Robocop: Old vs. New

Nahid Taheri
Contributor

A we're being introduced to
a future where unmanned
robots are intelligent enough to
be deployed for law enforcement
abroad, on the American
homeland they're still illegal. The
scheming private corporation
that builds these robots then
creates something that can woo
the American citizens as well -
man plus machine. They call it
RoboCop.

Largely, the plot of the remake is
quite like the earlier film, but the

tweaks to the plot actually make
more sense than the original.
Also, the gritty, hand-held feel
adopted this time round is

more in sync with the kind of
films we're used to today. What
really lets this film down is its
screenplay. Predictable to the
core, the film pretends to have
twists and turns, but they are ones
that can be spotted from a mile
away. Like the original, it attempts
to be a commentary on American
capitalism and political hypocrisy
as well. For example, it seems
quite typical that American-built
robots are being used outside the

country for law enforcement,
but aren't used on American soil.
These attempts come across as
too blatant, instead of the pulpy
satire that the original managed
to pull off.

There is also an attempt to
highlight how, no matter what,

a beating human heart trumps
cold machine intelligence. This,
however, is so half-baked that it
comes across as looking juvenile.
We grew up watching a lot of the
films and television series that
Hollywood studio executives have
recently green-lit to remake. We
all know, and I think for the most

Arts 13

part have accepted, that studios
will continuously remake horror
films, but when it comes to cult
classics like RoboCop that is when
people start questioning things.

The old version was mixed action,
science fiction, and dark comedy.
The film also had so much to say
about society that still rings true
to this day. This new retelling does
a decent job at telling a similar
story while bringing it up to date
for a modern day audience. The
diehard fans of the original will
surely find lots to complain about
with this film.

March 17 - 21, 2014

FOO

D

=

AN

EVENTS ALL WEEK

UFM - CHEF DEMONSTRATION - GOOD FOOD BOX
SEEDING WORKSHOP - LOCAL FOODS @ THE CAF
COOKING COMPETITION -LOCAL BEERS @ THE MOOSE
I T l BEER SCHOOL - BOTTLED WATER FREE DAY AND MORE...

COME VISIT OUR TABLE IN THE WINTERGARDEN
TO LEARN MORE OR CONTACT UNBC@STUDENTFOOD.CA

The UNBC Drama Club Presents

Arsenic

and

Old Lace

_Josepn Kesselring

Saturday March 22
Sunday March 23

7 pm at the Canfor Theatre

$
. Ou rde amen
farch-22 & 23, 2014 at the Roll-c-Do
a

P k
“$10 per

vailable
ncludes al

100

es that day) —

ftatedparollergirls.con