporation. Or maybe an Evil Corporation plot spiced with revenge. Six of one. The characters were just... one-note, throughout, and really, only the doctor played by Gary Oldman had any nuances at all. And that's because Gary Oldman is amazeballs. Jackie Earle Haley's character was great too, but that's because he's got the "snarky little asshole" character sewn up tight.
I need more than "blow shit up" to enjoy a movie like that. Unlike something like "Pacific Rim," which is exactly what it says it is on the box and enjoyable on that level, "Robocop" needed to hit more than one mark. And, unfortunately, it failed.
Which makes me sad. I am the exact target audience for a movie like this, and they missed. Booo.
But it sure didn't give me a protag to care about. It could have been way awesome rather than just cool, and it wasn't. Something like that, with ramifications like that, should be exploring what makes us human, what separates us from machines, and the cost of the tech they're throwing out into the field.
And, instead, it boiled down to a simple revenge plot spiced with an Evil Corporation. Or maybe an Evil Corporation plot spiced with revenge. Six of one. The characters were just... one-note, throughout, and really, only the doctor played by Gary Oldman had any nuances at all. And that's because Gary Oldman is amazeballs. Jackie Earle Haley's character was great too, but that's because he's got the "snarky little asshole" character sewn up tight.
I need more than "blow shit up" to enjoy a movie like that. Unlike something like "Pacific Rim," which is exactly what it says it is on the box and enjoyable on that level, "Robocop" needed to hit more than one mark. And, unfortunately, it failed.
Which makes me sad. I am the exact target audience for a movie like this, and they missed. Booo.