Of the many questions the announcement of a “Robocop” remake back in 2012 brought to mind, the first among them was “why?” The original 1987 “Robocop” is a nearly flawless action film, a movie that delivers on everything that it sets out to. With such perfect source material, I thought it would be impossible for a reboot of the franchise to live up to its predecessors. And it turns out I was right. The 2014 iteration of “Robocop” falls short of the original in nearly every regard, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. Director José Padilha, unheard of in the U.S, is well known in South America for directing the immensely popular Elite Squad series of action films, and his experience in the genre shows in Robocop. Each action sequence in the movie is filmed in a different style from the next, sometimes leaving me amazed at the skill with which the scene was executed. Although these scenes can be at times almost seizure-inducing, such as a fight lit entirely by muzzle flashes from machinegun fire, each is exciting, fun, and shows a lot of creative direction by Padilha. Unfortunately, pure action isn’t enough to make the movie stand out.

Outside these high-octane scenes, the audience is dealt basically the same story as in the original. Officer Alex Murphy, the victim of an attempted murder that leaves him on the brink of death, is put into a new cybernetic body by a company that specializes in police and military technology, becoming, you guessed it, a robot cop. The original movie has Murphy dealing more with rediscovering his humanity and his past, using a few well done flashbacks and character moments. The remake expands on the original’s wife and son subplot, with Murphy’s family trying to stay close to him and the evil corporation OmniCorp trying to keep them away. These scenes tend to feel boring and heavy handed after a while, but thankfully they’re kept short and advance the plot well enough to make up a coherent story. However the characterization of the family and the development of their relationship with Murphy are still too poor for the amount of screen time they take up, adding an entire uninteresting and unnecessary element to the film.

Where the movie’s writing really falls short is in the characters. The original “Robocop” had some of the most fantastic villains of any 80’s action movie. This includes the likes of conniving businessman Dick Jones and crime boss Clarence Boddicker, who were both so evil it was almost comical. When these antagonists die horrible deaths at the hands of Murphy, it’s what makes the movie. The biggest problem with the new “Robocop” is that its villains are bland, generic, and don’t arouse any extreme feelings in the viewer.  From the very beginning, I didn’t care what was going to happen to them, whether they were arrested, killed, or even if they just ran away. Instead of being left with a sense of satisfaction that can only be delivered by watching bad guys get murdered, you’re instead left with a “well, I guess that’s it” sort of feeling. This is what takes most of the weight out of the action sequences, making them still feel bland or boring despite how good they are on a technical level. Without any personal investment by the viewer in what’s going on, it doesn’t matter how flashy a sequence is.

The final verdict? If you’re a fan of cool, stylish action and don’t mind the lack of a significant plot or characters, you should definitely go see “Robocop”. If you’re the kind who demands a little more substance out of movies, you may want to hold back on seeing this film. Overall, “Robocop” is a fun yet mindless action movie, great for those who want to turn their brain off and enjoy a cyborg policeman shooting things for two hours.