Robocop (2010)

BryanM · Post by **BryanM** » Thu May 28, 2009 6:53 pm

As everything that exists has to be adapted or remade into a movie, this stuff just blurs together. The canceled Masters of the Universe movie, which could have been awesome if rated R, the not-canceled live action Smurfs... It's all the same thing, right?

Well, looks like Robocop (2010) is happening. Darren Aronofsky is attached to the project, and apparently loves talking about it every single time he tries to promote one of his other movies.

I'm both a little excited and horrified at the same time. Excitified / horrited. Sadly, I think this one will lack jetpacks or ninja robots that can slash through pillars of concrete. Sad sad.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:04 pm

If the Robocop film franchise can be revived with this fourth one, will it be as good as the first one?

By the time the third Robocop film came out, it was already too late to save it from taking a nosedive with Peter Weller deciding not to star in it.

Phil Tippet's stop-motion animation scenes of the ED-209 chasing after against Robocop down a flight of stairs is a classic. Shows how something high-tech can still be defeated by simple laws of gravity and body mass.

Data East was keen enough to snag the exclusive rights to bring out the Robocop arcade game. I was pleasantly surprise by the gameplay of it back in the day when they used to take real quarters as the choice of credit. ^_~

The Cain mecha was even more impressive with more extensive stop-motion animation again being provided by Phil Tippet in Robocop 2. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:54 pm

It's the Ongoing 1980s Pop Cultural Recycling Program, continuing unabated.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:10 pm

Vexorg wrote:It's the Ongoing 1980s Pop Cultural Recycling Program, continuing unabated.

I wonder how that TR2N sequel is coming along as it's being filmed right now in Canada and slated for a 2011 release. The new light cycles look quite different indeed. Did Syd Mead have any input in designing them (like how he did for the original light cycles in the 1982 film of Tron and the upgraded light cycles shown in Tron 2.0 PC game)?

I always marveled at the pro players at the cool Tron upright cabinet with the black lighting effect. Especially when rapid blasting the MCP cones to break through and enter the MCP to escape. The Discs of Tron with the enviromental cabinet setup was awesome to see/play back in 1983. Originally, Bally Midway wanted to include Discs of Tron with the other games featured in the Tron arcade game but not enough memory was available at the time, so DoT was seperately released a year later after the Tron upright cabinet. DoT was released in both as an upright cabinet and as a deluxe enviromental cabinet setup (is the rarer of the two indeed). ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:18 pm

I can't wait for them to remake Biodome.

Udderdude · Post by **Udderdude** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:19 pm

It's going to suck.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Thu May 28, 2009 9:34 pm

The third film was craptacular. Robot Ninjas!

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Thu May 28, 2009 9:43 pm

If there's one thing Aronofsky does well, it's depict emotionally tortured characters. That was what elevated the original Robocop above its b-movie peers in the 80s, and it's what could make this remake worthwhile. Hopefully he'll keep it gritty and character focused like Pi, and not let it float off into a mess like Ang Lee's Hulk.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu May 28, 2009 11:48 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:
Vexorg wrote:It's the Ongoing 1980s Pop Cultural Recycling Program, continuing unabated.
I wonder how that TR2N sequel is coming along as it's being filmed right now in Canada and slated for a 2011 release. The new light cycles look quite different indeed. Did Syd Mead have any input in designing them (like how he did for the original light cycles in the 1982 film of Tron and the upgraded light cycles shown in Tron 2.0 PC game)?

I always marveled at the pro players at the cool Tron upright cabinet with the black lighting effect. Especially when rapid blasting the MCP cones to break through and enter the MCP to escape. The Discs of Tron with the enviromental cabinet setup was awesome to see/play back in 1983. Originally, Bally Midway wanted to include Discs of Tron with the other games featured in the Tron arcade game but not enough memory was available at the time, so DoT was seperately released a year later after the Tron upright cabinet. DoT was released in both as an upright cabinet and as a deluxe enviromental cabinet setup (is the rarer of the two indeed). ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

I actually just saw an environmental Discs of Tron setup in someone's garage the other day when I was at a garage sale nearby. I couldn't tell if it was in working condition or not though.

Khan · Post by **Khan** » Fri May 29, 2009 11:04 pm

Soon as I saw this thread I remembered this GIF id seen on another forum

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Fri May 29, 2009 11:29 pm

You know, it's kind of creepy watching that meatmouth hanging around underneath that costume, and stuff.

Also: Lol, the movie is yet another reboot.

Udderdude · Post by **Udderdude** » Sat May 30, 2009 12:31 am

Who's willing to bet that instead of cheezy 80's technology it's going to be some shit like mindcontrol nanomachines?

It will still fail to make any sense, however.

escadrille · Post by **escadrille** » Sat May 30, 2009 4:50 am

You have to go back and re-watch the first film to really remember how cheesy it is (in a good way). It doesn't set the bar very high for a remake. Provided they keep it simple and not stray from the basics of the Robocop character too much there's no reason Aranofsky can't produce a slick piece of junk-food summer cinema.

The only troubling thing I heard is that it will be set in L.A. rather than Detroit. I guess they figured not even Robocop can save Detroit at this point...

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat May 30, 2009 4:52 am

FIL wrote:I can't wait for them to remake Biodome.

Blowdome? Never saw it, but I remember seeing the trailer in theaters...that was what, 1993?

escadrille wrote:[Robocop] doesn't set the bar very high for a remake.

Now wait a second. The opening in particular is pretty hard-hitting. Owies and shit. Also the theme of Detroit's decline is an interesting angle (with Michigan's new film tax incentives I don't see why they wouldn't film the upcoming movie there).

escadrille · Post by **escadrille** » Sat May 30, 2009 4:59 am

Ed Oscuro wrote:
escadrille wrote:[Robocop] doesn't set the bar very high for a remake.
Now wait a second. The opening in particular is pretty hard-hitting. Owies and shit. Also the theme of Detroit's decline is an interesting angle (with Michigan's new film tax incentives I don't see why they wouldn't film the upcoming movie there).

I heard L.A., but I don't know how far along they are at this point.

I'm not saying the original film was unwatchable, but the themes you described aren't that difficult to replicate in the remake. Urban decline has been a standard theme in America since 1970. Robocop never explored the issue as seriously as for example The Wire, and it was never meant to.

Peter Weller being turned into hamburger almost instantly is something I'm sure the next batch of special effects wizards are keen to try and top.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat May 30, 2009 5:11 am

Daigohji wrote:If there's one thing Aronofsky does well, it's depict emotionally tortured characters. That was what elevated the original Robocop above its b-movie peers in the 80s, and it's what could make this remake worthwhile. Hopefully he'll keep it gritty and character focused like Pi, and not let it float off into a mess like Ang Lee's Hulk.

I agree with you re: Aronofsky, but in my opinion what makes Robocop Robocop is the incisive satire. The characterization is nearly worthless. I'm excited about this new film (I really hope they film it in Detroit this time), but I can't see it having too much similarity to the original.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat May 30, 2009 5:20 am

“The thing that’s exciting for a filmmaker like me about [“RoboCop”] is that it’s not as iconic as some of the other titles out there, so there’s room to do stuff with it,” Aronofsky told MTV News. “It had incredible insight into the future.”

The things he said are close to rubbing sparks with each other, but I guess he's right. Apart from the suit and ED-209, which are as iconic as robots in the 80s get aside from the (quite excellent) T-800, there's probably not a whole lot people remember, aside from the scenes in the office building maybe. It sounds like he doesn't want to shit on the franchise, "not as iconic" notwithstanding.

The Guardian opines that the movie will bet set in Detroit and (I'm not seeing a source for either of these) take a "'more noir' direction." Sounds good.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sat May 30, 2009 5:27 am

Let's not forget the famous automatic handgun that Robocop uses. It'd be interesting to see what new weaponry will be shown in this reboot. ^_~

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat May 30, 2009 5:32 am

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Let's not forget the famous automatic handgun that Robocop uses. It'd be interesting to see what new weaponry will be shown in this reboot. ^_~

Oh yeah! Sure beats whatever the hell the T-1000 has here.

The automatic handgun was used to good effect in both of Data East's screen-clearing arcade games based loosely on the respective movies, as well. ^_~

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Sat May 30, 2009 6:59 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote:
PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Let's not forget the famous automatic handgun that Robocop uses. It'd be interesting to see what new weaponry will be shown in this reboot. ^_~
Oh yeah! Sure beats whatever the hell the T-1000 has here.

The automatic handgun was used to good effect in both of Data East's screen-clearing arcade games based loosely on the respective movies, as well. ^_~

CROSS-COUNTER!!

Chi_Ryu · Post by **Chi_Ryu** » Sat May 30, 2009 7:03 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Let's not forget the famous automatic handgun that Robocop uses.

Let's not forget the COBRA ASSAULT CANNON - state of the art, bang-bang.