The first trailer for the reboot of the RoboCop franchise has just been released.
RoboCop (1987) is a cult classic. Released amidst a deluge of low budget 80’s action films, the appeal of it’s titular character prevailed in the minds of future generations. While some remember it as just a mindless film for adolescent boys, it actually carried significant political undertones for the time.
The original idea for RoboCop was instilled by a poster for 1982’s seminal Blade Runner, drawing further inspiration from British comic book hero Judge Dredd. Creator Edward Neumeier wrote in satire of America’s violent culture, specifically it’s acceleration in the 1980’s. RoboCop dealt with moralism, capitalism, identity, and the concept of judgement. The reboot of the franchise comes at an opportune time. Detroit, the city in which both films are based, has fallen into a sad and seemingly unfixable state. Also, as tensions rise again in the Middle East and even here on our own soil, the concept of drone strikes has played constantly into our political rhetoric. RoboCop is essentially built as a drone, right?
The film has a decently high budget of $120 million, and has attracted stars the likes of Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson. The physical redesign of the character has been received well by fans, though some criticism has arisen from it’s similarity to our contemporary Iron Man, or even Christopher Nolan’s Batman. Their point is somewhat valid, RoboCop is supposed to be mostly mechanical and not just another man in a suit…and he sort of looks like a man in a suit. Apparently robotics will have advanced far enough by 2028 to allow more articulation and agility.
Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think:
RoboCop is set for release by Columbia Pictures, MGM on February 7th, 2014.
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