RoboCop (2014)

RoboCop is a 2014 American science fiction action film directed by José Padilha. 

With a $130 million price tag on this film reboot , Colombia Pictures has hedged heavily on this reboot . 

With no stinger or extras during the credits , one does wonder about a sequel . But all $130 million is seen on the screen , special effects are good through out the film . 

Almost undetectable except in battle sequences between the hero and his large counter-part.

The story remains the same as the 1987 with some modern twist , the updates make the hero far more aware as they begin , but his awareness and emotions is faded in the middle by order of the evil bad guy , and a turn of heart leads to RoboCop rescue and victory in the end .

Does the story of man or machine , still ring through today ? In 1987 many could barely understand computers , far less dream of the Internet . 

In 2014 RoboCop is nearer to reality than fantasy , and this give far rise to the more moral questions that are scratch on the surface, and fail to have the deep moral discussion that could have been explored.

Actor Joel Kinnaman is the wounded police officer transformed into the Crime-Fighting Cyborg, to say the acting by him was emotional or wooden in parts , is only to say he did exactly what was required of him in the script.

Actor Gary Oldman is once again amazing , did not recognize him until after the film was over and the credits rolled. 

While Samuel L Jackson must have been pissed , spending days in front of a blue screen , only interaction was with Michael Keaton .

At the end of the day , the truth is , the special effects are the star of the film ,  and as a result the story feels like it suffered . In 1987 where more of the action was done in real , the 2014 digital special effects add to the excitement , and the dialogue to establish character and story-line was not there .

An opening sequence, with the occupation of Tehran by American force , don't expect a box office bump from it's release in IRAN.

With a run time of less than two hours , I felt a lot more could have been included , and I hope to see much more in an extended DVD . But definitely a must see on the big screen , if just for the roller coaster ride of action , car chases and special effects .

Digicel Imax, WoodBrook, Port-of-Spain

Rise of the Planet of the Apes ( 2011 )

Rise of the Planet of the Apes . ( 2011 )

Apes will Rise .


Such is the tag line of the movie , and the Apes do Rise . 

The Storyline is quite simple , through a series of unfortunate events ; and the development of a new drug , delivered with a virus . Apes Rise . Caesar , is the first , and then come the others , and the revolution beings .

The apes are real , Special Effects are NOT Noticeable at all . We have come a 1000 years from Arnold Scharwergger's horrible appearance in a Terminator 3 , or the Scorpion King in the Mummy 2 .  

Watch out for all the nods to the original films , the launch of the ICARCUS spaceship carrying Charton Heston in the original 1968 movie , as well as Heston appearing on a TV in the background . And Of course the infamous line is spoke "Get Your Hands Off Me, You Damn Dirty Ape"    

What is most interesting , and is not addressed directly in the movie , is not the demise of mankind , or the rise of the apes , but the story of the apes .

Caesar address the basics problem of revoluntary leaders everywhere , ape is weak , apes together are strong . And the true cynic in the film , state a fact , APES STUPID .

And this bring up a question , when was the script written ? The question arises when the revolution starts . One gets the sense that the recent revolution in the middle east Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria , stirred on the story . Did art imitate life , or did life imitate art ? Or has the revolution become so predictable , we can insert the template into a script .

In 1979 , the Shah of Iran fell to people power , protest in the streets . In 2009 those same leaders of 1979 , shot citizens in the street .

The Apes are not in fact Apes , they are  young people , the next generation . 
Who shall inherit the reigns of leadership ?
Where is our Caesar ?  






Twitter hash tag #apeswillrise