... Robocop stops every sleazeball he encounters with deadly, piercing, and sometimes gruesome accuracy. But there are forces on the street, and within Security Concepts itself, that will stop at nothing to see this super cyborg violently eliminated...
Prepare yourself for non-stop action and ... Read review
When it arrived on the big screen in 1987, Paul Verhoeven'sRoboCopwas like a high-voltage ... more
jolt of electricity, blending satire, thrills, and abundant violence with such energized gusto that audiences couldn't help feeling stunned and amazed. The movie ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
When it arrived on the big screen in 1987, Paul Verhoeven'sRoboCopwas like a high-voltage ... more
jolt of electricity, blending satire, thrills, and abundant violence with such energized gusto that audiences couldn't help feeling stunned and amazed. The movie ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
There's a new law enforcer in town...and he's half man, half machine! From the director of ... more
Total Recall and Basic Instinct comes a Sci-Fi fantasy witha sleek, high powered drive about an indestructible high-tech policeman who dishes out justice at ever...
Paul Verhoeven was almost unknown in Hollywood prior to the release ofRoboCopin 1987. But ... more
after this ultra-violent yet strangely subversive and satirical sci-fi picture became a huge hit his reputation for extravagant and excessive, yet superbly well-crafted filmmaking was assured. Controversial as ever, Verhoeven saw the blue-collar cop (Peter Weller) who is transformed into an invincible cyborg as "an American Jesus with a gun", and so the film dabbles with death and resurrection imagery as well as mercilessly satirising Reagan-era America. No targets escape Verhoeven's unflinching camera eye, from yuppie excess and corporate backstabbing to rampant consumerism and vacuous media personalities. As with his later sci-fi satireStarship Troopersthe extremely bloody violence resolutely remains on the same level as aTom and Jerrycartoon.The inevitable sequel, competently directed by Irvin Kershner, thankfully continues to mine the dark vein of anti-consumerist satire while being reflexively aware that it is itself a shining example of that which it is lampooning. Sadly the third instalment in the series, now without Peter Weller in the title role, is exactly the kind of dumbed-down production-line flick that the corporate suits of OCP might have dreamed up at a marketing meeting. Its only virtue is a decent music score from regular Verhoeven collaborator Basil Poledouris, whose splendid march theme returned from the original score.
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Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Action/Adventure - Director: Gore Verbinski - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun-Fat
Advantages: Entertaining, Well directed and suprisingly complex Disadvantages: Shameful sequels and franchise
...All goes well at first. Robocop stops every sleazeball he encounters with deadly, piercing, and sometimes gruesome accuracy. But there are forces on the street, and within Security Concepts itself, that will stop at nothing to see this super cyborg violently eliminated...
Prepare yourself for non-stop action and adventure in one of the most explosive sci-fi stories you'll ever witness: Robocop."
There is no doubt ... ...police force. As time paces Robocop begins to suffer haunting memories and visions of his past existence.
Robocop is programmed with 4 'Prime Directives' in mind - these are basic rules and orders to keep him doing good on the streets of Detroit. With a linear plot of Robocop seeking revenge and fighting bad guys we also see other complications particularly with the devious main bad boss in mind - Clarence Boddicker (brilliantly acted ... more
"Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement.
He's RoboCop. And in the near future, he's law enforcement's only hope.
A sadistic crime wave is sweeping across America. In Old Detroit, the situation is so bad a private corporation, Omni Consumer Products (OCP), has assumed control of the police force. The executives at the company think they have the answer - until the enforcement droid they create kills one of their own. Then an ambitious young executive seizes the opportunity. He and his research team at Security Concepts create a law enforcement cyborg from the body of a slain officer. All goes well at first. Robocop stops every sleazeball he encounters with deadly, piercing, and sometimes gruesome accuracy. But there are forces on the street, and within Security Concepts itself, that will stop at nothing to see this super cyborg violently eliminated...
Prepare yourself for non-stop action and adventure in one of the most explosive sci-fi stories you'll ever witness: Robocop."
There is no doubt that Robocop sits up there amongst my memorable favourites. The controversial 1987 classic uses a typical action, science fiction platform to convey a somewhat hidden and satirical view of business-driven capitalism. Directed by Verhoeven and starring the likes of Peter Weller as Murphy (Robocop), Nancy Allen as Anne and overall a fairly unheard of cast.
The actual premise is fairly simple and cliched. Murphy is a top ranking and well-established Detroit cop with a supporting family and satisfying home life. After being brutally killed by some vicious criminals the terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg by the Capitalist giant Omni-Consumer-Products and sold to the governed police force. As time paces Robocop begins to suffer haunting memories and visions of his past existence.
Robocop is programmed with 4 'Prime Directives' in mind - these are basic rules and orders to keep him doing good on the streets of Detroit. With a linear plot of Robocop seeking revenge and fighting bad guys we also see other complications particularly with the devious main bad boss in mind - Clarence Boddicker (brilliantly acted by the sly Kurtwood Smith).
Throughout the movie there are brilliantly devised fictional clips from the News and Television - these help to paint a picture of the situation the film takes place in. Although the dialogue is weak in places (probably intentionally) The film is also highly quotable; Robocop will often come up with some humorous and ironic one liners: "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." and "Stay out of trouble. " for examples. Robocop may be a machine but by the end of the movie and at the intention of the plot uncovering his human emotions you will find yourself getting suprisingly in character with him.
Unusually for a movie like this, some intelligent messages are portrayed. I think Verhoeven has clearly tried something new with this film - The idea of a man made cyborg experiencing emotion is an interesting topic. The huge OCP Company from the movie is used as a platform to portray some subtle anti-capitalism. You will of course have to watch it yourself and make your own interpretations.
The film has a great feel and atmosphere to it, almost comic book but suprisingly violent - whilst most action movies will pan the camera to avoid the gore Verhoeven leaves the brutally gritty violence in its natural form. The Detroit we get a picture of is one of a horrible, crime ridden post apocalyptic landscape, every detail and factor has been carefully seen to, building this alternate futuristic landscape - all though the film is presumably set in the future we are never given a year, probably to add to the mystery and I think it was his intentions to separate the movie from the real life world. With clear influences coming from older Westerns and classic Sci-Fi Verhoeven creates a truly individual style of his own.
As with most 1980s Sci-Fi flicks the very 80s feel to it kind of adds to the appeal. The effects on this movie are outstanding for the time, obviously being no CGI we see some interesting stop motion and other great effects used to brilliant effect. With a budget of 13 million dollars Robocop was the duct directors real Hollywood debut and it certainly proved great. Verhoeven himself mocked the title when he first saw the project - lets face the facts, it's far from imaginative. In the typical style of this director the film is laden with originality and personal flare - we see the satire that we see in his other movies such as Total Recall and Starship Troopers.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven Produced by Jon Davison Written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner
Distributed by Orion Pictures Original release date July 17, 1987 Running time 102 min. Certificate 18
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations
The DVD special edition can usually be purchased for around £5 (mine cost £4.99). The Special features are as follows:
1. Documentary 'Flesh and Steel' 2. Production Reel with Deleted Scenes Build 3. Audio Commentary by Director Paul Verhoeven and Screenwriter Ed Neumeier 4. Deleted Scenes 5. Two Original Featurettes: 'Shooting Robocop' and 'Making Robocop' 6. Photo Gallery 7. Storyboard Comparisons with Audio Commentary 6. Trailers 7. TV Commercial
Most of the special features are worth a watch - the making of in particular if you like the film is very interesting in revealing some of the tricks behind the impressive special features. I also got a nice information booklet containing information about the film and the scene selection guide - this is part of the special edition DVD.
I really see this as essential viewing for anybody interested in the genres of Sci-Fi and action, fans of 1980s cinema will be pleased to see such a well made movie form the decade. When contrasted to the mindless action movies such as Commando and Rambo that we expect form this era this truly is a masterpiece. Do yourself a favour and look out for it at bargain prices - but avoid the sequels no matter how much you like this first.
All in all one of the greatest Action and/or Sci-Fi films of all time 9/10.
Advantages: One the best Sci-Fi movies ever made. Period. Disadvantages: The sequels.
...arm yourself with the entire RoboCop trilogy on a spanking new DVD collection, which emphatically consigns the previous Criterion Edition to the scrapheap. It comes with all the extra features of the Criterion disc including a commentary track from controversial director Paul Verhoeven and writer Ed Neumier, the trailers, storyboards and a 'Shooting RoboCop' feature, plus you also get a brand new documentary on the making of Robo, a handful of deleted ... ...Back in 1987, RoboCop was the film that every teenage boy wanted to see, but was never allowed to because, we were told, it was for grown-ups. However, when a film has an invincible, metal guy stomping around, blowing away villainous scum with a really big gun, wild stallions wouldn't keep most bloodthirsty adolescents away and most of us somehow managed to see it anyway. But don't let the comic-book 'blast-the-bad-guys-kids' philosophy fool you, ...
Howiemon 27.02.2002 (12.04.2002)
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Advantages: Characters, Intelligence, Humour, Plot.S Disadvantages: Stop-Start Animation is a little dated by today's standards.
...genre. Along with The Terminator, Robocop is considered to be one of the most definitive movies of Cyberpunk, a subgenre of Science Fiction; an exploration of man with machine. Paul Verhoeven's film is brutally violent, funny, and thought provocative. A classic. It's a scary thought living in the future. "Old Detroit", as it's called, is all about Capitalism and the media, with little regard for the people's lives. The Police Department has become ... ...authorities didn't count on was Robocop regaining memories from his previous life. Going beyond the confines of his programming, he begins hunting down the gang of drug dealers responsible for his brutal execution, as well as bringing justice to the greedy company bosses that created him. And that is indeed one of the main points of the film: the proclaimed "Robocop" appears more humane than a majority of the big company bosses do; forcing us, the ...
andycarrington 29.03.2009
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Advantages: Good Effects, fun, voilent, blood, gore Disadvantages: 80's clothes, hair styles, etc
...80's you have to remember Robocop as one of the best action/sci-fi films to come from that era, it had great special effects for the time and quite a humourous script. The story starts by introducing us to Murphy (Peter Weller), an experienced police officer who has just been transfered to the dangerous and crime filled streets of Detroit. While patroling the streets of Detroit in his car with his new partner Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) they receive ... ...they need to work in, Robocop hits the streets, and is instantly shot to fame by a number of sucessful operations. After attending a robbery at a gas station though, Robocop's old memories start to resurface and with the help of Murphys old partner Lewis he goes about getting the criminals that ended his human life. Robocop is a well filmed and told story, often flash and bold but managing to keep the viewer attention all the way though. Like a lot ...
Silent_Bob 05.04.2001
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Advantages: Great First Film, Good Extras, Directors Cut Disadvantages: You have to have the sequels, not seamless branching
...action flicks with cool characters. Robocop is that as well but has much more going on underneath the surface. Thanks to Director Paul Verhoven, this is a film that acts as part action, part comedy and 100% satire. Peter Weller stars as Alex Murphy, a cop who relocates to Detroit. The city is in the midst of crime, most of it stemming from arch criminal and all round bad guy Clarence Boddicker. One day Murphy and his new partner Lewis (Nancy Allen) ... ...name - Robocop. Robocop frankly takes no prisoners and soon crime in on the decrease. However soon submerged memeories of Murphy's past come to haunt Robocop and what was once a machine soo rediscovers some human elements. Needless to say the memory of being killed by Boddicker and his gang means it's bad news for Boddicker. Some may see Robocop as nothing more than mindless violence. In some ways it is but this is also a film that pokes fun at the ...
utero 23.03.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Robocop (DVD)
Advantages: A classic piece of sci-fi - still relevant after almost 15 years, with little of its impact faded by time Disadvantages: Extremely voilent (perhaps too much so for some), the distinctly 80s feel
...of the other partcipants in RoboCop are there to serve the needs of the story, with little interest given to their deeper personality traits or motives. They are stereotypical movie characters, and in this case it is not a problem. Only Nancy Allen - as Murphy's partner Lewis - is given the scope to invest anything approaching emotions or heart. Even then, it's not a lot to work with, but she gets more out of the role than the script deserved. Granted, ... ...part of Carrie just a decade previously, but on this form her talents and her underlying sexy appeal never deserted her.
Rapturously received on its release, two subsequent installments would follow, neither of them - common knowledge will report - coming close to matching the splendour, thrills and narrative integrity. In truth, RoboCop's journey in this first film covers all the ground which could be of dramatic interest. It's all here, so the ...
EnglishPatient 22.01.2001
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Advantages: 2 great movies, good action, quite funny in parts Disadvantages: poor third movie, quite expensive
ROBOCOP TRILOGY DVD
-------------------
Back in the late 1980's we finally saw a change in the way robot movies were made.
Up until this time Robots were mostly just men dressed in silver painted cardboard boxes, and they were nearly always the enemies.
Well that was about to change with Paul Verhoeven's vision of near future Detroit
These films were a dream for toy manufacturers everywhere, as soon as you'd seen Robocop or ED-209, you knew that a toy was already in the pipeline, although the children that would play with these wouldn't be old enough to see the movie that they were based on!
This box set was released in 2002, and contains 3 dvds, all nicely placed in a smart looking metallic blue folding package, with some nice detailed pictures of Robocop and ED-209 pasted all over it.
Each movie comes on its own dvd ...
Advantages: Some half decent action, slightly sympathetic story Disadvantages: Story written poorly
RoboCop 3 is the second sequel in the RoboCop franchise. It seems that over the years the RoboCop films went from retro classic to abismal cash cow.
The film is still set in good old Detroit where the massive, capitalist corporation OCP (Omni Consumer Products) owns Detroit and is planning to destroy the old lawless neighbourhoods to make way for the 'New Detroit'. (This premise is in all three movies, this moive is based on them actually doing something about it instead of just talking about it)
Mercenaries headed by a heatless captain have been throwing people out of the homes and packing them onto buses to make way for the demolition crews.
But RoboCop, programmed to protect and serve the public, joins forces with a small rebel alliance of evicted residents of the neighbourhood that's about to be destroyed. After battling ...
DarkMark 03.03.2003 (09.03.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Robocop 3 (DVD)
I can't see any point in beating around the bush where this movie is concerned. Its crap. That is all you need to know, its crap, don't bother watching it because you'll be totally wasting your time. R3 is a blatant, cynical attempt to cash in on the Rococop name to make a quick buck whilst giving nothing in return. It has zero redeeming features.
The plot is simple and ludicrous, because of course nobody wanted to spend money on a screenwriters now did they? Of course not so what we have is the mega corporation OCP trying to throw some residents of some city district out of their homes because it wants the land back to make some more money. In steps Robocop to help, and it all ends happily ever after. Thats it. That is the plot, our friendly law enforcement guy turns squatter basically and fights for the common man against the law ...
wampyrii 27.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Robocop 3 (DVD)
Set in Old Detroit in the very near future, the story follows Murphy, a tough cop who is used as target practice by a gang of lunatics. The police force's controlling body decide to rebuild Murphy into a Cyborg, part man, part machine, and dedicated to law enforcement.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
MGM ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS, BOULEVARD ENTERTAIMENT; D3 DIRECT
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Stereo
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo English French
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Professional reviews
Review
"...This movie has a motor humming inside. It's been assembled with ferocious, gleeful expertise, crammed with humor, cynicism and jolts of energy..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C1, 17/07/1987)
"...Chilling, at times hilarious..." - Recommended (Premiere, p.136, 01/05/1995)
"...ROBOCOP is a shrewdly enjoyable movie..." (Sight and Sound, p.66-7, 01/12/1987)
"...Gut-level humor and technical wizardry....Robocop himself is a fascinating character..." (Variety, 01/07/1987)
DVD Description
Peter Weller stars in this urban sci-fi Western as Murphy, a good cop who literally gets shot to pieces while on duty and winds up reborn as a crime-fighting machine. An ambitious executive (Miguel Ferrer) at OCP, the corporation running the futuristic city of Detroit, fuses Murphy's torso with bulletproof steel limbs and rewires his brain with computer chips so he will have no will of his own. Murphy's former partner (Nancy Allen) tries to help RoboCop remember his human past, but his circuitry blocks whatever dim memories remain. Luckily, a chance encounter with one of his killers wakes up the human essence in RoboCop, causing him to rebel against his programming and commence on a one-cyborg mission of vengeance that leads all the way to the top of OCP. This second English-language film by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven is unremittingly brutal, darkly comic, and filled with bits of clever satire and pathos. A special highlight is the hilariously incompetent ED-209, RoboCop's main rival in the department of automated law enforcement. Considered by many critics to be one of the best films of its genre, ROBOCOP was followed by several sequels and a 1994 TV series.
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