Sometimes, a remake is good. Sometimes a reboot (no, not the same thing) is good. Sometimes - okay, all too often - it's disappointing. This time, I would say it was disappointing, but I actually didn't have very high expectations. It pretty much met them.
The first problem is Detroit; it isn't the hellscape that the previous movies went over the top to describe. Instead, it doesn't even seem like they actually need RoboCop. Then there is Omnicorp - it's not even clear why Omnicorp has the ability to deploy an asset of this type on American soil. Then there is the RoboFamily (Robo's human family) they know all about him and try to maintain a relationship (which is so different from the first movies that it's hard to wrap my head around). Then there is the partner - no empathetic female Lewis for this Robocop; he gets a black guy.
Gary Oldman plays the conflicted scientist who is essentially the mastermind of the whole project. He's been working to replace limbs for lots of people who needed replacements for one reason or another, and we get some insight into how the implants work and the dexterity that can be attained through a rather long scene where he talks a classical guitarist through the use of his new hands. Gary always brings a good effort, and this is no exception.
I will admit that I didn't expect Michael Keaton to be in this movie. I've seen him do a great job in a movie he should never have been in (Batman) and an incredible job in a movie I had no expectation level for (Much Ado About Nothing). However, he's not usually a reliable acting powerhouse. In this movie, he's pretty much filler. As the CEO of Omnicorp, he has screen time, but it's not the maniacal, heartless cutthroat that was in the previous RoboCop incarnation. Yes, he's still ultimately evil, but he's a lot more middle of the road for the most part.
Samuel L. Jackson plays some highly stylized version of Bill O'Reilly with all of the graphics add-ons that CNN (not Fox) has been slapping into their programming for no particular reason. He is supposed to represent the push that at least one side of the political spectrum is emphasizing - the need for robotic protectors that have proven themselves in war-torn countries already.
Jackie Earle Haley, who I last remember seeing as Rorschach in Watchmen, plays the jerk who services drones and thinks the inclusion of a biological element in RoboCop reduces his effectiveness and is a terrible step backward. Given what we see in this movie, there isn't much of an argument that he is wrong.
I think that's everyone, right? Dangit! I forgot about Joel Kinnaman, the skinny, tall guy who plays the titular character. He's not great. He doesn't have a lot to do from an acting perspective, and he doesn't quite make it. And who the hell thought it would be a good idea to have a single hormone - dopamine - be the thing that turns him from loving father to robotic, willless waste?
Story was meh
Dialog was not good
Acting was generally good
Direction was okay
Effects were very good
2.0/5