Robocop (2014)

Overall: 12
Robocop has quite a bit going for it--good acting from big names, decent writing, enough budget for some usable visual effects--but this movie was only at the like level for me. It never quite fully drew me into its world entirely. I do appreciate, however, that the movie stepped away from the campiness of the 1987 version, and also avoided the excessive violence of its predecessor as well.

Entertainment: 4
The movie is entertaining, but is more a story of a man's personal journey through a bad experience than it is a fast-pace, action flick. So don't watch it expecting only fight scenes with awesome visuals and close calls. In a way the movie held to reality much more than I expected, but that is also part of the problem. When watching a movie about a man who loses everything and clings to life as a robot, I don't know if I want to see reality. I'd probably rather see the just (as in justice) revenge. Don't get me wrong. This is an enjoyable movie that has some hard hitting emotion at times, and some good action in between.

Writing: 4
The story is mostly clean and more focused on the realities of the main characters experience than I would have expected for a Robocop reboot. It has strong emotional connection at times as well. However, there are a couple of things that kept me from liking it better. First, this character and writing are largely joyless. Second, the anti-war sentiment reaches preachy levels at times. I think everyone already knows that war is not glamorous or the option of first choice. Finally, some things that happen just don't make sense (e.g. Robocop's wall jump).

Presentation: 4
The visuals were hit and miss for me. I'm not an expert on this front, but some of the visuals felt wrong. The wall jump mentioned earlier is a perfect example. It is one of many visuals that almost looked really good, but did not quite make it to amazing. The acting is good, but nobody made a name for themselves with this one.