RoboCop (2014)

Name: RoboCop (2014)
Item: RoboCop (2014)
Rating: 3
Author: Jeffrey M. Anderson

Movie review by

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 15+

(i)

Lots of gun violence in super-cop sci-fi remake.

PG-13
2014
118 minutes

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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 34 reviews

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Common Sense review | 1:55

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

The movie has two big themes. One is a question of humanity: how human is human, and where is the line drawn? The sub-theme is one of politics: how much freedom should one give up for the promise of safety? The movie also has something to say about greed: the employees at the company building the robots seem to be more interested in profits than in making safe machines.

Positive Role Models & Representations

It's hard to argue for RoboCop as a role model, since he's both so tormented and so emotionless, and also because he's sometimes prone to unprovoked violence. But on a very surface reading, he's a pretty cool superhero, and one that tries to uphold the law.

Violence

The movie is filled with guns, shooting, and dead bodies, but it just barely achieves a PG-13 rating by showing hardly any blood. There are a few cuts and scrapes shown, and when one character is shot, we see a spray of blood (and a pool of blood from under his corpse). Thousands of bullets fly in this movie. Suicide bombers are part of the story. A robot shoots a teen boy holding a knife (he's determined to be a "threat"). The hero is caught in an explosion, which ravages his body. We see brief images of his wounds as well as his organs inside the RoboCop armor and some creepy "operation" footage. RoboCop sometimes beats people up with his hands, rather than with his guns.

Sex

Before the accident, when the main character is human, he is shown passionately kissing his wife. He removes her top, and she is shown wearing a black bra. They fall onto the bed, kissing, but they are interrupted.

Language

Language is infrequent, but includes a few uses of "s--t." Other words include "a--hole," "holy Christ," "hell," "damn," "goddamn," "ass," "crap," and "bitch." A TV commentator uses the words "motherf----r" and "horses--t," but these words are bleeped.

Consumerism

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

RoboCop catches some young men doing a drug deal. When he scans one of them, the readout comes up as "totally stoned." This arrest leads RoboCop to a drug lab, and we see quick images of various workers making illegal drugs before the hero arrives and shuts it down. Additionally, in an early scene, the hero (as a human) is seen having a beer at home after work.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Robocop is a remake of the 1987 action classic that's less bloody than the original, but still fairly violent, with intense, frequent gun battles, thousands of bullets flying, and dead bodies (with very little blood shown). We briefly see gory photos of the main character after an accident, and his organs are shown inside the RoboCop armor. There's one moment of sexuality as the main character, still a human, kisses his wife and falls onto a bed with her (she is shown wearing a bra). Language is infrequent, but includes a few uses of "s--t," as well as "bitch" and "a--hole." (One use of "motherf----r" is bleeped out.) In one scene, RoboCop arrests some drug dealers/users and then busts a drug lab. Overall, it's not nearly as good as the original film, but it's a solid effort.

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User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Parent of a 9-year-old Written byMaria2014 February 22, 2014

age 14+

gory

terrible because it was just too much violence

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Adult Written byLeafburner April 11, 2019

age 12+

Not so bad

There is plenty of violence, but very little gore or blood. It's a very watered down version of the original. I would say there is more brutality than an... Continue reading

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Teen, 14 years old Written bymovielover7271 February 27, 2014

age 11+

The dark knight meets terminator

I have not seen the original Robocop, so I didn't know what to expect. Here's what I have to say, it was really cool. Alex Murphy is a detective who i... Continue reading

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Teen, 13 years old Written byResto The linear March 14, 2020

age 9+

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What's the story?

In the future, OmniCorp is trying to sell its line of law-enforcement robots, which are in place overseas, but cannot be implemented in the U.S. due to some pesky laws. Meanwhile, in Detroit, family man and dedicated cop Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) begins an investigation that leads to corruption and is subsequently caught in a lethal explosion. An OmniCorp doctor (Gary Oldman) is charged with putting Murphy back together as a cyborg cop. But while the doctor works out the emotional bugs, it becomes clear that the OmniCorp CEO (Michael Keaton) is only using the heroic ROBOCOP to stir up public support for the new robot cop bill. Can Robocop stop the bad guys and solve his own murder?

Is it any good?

Very few movie remakes ever live up to the originals, and that's certainly the case with the 2014's RoboCop. However, taken on its own, the new movie is a fairly solid entertainment with some interesting ideas, strong visual and sound effects, and a great cast. As an action flick, it's quick, intense, and rattling. Brazilian documentary filmmaker José Padilha (Bus 174) forgoes the original film's humorous satire and over-the-top violence in favor of a more political view.

Specifically, he plays with Benjamin Franklin's assertion "They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," as well as with the theme of corporate greed at the expense of common people. Lead actor Joel Kinnaman isn't very expressive or personable, but he's surrounded by strong support, including Samuel L. Jackson as a persuasive TV commentator. Overall, while it's not entirely necessary, it at least has more heft than the original movie's two sequels.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the movie's violence. How intense is it? What can make violence in a film feel more intense? Is it blood, realism, close-ups?
How does the remake compare with the original? What are the main themes of the two movies?
How human is the RoboCop character? How does his humanity compare to that of the movie's villains? Where does the movie draw the line at being human?

Movie details

In theaters: February 12, 2014
On DVD or streaming: June 3, 2014
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman
Director: José Padilha
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Genre: Action/Adventure
Topics: Robots
Run time: 118 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: intense sequences of action including frenetic gun violence throughout, brief strong language, sensuality and some drug material
Last updated: September 20, 2019

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RoboCop (2014)

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