The original “Robocop,” directed by Paul Verhoeven, was a science fiction film that was not only a satire of corporate culture and consumerism but was ideally representative of the 1980’s, a period of time when ‘Greed was good,’ and blatant excess was the order of the day.

Coupled with Verhoeven’s own filmic excesses (Why shoot someone once, when you can do so fifty or sixty times?  Why hit someone with a car and have them bounce off, when you could do so and have them burst like a overripe melon?) Robocop an almost perfect film for its time.

Which is why a remake is so (potentially) pointless.  The original film was so much more than the sum of its parts.  It was more than social commentary, more than an entertaining science fiction film, more than a (at the time) modern take on “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”

Which is why the reboot can potentially be a very good film (Brazilian director José Pedilha is well-regarded for his ‘Elite Squad’ movies) but will be as  over-the-top, as satirical, and more importantly, as necessary, as the original?

I suspect not.

The image to the left will probably be the basis of Robocop, though there are more to be found here.

Thanks for Superherohype for the heads up.