Despite a cast that included Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, and Samuel L. Jackson, the 2014 remake ofRoboCopcouldn’t reach the same level of success as the original. Directed by José Padilha,RoboCopis set in the year 2028 and depicts a police detective, Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), suffering severe injuries from an explosion on duty. Despite having the same premise, 2014’sRoboCopwas very different from the original film in a lot of ways.
The 2014 adaptation was released almost 30 years after the original 1987RoboCopmovie,one of Paul Verhoeven’s best movies. The remake served asthe fourth installment of theRoboCopfranchise, and it was planned to introduce the character to a new generation of viewers. But upon release,despite the 2014RoboCopmovie having an impressive cast, the remake proved a failure both critically and financiallyand was considered by many to bean unnecessary remake of an already classic movie.
RoboCop (2014) Was A Disappointing Remake Of The Iconic 1987 Film
The Remake Only Scored 50% On Rotten Tomatoes
The originalRoboCopmovie, released in 1987, is easilyone of the best action sci-fi moviesever. It received much attention for its heavy, self-aware depiction of gore and violence, which hadn’t been seen in previous sci-fi movies of that scale. RoboCop’s lead character, Alex Murphy, is to this day one of the most iconic sci-fi characters, which was strongly helped by Peter Weller’s performance as the titular machine.
The remake faced high pressure to reach the original’s same level of success, but despite high anticipation,2014’sRoboCopproved to be a failure for several reasons, including removing the humor and exaggerated violence that made the 1987 movie successful. TheRoboCopremake was entertaining and had some interesting ideas, but the execution didn’t work. It currently sits at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the original’s 92% score. WhileKinnaman made for a great RoboCop, it wasn’t enough to make 2014’sRoboCopstand out.
José Padilha Admitted He Felt He Lacked Creative Freedom During Filming
The remake ofRoboCopwas distributed by MGM;the project was first announced in 2005 and spent nearly a decade in development hell, with different directors signing on and dropping out and multiple casting considerations. Throughout filming,several changes were made to 2014’sRoboCopfrom the original, including changing aspects of Murphy’s backstory and scaling back the violence depicted in the 1987 movie, which secured the remake a PG-13 rating. This further lowered the remake’s chances of succeeding, especially when the original used exaggerated violence as part of the story.
RoboCop’s 2014 Reboot With 49% On Rotten Tomatoes Is Even More Disappointing When You Look At This Behind-The-Scenes Detail
The 2014 reboot of RoboCop could have been a great way to modernize Paul Verhoeven’s classic, and this BTS detail proves what could have been.
In an interview withScreenDaily, José Padilha admitted that he faced creative issues with MGM duringRoboCop’sproduction, stating that he wasn’t allowed creative freedom with the movie and that “[he] argued 90% of the time fighting” with the studio. Between the studio’s interference and the insistence on a PG-13 rating for the remake, the 2014 version ofRoboCopnever stood a chance at repeating the 1987 original’s success.
Source:ScreenDaily
RoboCop
RoboCop, released in 2014, is set in 2028 and explores OmniCorp’s ambition to integrate robot technology into American law enforcement. When Detroit police officer Alex Murphy is critically injured, OmniCorp seizes the opportunity to create a part-man, part-robot officer, aiming for widespread deployment and profit.
