Will The New RoboCop Movie Fail?

Recently I watched the original RoboCop movie. It was great. Naturally, I watched the trailers for the upcoming 2014 movie to see how it compared to the original. In the trailers I definitely noticed some changes they have made from the original story.

First of all I have no problem with a RoboCop remake. RoboCop is a superhero like Batman, so it makes sense for Hollywood to create another movie. I do like the updated effects and how they will connect the movie to current issues such as drones and terrorists.

The first significant change people have noticed is RoboCop's new appearance. He is now black instead of the classic silver color. I do not hate the new look, but I question the change. The new look does not make RoboCop look better. I would have preferred him to look more like he originally did.

The second significant change is how Alex Murphy gets injured. In the original Murphy is brutally shot multiple times by the villains, but in the new movie he is it by a car bomb. The change probably has to due with the fact they were going for a PG-13 rating, which I will discuss later. The new scene definitely is weak compared to the original scene, but the movie is not ruined because of it.

The third significant change is that Murphy's family is still around. In the original his family leaves after the funeral. I will not say it was a terrible decision to keep the family around, but I would prefer if his family was not. In the original when Murphy finds out about his past and that his wife has moved on is a powerful scene. You feel sorry for the guy. To have the family around could work for the man vs machine internal struggle the new movie is going for. Or it could make it cliched.

The fourth significant change is the rating. The original movie was rated R and this movie is rated PG-13. To me this means the actions scenes will be unimaginative. Just explosions and gun shots. The action in the original movie was awesome. I thought the blood and gore added to the movie's comic book feel. An R rating also allows for more gruesome and creative ways for the villains to die.

Overall I am looking forward to this movie despite the changes that have been made so far. I like how they are not just remaking the original, but adding a modern spin to it. I appreciate that they are going a different direction. However, I do question some of the changes. If they made the changes they made because they thought it would make a better movie then that is fine, but if they made those changes to make RoboCop look like other movies then that is not okay. RoboCop was its own thing and it should stay that way. Some people are already saying this movie sucks, but they should give it a chance.