Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2014

A reboot of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 pop-nihilistic robo-romp, this is competently made, moderately entertaining, suitably violent and well acted. Joel Kinnaman is a hunk to watch, and Gary Oldman shines. But though it tries to add updated social commentary (in the form of Samuel L. Jackson as a Fox News-type fear-monger), it lacks the corrosive wit and sense of mischief of the original, and offers little that’s new or thought-provoking. At times it resembles an arcade game. It doesn’t embarrass itself, but neither does it convince us that a remake was at all necessary. (118 min)