This movie features a definite upgrade in special effects when compared to the original version. And it presents interesting moral questions: should this man/robot cop be constructed with more of an emphasis on police duty or should his humanity be retained as much as possible; after all, he is a husband and a father.

I found the story to be fast paced in a good way with a lot of action and yet settling down to feature Alex Murphy’s (Joel Kinnaman) wife and son and what happens when an attempt on his life results in him being turned into Robocop and how he and his family subsequently deal with it. The film also features a scene of a man with a robotic hand playing the guitar. One man states that America wants a machine with a conscience as far as law enforcement. Much of the plot takes place in futuristic Detroit. The acting is excellent including Kinnaman as Alex Murphy, Gary Oldman as Dr. Dennett Norton, Michael Keaton as Raymond Sellars, Jackie Earle Haley as Rick Mattox and Abbie Cornish as Murphy’s wife Clara.

The question of how much a machine can make moral decisions based on criminal moments which demand instant decisions is an interesting theme in the film, as is the question of if Murphy should be treated more like a robotic cop or a human being. However, despite the good points of the film, it contains some strong language in addition to violence which places it outside of our Dove perimeters for a family friendly film. Therefore, we are unable to award the movie our Dove Seal.