Robocop Does Not Hold Up Well

[ATB]

Rewatched one. Now working through two.

I was never a huge robocop fan (would argue with a friend about who would win in a fight, Terminator or robocop...the obvious answer is terminator), and i see why.

The movies are largely terrible.  The acting is woeful  and the writing is hugely and poorly simplistic.

Ugh. Just bad bad bad.

[Roman]

I'd buy that for a dollar!

[The Grue]

Drop it!

[rickfc]

Weird. I mostly agree with this review...

http://www.screened.com/besties-robocop/128-640/

[leo8877]

You have 20 seconds to comply.

[Harkonis]

I enjoyed my rewatching of one, two not-so-much

[Teggy]

OK, first of all there are not RoboCop movies. There is RoboCop and then some people claim that there are several sequels, but they don't exist. There also might be a sort of ok TV series. Maybe.

Second of all, RoboCop was, is and always will be AWESOME.

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

OK, first of all there are not RoboCop movies. There is RoboCop and then some people claim that there are several sequels, but they don't exist. There also might be a sort of ok TV series. Maybe.

Second of all, RoboCop was, is and always will be AWESOME.

Agreed, Robocop is a classic.

[TiLT]

Robocop is a great movie even today. What I think rubs some people the wrong way is the Verhoeven style. It's not an 80s thing for him. It's just the way he does movies.

[Pyperkub]

I can't remember, but robocop 2 might have been as bad as highlander 2.  The first is a lot of fun though.

[CeeKay]

so where's the remake?

[metallicorphan]

Agreed on the sequels being damn shite,Robocop 1 was brilliant,admittedly though i have not seen it for an age,it was on Sci-Fi Channel the other day when i was channel surfing,it was near the end so i carried on surfing...i just remember that it has a few Twin Peaks actors in it(as i watched TP last month)

I can't remember, but robocop 2 might have been as bad as highlander 2.  The first is a lot of fun though.

IMO it was much much worse

[Harkonis]

Highlander 2 at least got somewhat of a fix years later when they surgically removed half the plot.

I liked Robocop and Starship Troopers, I guess I enjoyed the style.   I do wish we'd get a real Starship Troopers though since the book was much better.

[hepcat]

I love Verhoven's movies. Robocop being one of his best.  There's a level of ironic sarcasm in everything he does that sometimes doesn't register with folks...although with Robocop and Starship Trooper it's pretty overt.  I think Robocop has aged quite well and I really do consider it a classic.

The same can't be said for Robocop 2...but I must admit I enjoy it.  It was written (in part) by Frank Miller and it's so friggin' over the top in almost every aspect that I can't help but giggle like a maniac every time it's on tv.  If you go into it with the knowledge that Frank was writing a superhero movie, it makes a hell of a lot more sense.

Too bad they never made a Robocop 3.   

[Bullwinkle]

Highlander 2 at least got somewhat of a fix years later when they surgically removed half the plot.

I liked Robocop and Starship Troopers, I guess I enjoyed the style.   I do wish we'd get a real Starship Troopers though since the book was much better.

Um...

[Harkonis]

Highlander 2 at least got somewhat of a fix years later when they surgically removed half the plot.

I liked Robocop and Starship Troopers, I guess I enjoyed the style.   I do wish we'd get a real Starship Troopers though since the book was much better.

Um...

I know about that thread, pretty sure I've posted there.  doesn't mean it's going to happen though

[Purge]

Rewatched one. Now working through two.

I was never a huge robocop fan (would argue with a friend about who would win in a fight, Terminator or robocop...the obvious answer is terminator), and i see why.

The movies are largely terrible.  The acting is woeful  and the writing is hugely and poorly simplistic.

Ugh. Just bad bad bad.

First of all, John Conner's dad, a soft fleshy meat-bag, killed the first terminator.

Robocop would win.

Two, John Conner (the adult), defeated T-1000 using the terminators OLD technology, which was stolen (how lame).

If you're talking ED-209, sure. Dude couldn't even take the stairs. Robocop? He's the real deal.

Also, did you watch it on Blu-Ray or were you watching an edited-for-TV version?

Cuz the TV version makes you forget how visceral Robocop was.

[Teggy]

Cuz the TV version makes you forget how visceral Robocop was.

Yup, RoboCop is about the violence (well, and the one liners and the satire). The package just fits together so well. In fact, they edited down the ED-209 murder scene in the theatrical release, and Verhoeven thought the edited version made it seem more real and disturbing, while the full version (on the Criterion cut) is just over the top and crazy.

[Blackjack]

I expected too much from Robocop 2 at the time of its release, given it's directed by The Empire Strikes Back's director (Irvin Kershner), but you're really only as good as your script. Although R2 had some attempts at funny ads again, Verhoeven is just too twisted as director for a more conventional director like Kershner to emulate

I remember a review that mentioned R2 missed an opportunity when Murphy's wife visits Robocop at police station and tries to reconnect with what's left of her husband. But the movie drops that idea like a hot potato in favor of having Robocop shoot drug dealers through the eyeballs (considered an awful thing in 1990, but doesn't seem worth even noting 22 years later).

I loved Verhoeven's original in its day, and own one of the fancy pants DVD releases. While it wouldn't surprise me if Hollywood tried to remake it, I really think it's a film of its day (1987) and I don't really know a way to effectively bring it into this era.

Robocop 3 didn't have Weller's presence anymore, and seemed really quite pointless.

[Teggy]

The whole drug addicted robot with a human face on a screen was just so awful. And that idiot kid drug dealer...the whole thing was just bad, bad, bad. Definitely one of the biggest letdowns for a movie I saw in a theater, along with Alien 4 (and probably Phantom Menace, TBH).

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

First of all, John Conner's dad, a soft fleshy meat-bag, killed the first terminator. .

[nerdwank]Sarah Conner killed the first Terminator [/nerdwank]

[Purge]

First of all, John Conner's dad, a soft fleshy meat-bag, killed the first terminator. .

[nerdwank]Sarah Conner killed the first Terminator [/nerdwank]

Sure. Whatever.

Meatbags won over Terminator.

NOBODY killed Robocop.

[rickfc]

First of all, John Conner's dad, a soft fleshy meat-bag, killed the first terminator. .

[nerdwank]Sarah Conner killed the first Terminator [/nerdwank]

Sure. Whatever.

Meatbags won over Terminator.

NOBODY killed Robocop.

Well, technically they killed him when he was Alex Murphy.  

[Purge]

First of all, John Conner's dad, a soft fleshy meat-bag, killed the first terminator. .

[nerdwank]Sarah Conner killed the first Terminator [/nerdwank]

Sure. Whatever.

Meatbags won over Terminator.

NOBODY killed Robocop.

Well, technically they killed him when he was Alex Murphy.  

That wasn't Robocop. That's not a technicality, it's simply incorrect.

Robocop is a cyborg, made up of fleshy bits of good-guy cop, and badass hardware.

[pr0ner]

The obvious answer is that the OP simply doesn't understand what makes Robocop so awesome.

[hitbyambulance]

making sequels to (or remakes of) Verhoeven films is nonsensical.

[Razgon]

Paul Verhoeven makes awesome movies

warning - NSFW

Spoiler for Hiden:

[Purge]

making sequels to (or remakes of) Verhoeven films is nonsensical.

I dunno. There's nothing wrong with a different interpretation, and given that we haven't had a decent "bug" movie in ages (Cloverfield, you most CERTAINLY WERE NOT!), I celebrate a return to the roughnecks.

Too bad Meyer (or Richards!!) won't be up for a topless scene or two. They'll probably make Meyer's character male again, and Doogie Houser won't be in it.

You're right! No point in remaking it.

[hepcat]

Paul Verhoeven makes awesome movies

warning - NSFW

Spoiler for Hiden:

Okay, I amend my earlier statement.  I love MOST Verhoeven films.

[Purge]

Paul Verhoeven makes awesome movies

warning - NSFW

Spoiler for Hiden:

Okay, I amend my earlier statement.  I love MOST Verhoeven films.

Have you seen his IMDB list of movies?

I didn't even know some of those letters can be used beside each other.

[Knightshade Dragon]

I *love* the original ultra-campy Robocop.  The other two in the series?  Yea, I don't even watch them anymore as they are just too awful to exist.

[hepcat]

Paul Verhoeven makes awesome movies

warning - NSFW

Spoiler for Hiden:

Okay, I amend my earlier statement.  I love MOST Verhoeven films.

Have you seen his IMDB list of movies?

I didn't even know some of those letters can be used beside each other.

Replace "Bosnia" with "Netherlands". *

*originally appeared in The Onion

[hepcat]

Looks like they've cast Joel Kinnaman as the new robocop.  I really like him on The Killing so I'm tentatively okay with this.

[kronovan]

For me the only thing that doesn't stand up in it is some of the visual effects, but given the state of the art at the time it was produced, they were damn good! I personally think Robocop is still great, but I can see someone now not being so impressed with it. In a sense it's very much a reflection the over-the-top-action in 80's films. I think where it succeeded  was in putting humor in a setting that had a very dark tone and mixing in just the right amount of action.

Visual effects aside, I don't think you can argue with the other technical aspects of the film. There's some editing in that movie that was damn impressive - think the sequence of scenes where they're enabling Robocop's video visor for the 1st time.  I watched it again recently with a few buddies who work in the film biz and, 25 years later that still raised some eyebrows.

Oh and SUX 6000 for FTW!