4. Suit Up
This point is obviously limited to reboots where the main character HAS a recognisable suit, but when they do, it has to be, you know, recognisable. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the X-Men, all have had various on screen outings and each time the suit is redesigned the reaction is the same as the cycles of grief. One can only imagine the process producers, directors and designers must go through with artists throwing various versions on paper from the ridiculous to the overly different. Focus groups and fans will no doubt have their say but ultimate blame, and therefore responsibility, lies with the director. So how does the new Robocop suit match up to the original? Well, initially we do see the silver, breast-plated suit looking very familiar but Raymond tells us that the focus groups found it comical and wants to make it more 'tactical', the translation of which is 'black'. When it comes down to it, the suit is not a distraction and in fact looks very impressive. This is helped by sound effects, animatronics and Joel Kinnaman's performance. The helmet coming down is a fun addition and some have commented that it should have stayed down. This though would only have left enough room for Judge Dredd style chin acting, as perfected by Karl Urban in another excellent example of how to do a reboot, or the pursed lips Paul Weller was limited to in the first half of the original film. Ultimately it comes down to taste. There will be those for whom anything other than a direct copy of the original is heresy but times change and people will get over it.