Director Jose Padilha brings us his re-imagining of the 1987 cult classic from Paul Verhoeven. As hard as I tried not to, I kept referring to the Verhoeven film while watching this updated version of Robocop.

Verhoeven 1987’s version was an ultra-violent satire which became a staple, in the action and Sci-Fi genre of the 1980’s. Padilha’s version does have some of the same elements, just not as dark and in your face as the original. Is it entertaining…yes, does it have the same impact of the original…no.

Padilha’s version deals more with the question of: can an unfeeling robot be allowed to take a human life? The satire of the American culture from the 1987 version has been downplayed and replaced with a more modern premise of National Security. Last but not least the ultra-violence has been replaced by CGI action sequences for the modern audience.

I was hoping that the BLU-RAY would have included different scenes or a director’s cut with more of the darker tones of the original film but unfortunately that is not the case. It focusses on our home grown anxiety of self-protection but without the ultra-violence. It is a kid friendly version.