Joel Kinnaman

The new RoboCop is as ambitious a remake/reboot of a successful franchise as we’ve seen in years, because it dares to be different from its source. Rather than emulate the ultra-violence and dystopian themes of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi blockbuster, director José Padilha dares to focus on the drama in the story, on the man bonded to the machine. The result is a more well-balanced film, though purists and devotees of the original will no doubt miss some of its bloody, gory fun.