It’s not hard to find people who weren’t fans of the 2014 Robocop reboot, but there are a great many that want to see the original look of the titular hero in Robocop Returns. Kevin Burwick from MovieWeb sounds like he might be one of them, and while it’s not too surprising it’s kind of hard to rationalize just why people had such an issue with the look of the reboot since it did keep with a very sleek and sound design that wasn’t too much removed from the old, clunky-looking silver suit that Robocop was given in the original film. Plus, if anyone’s being honest. Robocop went downhill not long after the first movie as well, and the idea that it can be brought back after cartoons, comics, sequels, and a reboot that flopped is kind of hard to imagine. But then again, nostalgia goes a long way when it comes to fans, and those that are for some reason trying to dredge up the old days and everything that came with it somehow fail to realize that while Robocop was fine for his time and was a definite hit when he came out, the idea has kind of passed on by and the reboot at the very least tried to make something new out of it. In truth the reboot would have been better off as a remake, given that they tried to outdo something that had already become legend. But of course reboots seem to be the thing that some directors and producers think will revive a franchise, as we saw with Ghostbusters a few years back.
In many ways what little we know about the movie so far is that Robocop will be coming back to do what he does best and that’s about it, meaning he’s going to prove why he’s still the baddest cop on the block and yet the most justified in what he does. As far as the suit goes, that’s already been confirmed it would seem since he’s going back to basics and sticking with the silver suit that helped to make him famous in the first place. But one thing that a lot of fans are no doubt hoping for is that he’ll be the same old Murphy that we became used to in the past, at least until the sequels started screwing things up. It kind of begs the question as to whether people remember just how bad the sequels really were when it came to this hero, and how ridiculous he eventually became until it was deemed enough. As an 80s hero he was great and he was someone that the fans responded to, but throughout the years since the first movie people have either forgotten about him or he’s become something of a pop culture reference that a lot of people still don’t know about.
The fact that the original suit is coming back isn’t such a big deal really, but it’s the hope of many that the story will feature something that’s more than just Robocop showing just how big and bad he is, since that’s been done a few times and it’s become something that’s kind of tiring in the movies. Of course given who and what he is there’s really nothing else to be done since despite being able to hack into pretty much any operating system and being stronger and more durable than any other cop Robocop is still kind of limited in his character. He has one function really and that’s about it, meaning that whatever’s going to happen in this next movie is going to be something based in Detroit and have something to do with the police force that he’s such an integral part of. Details on the movie at this time are still being kept closely guarded but the big hope is that fans will like it in part because the suit is staying the same as it was in the original and, of course, because it’s Robocop. The name alone is iconic enough to warrant a good deal of attention and the idea that he’s washed up and no good for pop culture any longer has been debated for a while by people who have wanted to see a good representation of the hero make his way back to the big screen.
One thing that’s obvious is that if Peter Weller does come back he won’t be playing the titular hero unless they’re willing to mask his age with some serious CGI effects. Weller is into his 70s at this point and unlike the effects used on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it doesn’t seem like it would fly here. No one’s saying at the moment, but it would seem a shame not to have him in the movie somewhere.Robocop
