With the originals reputation for exploding so many blood squibs that they should have got a credit in the end titles, the news that this RoboCop was aiming for a PG-13 rating was a firm kick in the nuts. Ultra-violence and RoboCop go together like booze and a kebab. Is it possible to make a tame RoboCop film? They tried with RoboCop 3 and the TV series, and look how successful they were. There were a lot of reassurances that you can get away with a lot in a PG-13 movie and anyone who was worried that the RoboCop remake was going to be kid friendly can relax. There is nothing to worry about we were told. But sadly, that's not the case. The lack of actual violence is more than noticeable and you begin to miss it as the film goes on. After the promising opening where we see a child get gunned down in a shower of bullets from ED-209, even though the gore is hidden behind a cloud of smoke, the implied violence does the trick and you are left optimistic for whats to come. However, as the film drags on, you witness RoboCop shoot lots of other robots but almost all humans are PG-13 tasered. No blood splatters anywhere unless they're from a far off distance. Even the final confrontation with the ED-209s looks like a trailer for a new Crisis game. While usually the lack of gore and violence isnt enough to break a movie, its difficult to accept a RoboCop movie thats made safe for children. It feels patronising the see the camera turn away as someone gets shot. RoboCop should be a franchise for adults, and the OTT violence was what made the original so appealing to 80s kids. Like the Total Recall remake, the pressure from the studio to make this film family friendly is one of the main reasons no one will care about it in a years time.
