Why I Love Robocop (1987)

Robocop the very name evokes the epitome of a cheesy 80s action flick which let's be honest it kind of is but I also happen to think that it's pretty much a perfect movie what is it about this cyborg police officer that makes me love him so much let's find out as I break down why I love Robocop where we start even though this movie's over 30 years old there will be spoilers so if you don't want a meditation on production company branding tune out now so let's kick this list off number one the Orion logo is it unique to Robocop nope but it's definitely a part of it for movie fans of a certain age the Orion logo is like a fresh hit of pure nostalgia in addition to releasing films like Caddyshack The Terminator and first blood all Ryan also produced Best Picture winners like Amadeus platoon Dances with Wolves and the Silence of the Lambs before going bankrupt in the early 90s still for me seeing a movie with this logo takes me back to a different time and place and there's nothing wrong with nostalgia as long as it isn't blind or used by cynical Studios to trick people into seeing a generic heartless sequel or remake but come and while you're at it bring back the old Tristar logo to number two the future movie set in the future are almost always set up for failure future and while Robocop's future-tech full of tube TVs and massive computers seems quaint it actually nails a lot of what would develop in the United States over the next few decades from the corporation's extending it to every aspect of government and industry we've got access to military weaponry we've practically our other military to things like TV ads for serious medical conditions and devices you picked the heart extended warranties financing Robocop's sword and nails it and you have to credit screenwriters Edna Meyer and Michael minor who took the seeds of what they saw back in the 80s and built a future that in many ways doesn't look too different from our present hospitals prisons space exploration I say good business is where you find it number three satire Paul Verhoeven has a lot of tools in his arsenal one of them is the name Verhoeven which the internet has told me repeatedly is pronounced ver Hooven but isn't my name is Paul Verhoeven but even more powerful than fair havens Dutch name is his ability to execute satire and Robocop satire is particularly on point 10,000 acres of wooded residential land were scorched in an instant when a laser cannon aboard the Strategic Defense peace platform misfired today to a routine startup test it paints a picture of a media that's either quasi state-run or so heavily corporatized that it's invested in putting a positive spin on inherently negative stories doctors at Henry Ford Memorial Hospital fight to save the life of officer Frank Fredrickson good luck Frank add in things like reframing nuclear war as a literal game Naoko get them before they get you and touting the American tradition of a high polluting car with shitty gas mileage 6000 su X an American tradition and you get a great look at ver Holman newmeyer and miners dark vision of a possible future weather that actually came to pass I guess that's up to you number 4 Peter Weller playing Robocop is kind of a thankless task but Peter Weller totally crushes it in this movie with relatively little screen time as Murphy Weller provides the humanity needed to care for Robocop you probably don't think I'm a very nice guy and as Robocop he makes you believe that you're not just watching an actor in a suit you're watching Murphy as a machine Murphy it's you weller also delivers range from Robocop's almost deadpan delivery any special message for all the kids watching at home stay out of trouble to the genuine emotion as Murphy's humanity emerges as the movie goes on I can feel them at every stage of Robocop's development peter weller brings what's needed to keep the movie from becoming absolutely ridiculous and completely unbelievable number five sleazeballs if there was an 80 slime Hall of Fame most of Robocop supporting characters would be first ballot inductees from Miguel Ferris Bob Morton the poster boy for a sleazy 80s executive that's how it's done the big leagues Johnson see nobody it goes to a first-rate goon squad made up of stellar character actors Jesse Dee coins ray wise and Paul mccrane Robocop portrays the decay of old Detroit through these truly rotten characters and no character is more rotten than the sleaziest sleaze ball of them all number 6 Clarence Boddicker can you fly Bobby you know I don't care how many times he calls Eric a dumbass on That 70's Show Kurtwood Smith will always be Clarence Boddicker to me well ok Clarence and the weird half should sue president from Star Trek 6 almost every line that comes out of Kurtwood Smith South is dripping with equal parts slime and menace [ __ ] leave God's good yeah maybe you could and not only is Clarence one of the most quotable bad guys of all time he's also one of the most brutal there are no visible soft edges to Clarence Boddicker no mercy no redemption just in cold murderous sociopathy tonight Clarence is both simple and complicated and Kurtwood Smith plays it beautifully number seven practical effects some might say that the practical effects in Robocop date the film and while the stop-motion on Edie 2:09 and dick Jones's weird long arms might boost that argument I'd also argue that on the whole they add to and enhance the movie style and tone first of all there are several great mat paintings which is a truly lost art they're almost invisible throughout much of the film and I'll take the practical legs and arms they built to integrate Robocop's functions than all the computer trickery in the world but the most effective practical effects also tie into one of Paul Verhoeven's favorite things excess and the practical blood and gore and Robocop is both difficult to watch and at times comical Murphy's death is made even more tragic by the grotesque effects that can't be replicated with cartoon blood Emile's death is both revolting and hilarious all due to the incredible makeup and effects work the perfect comeuppance for a real piece of [ __ ] and squid work doesn't get any better than ed-209 s boardroom rampage even the elements that don't hold up as well like the ed-209 itself still have a wry craftsmanship to them i've always loved his little deft which outside OCP headquarters listen i'm not anti computer animation as a matter of fact i think it can work beautifully both at scale and when employed smartly in smaller movies but i also think there's an irreplaceable quality to what reality can bring and I can't imagine Robocop in an era where all these practical touches are stripped out and replaced by safe sanitized cgi oh wait yeah I can yet not good number eight perspective one of my favorite artistic choices and Robocop is the decision to show us Murphy's transformation firsthand through his eyes now as I mentioned before if you're not onboard with Murphy's journey this movie gets real silly real fast by putting us inside Murphy's head we feel like we're experiencing this transformation along with them as we see both his death and rebirth from his perspective it keeps the audience tied in to Murphy's humanity as OCP dismantles and dehumanizes it well I think we should lose the arm what do you think Johnson by keeping us in Murphy's shoes the movie keeps us in Murphy's head and we take this journey with him not just watching him number nine the Robocop theme because it's used so sparingly Basil palledorous's Robocop theme isn't as revered as the music from sci-fi contemporaries like The Terminator but it is one hell of a workout track [Music] combining orchestral and industrial elements it gives Robocop both an emotional and a mechanical heartbeat that fits the film perfectly also let's just take a moment to shout out basil palledorous himself who did music for not just this movie but both Schwarzenegger Conan film's Red Dawn The Hunt for Red October and another sci-fi collaboration with Paul Verhoeven Starship Troopers not a bad resume number 10 the alley scene and his first night on the job Robo breaks up a lot of crime but the alley scene combines everything that has made the character iconic first of all great entrance we also get to see the cold lethality of his programming combined with his ability to be a real dick shooting hot shot top that off with Weller's deadpan delivery which is both coldly mechanical and funny in its directness madam you have suffered an emotional shock I will notify a rape crisis center when I think the future of law enforcement I think about this scene your move crew number 11 no romance you gotta hand it to this movie to team up Murphy and Lewis and decide to have no romantic subplot between them somewhere in the darkest timeline I'm sure there's a version of this film where Murphy finds his humanity through a tender kiss from his old partner but Robocop knows it doesn't need this and the movie is better for it no it's obvious that Murphy and Lewis do love each other but it's a platonic love like Riggs and Murtaugh or Turner and hooch number 12 business I don't mean the kind of business OCP does you know they make products like Robocop's and stuff no I mean the little things that actors do physically that aren't dialogue like how Bob Morton pays absolutely no attention to the ed-209 presentation or the way that Clarence puts his gum on the receptionist nameplate and my favorite the way that Clarence also decides to dip his fingers in the drug lords wine while he's talking to him these are things that are sometimes written into the script but are usually worked out between the actor and the director either unset or during rehearsal and while it may not be as flashy as a great line of dialogue business can provide just as many insights into who a character is number 13 the pivot Robocop pulls off a really good switch slash reveal about an hour in when Clarence is revealed to be working with dick Jones hello buddy boy dick Jones here up until now the movies been about Murphy search first true identity set against the backdrop of OCPs corporate maneuvering and Clarence's crime spree all three of these story points are brought together when Bob Morton is murdered by Clarence now the true story comes into focus as Robocop has to fight through the very entity that created him to seek justice and vengeance for Murphy's death in a lesser movie this reveal would be saved for the third act leading to the dreaded fourth act syndrome for example at the exact same point in both films 1987's Murphy is walking into his final confrontation with dick Jones at OCP while 2014's Murphy is just learning about the corporate backstabbing that his 80s counterpart learned about in the second act sellers can't afford to wake you up he sent these guys to pull the plug he wants you're dead you understand here Bob Morton's death is shocking because you don't expect it and choosing to immediately reveal dick Jones as the mastermind allows the film to move forward towards a satisfying conclusion I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake now it's time to erase that mistake also bonus points to dick Jones for knowing the difference between a robot and a cyborg he's a cyborg you idiot number 14 the Murphy's journey I briefly mentioned the monomyth and Joseph Campbell in my video about jaws and those same story points come into play here with Murphy the movie first establishes Murphy's human elements the gun spin the way he talks to criminals that are coming with me even the way he bottoms his car out as he leaves the parking garage then we see that humanity painfully tragically taken away from him first by Clarence and his goons then by OCP and Bob Morton have a name he's got a program he's product but we know that's not the case Murphy's humanity begins to bleed through his programming that are alive you are coming with me and he struggles to adjust to his new reality then we slowly see Murphy's machine parts stripped away revealed first through Justin I then his entire face we now see Murphy as both man and machine ultimately the to merge and Murphy is reborn in the same Factory where his humanity was taken from him he arrives at OCP to literally meet his makers as the master of both worlds now able to defeat at 2:09 easily and exposed dick Jones as the mastermind behind everything all of this leads to the last line of the film the final triumph of humanity over robotics not shooting son what's your name Murphy this is an almost perfect story art for Murphy and it's also one of my favorite smash cuts to the credits of all time its efficiency in motion tell the story you need to tell and go out on top number 15 Bixby Snyder you probably know him best as the guy who says turns out the name of that show is it's not my problem and it's the perfect backdrop for the dark future of Robocop mindless formless entertainment for the masses that relies on a single catchphrase as its only joke it's also been reported that in the unproduced Robocop sequel screenplay Robocop to corporate wars that Bixby Snyder would have become President of the United States a TV star becoming president Wow science fiction is so unrealistic and far-fetched what a cheesy movie this is those are just some of the reasons why I love Robocop what about you do you think I'm crazy do you prefer the 2014 version and if so why let me know in the comments below and as always please be sure to like share and subscribe if you want more of this kind of stuff you can also check me out on patreon for even more deep dives into movies and commentary these are just a few of my producer level patrons who help me keep everything up and running and get to enjoy everything I have to offer on patreon we'd love for you to join us and become part of dance film crew so your move creep I'm just kidding you're probably cool thank you for your cooperation good night [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Dan Murrell

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Keywords: dan murrell, dan murrell movies, robocop, why i love robocop, why i love, dan murrell robocop, robocop review, dan murrell why i love, dan murrell robocop review

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Length: 15min 56sec (956 seconds)

Published: Sat May 16 2020