I've got the music for this movie humming in my head as I type the review. Maybe it's the effect of the movie, or the computer-game based on the movie, I'm not quite sure. Either way it's put me in a more agreeable mood towards this picture.
In the future-world of `Robocop', crime is running wild. The OCP, the police of Detroit, try desperately to fight against it but it's a losing battle. When Officer Murphy is brutally gunned down by a bunch of thugs they see an opportunity to test a new technology. Infusing the body with cyber-technology they create the ultimate crime-fighting machine - the synthetic Robocop. Robocop is out to fight crime. but finds that the fight may take him places he never thought of, including inside his past that he thought erased.
Acting? It's actually above average for a sci-fi flick. Peter Weller is mostly stoic and chisel-jawed here, as he should be seeing as how he's a robot. However the emotion underneath is shown in the glimpse of the eyes, the almost too-determined posture. It's subtle but it works. Those playing the villains have the real fun. They seem to have delight in playing utter pieces of scum, camping it up in a delightfully menacing fashion that's a joy to see.
Speaking of camp. this movie has a great comic-book feel to it. Paul Verhoeven, and the script, have their tongue lodged firmly in their cheek as they make this movie into a satire about the way our vales are changing. The over-the-top violence of the future is reflected in a blackly humorous style by contrasting it against fake-news and ad-snippets. The sheer amount of bullets flying is too much to take in and so you are reduced to incredulity and smiles rather than horror. This is intentional, a saturation of the sensibilities. Without it the movie could feel very bleak. With it there's the feeling of adventure, and an ironic acknowledgement of our own blood-lust in movies. The tone melds with the viewer very well and makes the movie appear more intelligent than it actually probably is, which is something to be said in the IQ of 0 sci-fi culture we're often in.
There's enough action throughout this movie that you're never left bored. The villains have about as much dimension as a dot, but Robocop himself has enough character to have merited the concept of a franchise (even if the follow-ups failed to live up the series' potential). It's a very entertaining piece which is told in a manner that's quite amusing. Worthy of a watch, just don't accept to be blown away. 7/10.
