“ROBOT-GEEK-CULT-CINEMA” by Robot Geek
trilogy, but mainly focus on the first and best of the bunch. So here we go.
THE PLOT:
Set in Detroit in the not too distant future, the city is a crime infested metropolis with no hope. Murder, burglary, and robberies are part of everyday life here. Most of the police force are on strike and short handed. In steps officer Alex J. Murphy who just got transferred in form another precinct. He’s immediately teamed up with officer Ann Lewis and begins his first day on the job. Outnumbered during a raid, he’s viciously, and violently murdered in one of the most brutal displays of violence ever put on film.
ROBOCOP (1987) Hello film geeks, {{Robotgeek}} here with another cult classic for you to devour. Robocop. Now, I know when you think of this movie, your like-”what, Robocop?”. You probably think cheesy. Silly. Lame. No, no, no my friends. This is an important film in the science fiction genre. One that I think if you gave another chance, you would appreciate much more today than when you first saw it way, way, way back in’87. First of all, its just pure genius from a technical and creative angle. I’ll discuss a little of all three films in the
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Meanwhile, OCP (omni consumer products) is developing a supercop program for the police department. Problem is, who’s going to volunteer to be turned into a robot? They get there wish when officer Murphy, who has just been murdered is brought in and appears to still have brain function. Technically dead, they can do whatever they want with him. So they pretty much replace his whole body, save his face, with robotic parts and he becomes Robocop. Through the course of the movie we see him single handedly bring the crime rate down and violently, often humorously, bash and beat the per-
petrators to a pulp. Meanwhile, he’s having flashbacks of stored memories thought to be erased. He starts to realize that he was once a man. A man with a family. With the help of his former partner, officer Lewis, he starts to uncover his past and bring down the bad guys at the same time. Robocop is a classic by every geek standard. You’ve got action, gore, black humor, and one badass robosuit. Screenwriters Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner have crafted a solid science fiction film with plenty of new ideas and a fresh spin on an old genre. And lets not forget dutch director Paul Verhoeven. Wow! Does this guy know how to frame a shot to it’s full advantage. Actually, it was watching this movie that Arnold Schwarzenegger was convinced this was the man for the job of directing Total Recall. F/X master Rob Bottin did an incredible job designing the robosuit and handling the impressive special make-up effects. Seriously, can you honestly watch Peter Wellers murder scene and actually tell the difference between the actor and the mechanical dummy? 3 years later the studio decides to release a sequel. With the talent behind the camera for this one they felt they had a sure winner. Wrong! They snagged director Irvin Kirshner of The Empire Strikes Back (the best one in the series) and even got Frank
Miller ( yes, “THE” Frank Miller) to write the screenplay. Unfortunately we ended up with a muddled mess. No style. Too slow here, too weird there, it just didn’t mesh well. The concept was cool though. Who wouldn’t want to see Robocop battle an all new even bigger Robocop? The execution of it just didn’t work. And please, don’t get me started on part 3. I think everyone who even likes the character has totally forgotten about that one. Come on, a PG rated Robocop movie? Give me a break! Anyway, there’s several versions of the first movie on DVD. You can get the bare bones standard version with no special features and an ok picture. Or, you can track down the incredible version released by The Criterion Collection. I think these guys have released DVD’s of almost all the movies I’ve done so far. They really know how to put a package together. You don’t get any documentaries, but you do get an incredible picture quality and a fantastic sounding one too. The main thing that makes this one stand out and makes it worth seeking out is that you get a few minutes of never before seen footage of more gore and violence. Yes, you heard correctly. Like the scene where they first bring out Ed 209 and he blows away the unwitting office employee. Its twice as long
and superbly gory. And Peter Wellers death scene. Horrific, brutal, and a gut-wrenching scene to watch. Those few scenes of gory mayhem and a few others are worth the extra money and effort of tracking this version down. Its out of print now, so good luck. EBay is your best bet. So folks, there you have it. An incredible action, sci-fi move from 1987 that raised the bar of smart science fiction movie making and was praised by legendary director Ken Russell as “The best science fiction film since Metropolis”. PART MAN.... PART MACHINE.... ALL COP
{{robotgeek}}.