RoboCop
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: February 12, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
21
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
NPRIan BuckwalterFeb 14, 2014
It's well made, polished, and hits every mark — but is it crazy to want a futuristic sci-fi action flick about a motorcycle-riding metal supercop to be just a little more fun? Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 11, 2014
A nicely cast, respectable remake. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAmy NicholsonFeb 11, 2014
Every bit of it is more advanced: The actors are better, the plot is tighter, the special effects sleeker, the messages more heartfelt. Yet it lacks Verhoeven's bloody, biting scream. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 11, 2014
Thanks to a good cast and a willingness to stray fairly far afield from the source material, it’s better than you might think. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonFeb 11, 2014
This is a slicker, shinier, admittedly inferior affair. But with a strong cast, a roaring pace and at least one genuinely unforgettable scene, it’s by no means a write-off. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyFeb 6, 2014
The film is not only unchallenging, it seems actively scared of challenging us. You emerge feeling pacified and only semi-entertained. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinFeb 5, 2014
In some ways, the thoughtful, dense script marks an improvement on the original, and the cast is certainly tonier this time around. What’s missing is the original’s evil wit, amoral misanthropy and subversive slipperiness. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 14, 2014
Brazilian director José Padilha (Elite Squad, Bus 174) soldiers on stolidly, but lacks the Dutch Verheoeven's abiding sense of mischief. Read full review
50
SlateDana StevensFeb 13, 2014
Neither Alex Murphy’s internal moral conflict nor the larger, vaguely satiric portrait of a global culture dependent on high-tech law enforcement seem to be the main point of this Robocop remake, which raises the question of what is meant to be the point. Read full review
50
SalonAndrew O'HehirFeb 13, 2014
What we’re left with is a teen-oriented action flick with an A-minus cast, a mixture of “Transformers”-style robot battles and cops-and-robbers showdown that never feels all that exciting or cutting-edge, bracketed by some intriguing and half-successful moments of social commentary. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsFeb 12, 2014
A faithful remake of RoboCop would be timely. Instead, the producers of this new version have retreated back to the lab, concocting a creaky hybrid of “Frankenstein” and “Call of Duty.” Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc MohanFeb 11, 2014
Aggressively loud, terminally mediocre. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrFeb 11, 2014
The film doesn't embarrass itself or dishonor its predecessor, which is something. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia PuigFeb 11, 2014
Moviegoers are stuck with this sci-fi thriller's bland story, murky cinematography and frenetic special effects. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 11, 2014
Although the movie isn't a complete disaster, it's not your father's RoboCop either. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 11, 2014
Director Jose Padilha (the “Elite Squad” movies) knows how to create slick, sometimes clever fast-moving battle sequences... But other than Keaton’s Sellars, the bad guys are mostly generic nitwits. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 13, 2014
The result is fitfully interesting, and Mr. Kinnaman, best known for "The Killing" on television, compels our empathy with a kind of macho melancholia. Still, the whole thing comes down to an action adventure that's graphics-rich, logic-poor, coherence-challenged and pleasure-impaired. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisFeb 12, 2014
While retaining the core story of a bionic man tormented by the memory of his former human life, the film doesn’t play with the concept or give it new dimension. The whole enterprise raises the question: Why do filmmakers insist on remaking movies for no good reason? Read full review
40
The DissolveScott TobiasFeb 12, 2014
There’s no harmony at all to the elements tossed into the new remake of RoboCop, but credit screenwriter Joshua Zetumer and director José Padilha for at least having some elements in play. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFeb 11, 2014
Any improvements over the original RoboCop are mere window dressing, more a superficial function of technical advances in filmmaking than of any sort of storytelling prowess or fresh narrative ideas. Read full review
40
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Feb 5, 2014
There’s nothing wrong, of course, with sci-fi films asking Big Questions, but the delivery doesn’t have to be — should never be, in fact — this tedious. Read full review
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