The 2014 RoboCop Remake Is Just As Good As The Original — And Nobody Wants To Admit It

Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit a new RoboCop series for Prime Video, with James Wan executive producing and Peter Ocko on board as showrunner. It’s the first new entry in the franchise since 2014, and if the people making it are smart, they’ll go back and study what that reboot got right. Because here’s the thing: it got a lot right. So why the hell didn’t you fools give it a chance?

Why the RoboCop 2014 Reboot Was Never the Problem

There’s this weird thing that happens with every reboot. Fans instantly hate it because it somehow disrespects or devalues the original. Well, it’s the biggest load of crock ever, because the original will always exist for your enjoyment and admiration.

Yes, I get it. Paul Verhoeven created a masterpiece in social commentary with the original RoboCop. It’s constantly cited as one of the best action and sci-fi films of all time, and there was even a dude who got shot in his meat pistol. Take nothing away from the film because it’s incredible and it’ll always be remembered as such.

The RoboCop 2014 reboot didn’t try to be a beat-for-beat remake of the original. Instead, it tried to blaze its own trail with a darker script, a better costume for the titular hero, a stellar cast, and a visionary director who are not given the respect they deserve.

The 2014 Script Kept What Worked — And Built On It

With RoboCop 2014, screenwriter Joshua Zetumer didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, using elements of Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s original 1987 script that worked even in modern settings. But Zetumer added his own flavour, which director José Padilha enhanced through his lens.

Speaking to Coming Soon, the original writers had nothing but praise for the new version. “I really think that José and his team have completely protected and transmitted the DNA of our original into this new iteration,” Miner said. “Again, being a foreign director like Paul, José views America analytically, like an anthropologist. He isn’t fawning over certain tropes that don’t really work. It’s very much about the ownership of the self and private property.”

José Padilha Brought a Director’s Eye the Franchise Deserved

Miner is absolutely spot-on in his assessment of the director. Padilha directed the first two episodes of Narcos and served as an executive producer on the series – a show defined by its unsparing, analytical lens on American power and corporate rot. That same instinct runs through RoboCop 2014. While it’s evident the film suffered some executive interference (because Hollywood), there’s no doubt that Padilha brings a different touch to the property.

Then, there’s the cast. Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley… Are you kidding me? This is an all-star outing with talent dripping in every scene. If the audience hadn’t been so busy worshipping at the MCU altar in 2014, they might’ve opened their eyes and seen that there was a whole world outside of it.

The Redesign Was Bold — and It Worked

Now, take a look at RoboCop 2014’s new design and tell me that it doesn’t just exude awesomeness. It’s sleek, futuristic and looks incredibly badass on screen. This is exactly how you redesign a character for a new age while maintaining respect for the original’s aesthetic. If you disagree, you’re probably one of the people who believes Superman should wear his underwear on the outside of his clothes because it’s canon. Go sniff those pants after a long day of flying and fighting criminals, then tell me you still think it should be worn on the outside.

What Amazon’s RoboCop Series Owes the 2014 Reboot

Unfortunately, the lack of an audience for RoboCop 2014 ensured that a sequel never happened. But that’s exactly what makes the Amazon series so interesting. This isn’t a continuation of Padilha’s film. It’s a new adaptation, built on the bones of the 1987 original. In a way, that’s the sequel the 2014 reboot deserved in spirit, even if not in name.

The blueprint for a good RoboCop reboot already exists: A cast with genuine dramatic weight. A costume redesign that respects the past while updating it for its era. A script that borrows what worked from the original and builds something new on top of it. Padilha’s film did all of that — and was punished for it at the domestic box office, despite pulling in $242.6 million worldwide.

Amazon would do well to remember what the crowd got wrong in 2014. The RoboCop franchise has always worked best when it’s angry about something real. The 2014 reboot understood that. The 2023 game RoboCop: Rogue City proved there was still a hungry audience for it. Now it’s someone else’s turn to prove it.

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