Gave it a Name
Feb. 14th, 2014 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tracker7Taken on its own, Jose Padilha's remake of RoboCop ain't bad. It's well-cast, Padilha has terrific skill at putting together action pieces, the "Show Me!" scene is horrifying, and the movie does a pretty good job addressing the issues it wanted to play with. The RoboCop prosthesis looks pretty darn cool, the updated ED-209s are nifty, and, man, Jackie Earl Haley is such an utter dick. Really liked Michael Keaton, too. Points for using some of the original's most distinctive sounds - RoboCop's heavy footfalls and Basil Poledouris' classic theme.
In comparison to Paul Verhoeven's masterpiece, though, it falls sadly short. Despite the slightly longer runtime, it feels like there is less movie here. Padilha's movie's villains are half the strength of Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones. The mandated PG-13 rating means that the cartoonish violence from 1987 is sanitized for the audience's protection. Sam Jackson as a Bill O'Reilly copy just isn't interesting, and has entirely too much screen time.
On the whole, it's an okay movie, but not one I'll seek out again. The whole is a bit less than the sum of its parts.
Teasers and trailers from the viewing: Expendables 3 - will wait for Netflix. Amazing Spider-Man 2 - will probably see in theater, after finally seeing the first one. 22 Jump Street - clever and self-aware trailer, but not interested in giving this one the money or time.
Some shorter takes, because I'm feeling self-indulgent.
I would love a version of Michael Mann's big-screen treatment of Miami Vice with just environmental sound and music. It's a gorgeous movie, filled with some great cinematic craft, but kind of a mess when you pay attention to the plot, and the dialogue is awful.
Salt is, so far, a good espionage thriller, and hey, there's Andre Braugher!
In comparison to Paul Verhoeven's masterpiece, though, it falls sadly short. Despite the slightly longer runtime, it feels like there is less movie here. Padilha's movie's villains are half the strength of Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones. The mandated PG-13 rating means that the cartoonish violence from 1987 is sanitized for the audience's protection. Sam Jackson as a Bill O'Reilly copy just isn't interesting, and has entirely too much screen time.
On the whole, it's an okay movie, but not one I'll seek out again. The whole is a bit less than the sum of its parts.
Teasers and trailers from the viewing: Expendables 3 - will wait for Netflix. Amazing Spider-Man 2 - will probably see in theater, after finally seeing the first one. 22 Jump Street - clever and self-aware trailer, but not interested in giving this one the money or time.
Some shorter takes, because I'm feeling self-indulgent.
I would love a version of Michael Mann's big-screen treatment of Miami Vice with just environmental sound and music. It's a gorgeous movie, filled with some great cinematic craft, but kind of a mess when you pay attention to the plot, and the dialogue is awful.
Salt is, so far, a good espionage thriller, and hey, there's Andre Braugher!
