Despite a cast that included Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, and Samuel L. Jackson, the 2014 remake of RoboCop couldn’t reach the same level of success as the original. Directed by José Padilha, RoboCop is 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’s RoboCop was very different from the original film in a lot of ways.

The 2014 adaptation was released almost 30 years after the original 1987 RoboCop movie, one of Paul Verhoeven’s best movies. The remake served as the fourth installment of the RoboCop franchise, and it was planned to introduce the character to a new generation of viewers. But upon release, despite the 2014 RoboCop movie having an impressive cast, the remake proved a failure both critically and financially and was considered by many to be an 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 original RoboCop movie, released in 1987, is easily one of the best action sci-fi movies ever. 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 тιтular machine.

The remake faced high pressure to reach the original’s same level of success, but despite high anticipation, 2014’s RoboCop proved to be a failure for several reasons, including removing the humor and exaggerated violence that made the 1987 movie successful. The RoboCop remake 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. While Kinnaman made for a great RoboCop, it wasn’t enough to make 2014’s RoboCop stand out.

RoboCop’s Studio Meddling And PG-13 Rating Means It Never Had A Chance

José Padilha Admitted He Felt He Lacked Creative Freedom During Filming

The remake of RoboCop was 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’s RoboCop from 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.

In an interview with ScreenDaily, José Padilha admitted that he faced creative issues with MGM during RoboCop’s production, 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 of RoboCop never stood a chance at repeating the 1987 original’s success.

Source: ScreenDaily