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2 Re: The Robocop Thread 27th June 2019, 10:30 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
RoboCop (1987) 5/5: A well realized and utterly engaging science fiction classic. A strong contender for my favourite movie of all time.
RoboCop 2 (1990) 1/5: One of the shittiest sequels ever made.
RoboCop 3 (1993) 3.5/5: A fun and over the top spectacle. Director Fred Dekker adds some nice stylistic touches along the way. Very underrated.
RoboCop (2014): 1/5: One of the shittiest remakes ever made.
I own a lot of RoboCop stuff. I have a making of book, a few novels, a collection of comic books, the soundtracks, posters for the original & 3 and a film cell from the third movie.
Loved the Basil Poledouris music!
RoboCop 2 (1990) 1/5: One of the shittiest sequels ever made.
RoboCop 3 (1993) 3.5/5: A fun and over the top spectacle. Director Fred Dekker adds some nice stylistic touches along the way. Very underrated.
RoboCop (2014): 1/5: One of the shittiest remakes ever made.
I own a lot of RoboCop stuff. I have a making of book, a few novels, a collection of comic books, the soundtracks, posters for the original & 3 and a film cell from the third movie.
Loved the Basil Poledouris music!
3 Re: The Robocop Thread 28th June 2019, 11:28 pm
Tanmann
Dick Tater
The first is the best of course. Perfect balance of iconic action set-pieces, heart, satire and ultraviolence with a majestic score.
The second felt like what should've been a Robocop miniseries of storylines all railroaded into one mess of a film. It has the elements of the first film but rather than making a cohesive whole, it just comes off as confused, convoluted and nasty with our hero Robocop marginalized for far too much of it. The first fifteen minutes and the sub-plot of Robocop being reprogrammed to be more "politically correct" and defective are the highlight of the thing. Sadly the rest is pretty horrid.
Where it goes wrong is I believe the original idea was that it'd be a corrupt cop who was addicted to Nuke who'd end up becoming the second Robocop gone wrong. Apparently the studio vetoed this, and so we ended up with Dr. Juliette Faxx making all manner of irrational decisions upon insensible motives just to contrive to have Cain end up in the Robosuit instead. That's why it's a convoluted, heartless mess that barely makes any sense.
Robocop 3 I'll admit I used to find rather naff, but watched recently after Robocop 2, I have to say I found it oddly refreshing and much more entertaining. It's not a patch on the original of course and it does fall short in a lot of areas. But it's heart is at least in the right place, mostly.
The 2014 remake I thought wasn't bad, but it is sadly rather forgettable. Like Robocop 2 it starts well but then becomes a bit of a blur of incident. Unlike Robocop 2, very little of it's second act onwards leaves a memorable impression.
The second felt like what should've been a Robocop miniseries of storylines all railroaded into one mess of a film. It has the elements of the first film but rather than making a cohesive whole, it just comes off as confused, convoluted and nasty with our hero Robocop marginalized for far too much of it. The first fifteen minutes and the sub-plot of Robocop being reprogrammed to be more "politically correct" and defective are the highlight of the thing. Sadly the rest is pretty horrid.
Where it goes wrong is I believe the original idea was that it'd be a corrupt cop who was addicted to Nuke who'd end up becoming the second Robocop gone wrong. Apparently the studio vetoed this, and so we ended up with Dr. Juliette Faxx making all manner of irrational decisions upon insensible motives just to contrive to have Cain end up in the Robosuit instead. That's why it's a convoluted, heartless mess that barely makes any sense.
Robocop 3 I'll admit I used to find rather naff, but watched recently after Robocop 2, I have to say I found it oddly refreshing and much more entertaining. It's not a patch on the original of course and it does fall short in a lot of areas. But it's heart is at least in the right place, mostly.
The 2014 remake I thought wasn't bad, but it is sadly rather forgettable. Like Robocop 2 it starts well but then becomes a bit of a blur of incident. Unlike Robocop 2, very little of it's second act onwards leaves a memorable impression.
4 Re: The Robocop Thread 29th June 2019, 2:58 pm
REDACTED
Robocop (1987): A complete classic. Dark, witty and quotable, it remains one of my all time favorite movies. 4.5/5
Robocop 2 (1990): A mixed bag. The tone is all over the place as it doesn't know whether it wants to be darker or more comedic than the original. It still has a lot of great elements as well as interesting characters such as Cain and Hob and Peter Weller gives another great performance. Overall, Robocop 2 is a bit messy, but is still rather enjoyable. 3/5
Robocop 3 (1993): Oh boy, this one is bad, The clear tone change from dark witty R Rated satire to dopey humor, tame violence and a PG-13 rating shows how badly neutered the franchise was becoming. Robert John Burke is a decent replacement for Weller and some of the supporting cast are decent but the script is complete bollocks. Overall Robocop 3 is complete trash but at the same time I find it really enjoyable and entertaining, it makes a nice time filler and at least can be seen as a parody. 2/5
Robocop: The TV Series (1994): The franchise continues to steer towards the family friendly area and serves as a followup to the original that retcons the sequels. Now I haven't seen this in a while, but I might get round to rewatching it at some point, but from what I can remember, it was fun and entertaining.
Robocop: The Prime Directives (2001): I haven't seen this one in a while and will probably get round to rewatching it alongside the 94 series.
Robocop (2014): Meh, not great but not exactly terrible at the same time. 2.5/5
Robocop 2 (1990): A mixed bag. The tone is all over the place as it doesn't know whether it wants to be darker or more comedic than the original. It still has a lot of great elements as well as interesting characters such as Cain and Hob and Peter Weller gives another great performance. Overall, Robocop 2 is a bit messy, but is still rather enjoyable. 3/5
Robocop 3 (1993): Oh boy, this one is bad, The clear tone change from dark witty R Rated satire to dopey humor, tame violence and a PG-13 rating shows how badly neutered the franchise was becoming. Robert John Burke is a decent replacement for Weller and some of the supporting cast are decent but the script is complete bollocks. Overall Robocop 3 is complete trash but at the same time I find it really enjoyable and entertaining, it makes a nice time filler and at least can be seen as a parody. 2/5
Robocop: The TV Series (1994): The franchise continues to steer towards the family friendly area and serves as a followup to the original that retcons the sequels. Now I haven't seen this in a while, but I might get round to rewatching it at some point, but from what I can remember, it was fun and entertaining.
Robocop: The Prime Directives (2001): I haven't seen this one in a while and will probably get round to rewatching it alongside the 94 series.
Robocop (2014): Meh, not great but not exactly terrible at the same time. 2.5/5
7 Re: The Robocop Thread 1st July 2019, 12:27 am
Tanmann
Dick Tater
That's so wrong its almost hilarious.
I've been thinking another problem with Robocop 2 is that the climax seems to lack any personal stake for Robocop. Or at the very least it might've had a personal stake had the final fight ended with Robocop dragging Robocain to his fall (thus sacrificing himself), but its action carries on for another five minutes.
The first Robocop didn't end with Robocop vs Ed-209, even though Ed-209 was his most formidable opponent. It ended with him vanquishing his personal demons, the criminals who originally killed him and the corrupt exec who still had a hold over him with Directive 4.
Sure to a degree Cain was Robocop's personal demon, but Robocop had already defeated him in the earlier raid where Robocop sent him to his death bed. Cain after that was a much more traumatized figure, and Robocop already vindicated.
I'm not sure how to have ended the film satisfactorily, but I think that's the kjey difference. The first film's climax was only as long as it needed to be to be effectively cathartic for Robocop. The climax of Robocop 2 just doesn't seem to know when to stop and seems to expect us to care about an excessive action scene for its own sake.
I've been thinking another problem with Robocop 2 is that the climax seems to lack any personal stake for Robocop. Or at the very least it might've had a personal stake had the final fight ended with Robocop dragging Robocain to his fall (thus sacrificing himself), but its action carries on for another five minutes.
The first Robocop didn't end with Robocop vs Ed-209, even though Ed-209 was his most formidable opponent. It ended with him vanquishing his personal demons, the criminals who originally killed him and the corrupt exec who still had a hold over him with Directive 4.
Sure to a degree Cain was Robocop's personal demon, but Robocop had already defeated him in the earlier raid where Robocop sent him to his death bed. Cain after that was a much more traumatized figure, and Robocop already vindicated.
I'm not sure how to have ended the film satisfactorily, but I think that's the kjey difference. The first film's climax was only as long as it needed to be to be effectively cathartic for Robocop. The climax of Robocop 2 just doesn't seem to know when to stop and seems to expect us to care about an excessive action scene for its own sake.
8 Re: The Robocop Thread 1st July 2019, 6:53 pm
Zarius
Wht were your thoughts on the original Robocop cartoon produced by Marvel/Sunbow?
I had a VHS tape of it and it had three episodes that I thought were of very good quality story-wise, particular the Brotherhood which had a Klansman-style group that opposed technology and tried to trick the city into thinking Robocop was trying to endanger a child.
I had a VHS tape of it and it had three episodes that I thought were of very good quality story-wise, particular the Brotherhood which had a Klansman-style group that opposed technology and tried to trick the city into thinking Robocop was trying to endanger a child.
9 Re: The Robocop Thread 1st July 2019, 7:15 pm
Tanmann
Dick Tater
Zarius wrote:Wht were your thoughts on the original Robocop cartoon produced by Marvel/Sunbow?
I had a VHS tape of it and it had three episodes that I thought were of very good quality story-wise, particular the Brotherhood which had a Klansman-style group that opposed technology and tried to trick the city into thinking Robocop was trying to endanger a child.
I caught the first episode on youtube. Didn't stick with it. I kind of dismissed it out of hand as kid's stuff.
From the sounds of that Brotherhood episode you describe, maybe that was unfair of me and maybe it's worth another look.
11 Re: The Robocop Thread 2nd July 2019, 3:18 pm
Tanmann
Dick Tater
It's a bit pat, but it does seem to capture the camaraderie dynamic between Robocop and Lewis well.
12 Re: The Robocop Thread 3rd July 2019, 4:57 pm
Zarius
Tanmann wrote:It's a bit pat, but it does seem to capture the camaraderie dynamic between Robocop and Lewis well.
It gets dialled up a few notches in another episode where he thinks she's dead or dying and goes to town on a rival cop who's wearing a giant mech-suit, he tears the whole thing down to reach him inside.
13 Re: The Robocop Thread 3rd July 2019, 10:59 pm
Tanmann
Dick Tater
Well, Robocop should know Lewis is a tough girl. She can survive a lot.
As for the cartoon, I'll admit a few years ago I probably wouldn't have looked twice at it, but now I find it strangely nostalgic seeing how it portrayed Robocop and Lewis as equal partners before the days of insufferable 'wokeness', when the focus was just on giving the kids an entertaining show with likable leads and a believable dynamic.
As for the cartoon, I'll admit a few years ago I probably wouldn't have looked twice at it, but now I find it strangely nostalgic seeing how it portrayed Robocop and Lewis as equal partners before the days of insufferable 'wokeness', when the focus was just on giving the kids an entertaining show with likable leads and a believable dynamic.
14 Re: The Robocop Thread 4th July 2019, 5:11 pm
Zarius
Tanmann wrote:Well, Robocop should know Lewis is a tough girl. She can survive a lot.
As for the cartoon, I'll admit a few years ago I probably wouldn't have looked twice at it, but now I find it strangely nostalgic seeing how it portrayed Robocop and Lewis as equal partners before the days of insufferable 'wokeness', when the focus was just on giving the kids an entertaining show with likable leads and a believable dynamic.
The 80s 'toon was definitely a step up from the one they made in 1999, Alpha Commando
16 Re: The Robocop Thread 7th October 2019, 5:34 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
I'd really like to know why some people prefer 2 over 3. They say 3 is where it got silly but there's a bloody choir singing RoboCop's name during the end credits of the second movie. 
17 Re: The Robocop Thread 7th October 2019, 8:24 pm
Boofer
I only dig the original film. Dark, futuristic satire that pokes fun at the limits of capital while exalting the human spirit.
It also led to this banger from Silver Bullet.
It also led to this banger from Silver Bullet.
18 Re: The Robocop Thread 7th October 2019, 8:30 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
Cunnus Maximus wrote:I only dig the original film. Dark, futuristic satire that pokes fun at the limits of capital while exalting the human spirit.
It also led to this banger from Silver Bullet.
19 Re: The Robocop Thread 7th October 2019, 9:08 pm
Tanmann
Dick Tater
"First the Guillotine.... and now the sequel!
20 Seconds was the deal....!"
20 Seconds was the deal....!"
20 Re: The Robocop Thread 10th October 2019, 11:32 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
I messaged RoboCop 3 director Fred Dekker on Facebook a few years ago and actually got a reply. I told him I was a big fan of the movie and that I felt the criticism was incredibly unfair. I also told him I enjoyed the set pieces and the script. He told me that the message made his day.
21 Re: The Robocop Thread 10th October 2019, 11:51 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
Tanmann wrote:That's so wrong its almost hilarious.
I've been thinking another problem with Robocop 2 is that the climax seems to lack any personal stake for Robocop. Or at the very least it might've had a personal stake had the final fight ended with Robocop dragging Robocain to his fall (thus sacrificing himself), but its action carries on for another five minutes.
The first Robocop didn't end with Robocop vs Ed-209, even though Ed-209 was his most formidable opponent. It ended with him vanquishing his personal demons, the criminals who originally killed him and the corrupt exec who still had a hold over him with Directive 4.
Sure to a degree Cain was Robocop's personal demon, but Robocop had already defeated him in the earlier raid where Robocop sent him to his death bed. Cain after that was a much more traumatized figure, and Robocop already vindicated.
I'm not sure how to have ended the film satisfactorily, but I think that's the kjey difference. The first film's climax was only as long as it needed to be to be effectively cathartic for Robocop. The climax of Robocop 2 just doesn't seem to know when to stop and seems to expect us to care about an excessive action scene for its own sake.
That's why I prefer the climax to the third movie. McDaggett killed his partner. RoboCop made a promise to Lewis that he'd nail the bastard so the scene of him burning McDaggett's legs with his jetpack and leaving him to die is so cathartic. RoboCop slamming Cain's brain against the pavement in RoboCop 2 doesn't have the same impact. Countless people die during that final battle and RoboCop doesn't seem to care. The movie ends with him making small talk with Lewis and uttering in the inane line "we're only human."
RoboCop 3 will always be the superior sequel. The final battle between the homeless people and the Rehabs has so much more weight to it . I could honestly talk about the RoboCop films for hours.
24 Re: The Robocop Thread 17th January 2020, 7:50 pm
REDACTED
If the BTTF commentary is a success, I wouldn't mind seeing an commentary for the Robocop trilogy....
25 Re: The Robocop Thread 17th January 2020, 7:51 pm
Pepsi Maxil
The Grand Master
I can only do the original and the third one. I'm going to be ill on whatever day we decide to watch RoboCop 2 so unfortunately I can't do it.
Seriously, RoboCop 2 is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Irredeemable schlock.
Seriously, RoboCop 2 is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Irredeemable schlock.
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