January and February are usually where studios stick their "iffy" films. They went for it in December with all of their Oscar-worthy, indie beauties, and then they plop what's left over at the beginning of the next year. Luckily for the world at large, February's two big movies, RoboCop and Pompeii, are far less painful than they could be.
RoboCop
RoboCop is a remake of a movie I've never seen. What? You expect me not only to go see RoboCop, but also see the old version of RoboCop? I said it was okay, not that I had become a dedicated fan of the franchise. Set in the somewhat distant future, RoboCop centers around a police officer, Alex, who is nearly killed in an assassination attempt made by a mob thug. He is then given a robot body (ahhhh now you see, he's a robot and a cop) and put back out on the streets to clean up future Detroit. The trouble arises when the scientists who gave him his new body start to mess with his brain as well as his metal limbs. I agree, it's not the best plot. But, for an action film, this one was put together pretty nicely.
Gary Oldman (right? who knew he was in this?) plays the scientist torn between a power-and-profits-hungry CEO (played by Michael Keaton) who wants Alex controlled and his conscience which is telling him to leave Alex to use his own mind and emotions. While it's certainly no Oscar-winning performance, it does bring the whole movie up a little notch. The nice relationship developed between Alex and his wife (Abbie Cornish) and son is also a grounding element that really helps everything come together. And BONUS, my man Jay Baruchel is in it. So everyone wins there.
Pompeii
If you watch Game of Thrones (is that still a question? everyone should watch GOT), you'll recognize the leading man in Pompeii, Kit Harington. Now, I don't think John Snow is anyone's favorite character in GOT (he's quite whiny and dumb), so it's easy to forget that Kit is actually a very attractive man. But, let me just tell you, in Pompeii Kit Harington proves once and for all that he definitely has what it takes to be an action star and heart throb. Like, just to be clear, he is SEX in this movie. It hits you like a train. So, basically, if you're a girl, don't stay at home and watch Netflix, go see Pompeii. You're welcome.
To get to the actual movie, it's certainly no Gladiator, but it has it's own strengths. Emily Browning is a mostly non-annoying female lead, which is hard to pull off in a toga. There's a smattering of Roman politics, but not enough to get confusing, which is convenient. And the big finale (I won't spoil it if you don't know it), really keeps the film moving along. You've also got gladiator best buddies, sword-fighting, and a conniving Kiefer Sutherland - so that's all good stuff.
And... just to prove my point. Here's a still from the movie... So yeah...
