We have established that making a reboot is a delicate balancing act and none more so that when to reference the original and how. Do you go heavy handed and drop lines in everywhere? Do you hand the same lines to different characters? Do you have something in the back-ground, an advert for a 6000SUX somewhere? These are difficult to get right but when done properly can bring a smile to the knowing fans while also paying homage to the original. Using Basil Poledouris' original movie music as the theme for the Novak Report was clever and definitely brought a smile to the face. Similarly the distinctive 'thump, thump' of Robo's walk and the sound of the suit moving was a joy to the ear. We got "Thank you for your cooperation" (minus the "goodnight" unfortunately), "dead or alive you're coming with me" each well placed and respectful, not just shoe-horned in for the sake of it and other subtle, and not so subtle, references throughout the film. ED-209 is present, correct and meaner looking than the original version. The suit is there initially, albeit changed later due to focus groups, something almost presciently self-referential. Robocop 2014 manages to get the balance just about right between doing its own thing and throwing a nod to fans.
I.T. Consultant, technophile and Doctor Who fan. I like to talk about tech, take films apart and make excuses for Doctor Who's continuity errors. No other show has the power to make me feel like a big kid.
