I’m a little late on commenting about this deal, but I don’t waste a lot of time trolling the Internet for this sort of thing and when I come across it, I usually hope it’s a really bad joke. Unfortunately, it’s not. Paul Verhoeven’s near-perfect blend of sci-fi, action and satire is soon to join the ranks of many other classics that got the remake treatment. Now, I could be completely wrong here, but I’m old and have a very long memory, so I doubt it. Given the pile of changes made since the idea of the remake gained traction over the past two years and  the recent rumor about Russell Crowe being attached as the lead, the project seems to me it’s going to be a very expensive failure even if it goes in a completely new direction (and makes a pile of money in the process). On the other hand, after watching the original yesterday just to see what what was wrong that a remake HAD to be green-lit, here’s what I found…NOTHING. Seriously. What worked about the original (or more precisely, the uncut version as presented in The Criterion Collection’s excellent reissue) was the way it blended dramatic elements, black comedy and yes, graphic violence into a memorable whole. The acting was spot-on, particularly the casting of Kurtwood Smith as bespectacled crime boss Clarence Boddicker, still one of the nastiest screen villains on film. As for the special effects? Well, not so perfect, but that’s part of the film’s charm, I say. Sure, the remake will have some excellent CG effects, a suitably gloomy score (with the requisite hip hop or other dance beat end title theme) and probably get the full on 3D treatment to boot. Hell, it may even gross enough to get a sequel pushed out the door based on the first and second weekend’s box office take .

For those that say “Well, it’s going to introduce a younger audience to the film” – you’re missing the point. Sometimes, a classic is a classic for a REASON. Amusingly (and paradoxically) enough, I’m not really all that annoyed about the upcoming Total Recall remake because I think it will be a better movie WITHOUT an Arnold bulking up the screen quite unbelievably as a “normal” guy who finds out he might be a super agent. It’s still a fine film (and again, Verhoeven’s direction and sense of humor makes it work near perfectly), but here, I’m more confident (and hope to hell) that it’s going to go back to the source material in a few areas. Sure, I’ll miss the catchphrases like “So long Richter, see you at the party”: and “Get your ass to Mars!”, but I’m willing to settle for better acting as well as seeing a different version of the red planet.

Of course, I could be a total hard-head and this new RoboCop could be the most well-written, produced acted (and promoted) sci-fi/action film to date that earns its great reviews and maybe even wins a few awards. But again, it’s hard to top something that was already solid in the first place, so thus begins the waiting game for some. Me, I’ll just wait a year or less and catch it on cable…