Definitely a strong argument that the film deserves a higher rating than this... The script behind it being especially noteworthy, with certain successful screenwriters (who were fans of the film) saying they analysed it deeply- as a sort of attempt at reverse engineering for their own works. Robocop has such a perfect economy of characters and motivations, where people/ideas overlap without seeming contrived...
It's the type of productive construction you can almost never achieve with a sequel, due to certain story elements/people hanging around whether they are helpful or not. Notable exceptions being things like Aliens, because the only thing carried over (Ripley) still had lots to offer if put in a certain situation with the right people and themes, which was done well. Normally you have to force something incongruous and make the best of it.
There is a weird religious dimension to Robocop. If you think about Christianity, it's based on the rebirth of Christ. In Robocop, Murphy is killed but rises from the dead. He defeats the bad guys, finds salvation. There's some subtext going on. I'm not a religious person but I do think the concept of a hero dying, coming back to life to save the day is fascinating and makes Robocop a more profound movie.
The original Robocop, released in 1987 and directed by Paul Verhoeven, was not only one of the best science fiction films of the last three decades—"a brilliant comedy operating in the guise of an ultraviolent action movie," as Tom Scocca described it on Gawker—it was also a Christian allegory. At least according to Paul Verhoeven himself who, in a 2010 interview, referred to his resurrected robot hero as "the American Jesus."
As Verhoeven specifically suggested at the time to MTV, "The point of Robocop, of course, is it is a Christ story. It is about a guy that gets crucified after 50 minutes, then is resurrected in the next 50 minutes and then is like the super-cop of the world, but is also a Jesus figure as he walks over water at the end."
I'm sure some Christians would take offense at the idea that a violent cop of the future is similar to Jesus Christ (!), but the notion of Murphy rising from the dead and seeking to make the world a better place does share some similarity with Christianity. I always saw the Christian angle to the movie but I never knew Paul Verhoven shared the same view! Wow. It's amazing what you can find on Google!
Definitely a strong argument that the film deserves a higher rating than this... The script behind it being especially noteworthy, with certain successful screenwriters (who were fans of the film) saying they analysed it deeply- as a sort of attempt at reverse engineering for their own works. Robocop has such a perfect economy of characters and motivations, where people/ideas overlap without seeming contrived...
To my shame I had somehow never seen Robocop until now, knowing if only for the incredible Gameboy video game theme. The above post is what struck me most. It really ticked along with unusual aplomb. It was so tightly plotted but never felt rushed. It didnt have extended emotional scenes or dialogue, but somehow developed character very well. The soundtrack was very discreet and served the film, not the other way round. Moderrn action films could learn a lot from this.
It has aged very well. 33 years after release, watching with fresh eyes, this was cruising for a 8/10 from me, but sadly lost a point with the steelworks showdown, which was decidedly average. Still, a pretty top drawer film.
Robocop shows us what is possible in a popular movie, religious allegory, political warning, social commentary, fun action, hillarious one-liners, iconic characters, heartfelt emotions... etc... all rolled into one...
It has a lot of utterly seemingly unintentionally funny moments that would make Will Ferrell blush. The cops turning up to stop RoboCop/Murphy getting shot down by a SWAT team then immediately giving up with a mere "fuck" was ridiculous even for an 80s movie about a cyborg. The RoboCop remake was a lot more intense and serious. 80s RoboCop was still fun to watch but I don't think it was written intentionally to make me laugh as much as it did, which was a lot.
Respondo de FlyingSaucersAreReal
je Marto 25 2017 je 4:04 PM
7/10.
Doesn't seem unreasonable.
Respondo de tmdb82469342
je Marto 25 2017 je 4:13 PM
Are you joking? This film is a confirmed 5/5 classic, dude!
Respondo de Dawn Of The Ed
je Marto 25 2017 je 4:44 PM
I gave it a 5/5 also. It's a great film and Kurtwood Smith is such a badass in this.
Can you fly Bobby?
Respondo de SpaceRanger06
je Marto 25 2017 je 6:57 PM
This film is a classic. Deserves a 9/10 at the very least.
Respondo de tmdb82469342
je Marto 26 2017 je 12:10 PM
"I LIKE IT!"
Respondo de Eaglezone
je Aprilo 17 2017 je 3:15 PM
Definitely a strong argument that the film deserves a higher rating than this... The script behind it being especially noteworthy, with certain successful screenwriters (who were fans of the film) saying they analysed it deeply- as a sort of attempt at reverse engineering for their own works. Robocop has such a perfect economy of characters and motivations, where people/ideas overlap without seeming contrived...
It's the type of productive construction you can almost never achieve with a sequel, due to certain story elements/people hanging around whether they are helpful or not. Notable exceptions being things like Aliens, because the only thing carried over (Ripley) still had lots to offer if put in a certain situation with the right people and themes, which was done well. Normally you have to force something incongruous and make the best of it.
Respondo de FlyingSaucersAreReal
je Aprilo 17 2017 je 6:03 PM
It does have a scene where a guy falls in toxic waste and then turns into slush when he gets hit by a car.
I should probably reevaluate.
Respondo de Irina
je Novembro 7 2017 je 12:06 PM
I agree, this masterpiece deserves 5/5 or 10/10. RoboCop is a phenomenal movie
Respondo de fan_of_films
je Novembro 8 2017 je 2:23 PM
There is a weird religious dimension to Robocop. If you think about Christianity, it's based on the rebirth of Christ. In Robocop, Murphy is killed but rises from the dead. He defeats the bad guys, finds salvation. There's some subtext going on. I'm not a religious person but I do think the concept of a hero dying, coming back to life to save the day is fascinating and makes Robocop a more profound movie.
Respondo de Irina
je Novembro 8 2017 je 2:27 PM
I'm Christian but I never thought about RoboCop this deep. Thanks for your interesting theory. I love it.
Respondo de fan_of_films
je Novembro 8 2017 je 2:33 PM
Paul Verhoeven believes it too!
https://gizmodo.com/the-original-robocop-was-a-christ-allegory-1523956164
I'm sure some Christians would take offense at the idea that a violent cop of the future is similar to Jesus Christ (!), but the notion of Murphy rising from the dead and seeking to make the world a better place does share some similarity with Christianity. I always saw the Christian angle to the movie but I never knew Paul Verhoven shared the same view! Wow. It's amazing what you can find on Google!
Respondo de tmdb82469342
je Novembro 26 2019 je 4:43 PM
72% now.
Better but still unacceptably low.
Respondo de Fergoose
je Majo 16 2020 je 3:51 AM
To my shame I had somehow never seen Robocop until now, knowing if only for the incredible Gameboy video game theme. The above post is what struck me most. It really ticked along with unusual aplomb. It was so tightly plotted but never felt rushed. It didnt have extended emotional scenes or dialogue, but somehow developed character very well. The soundtrack was very discreet and served the film, not the other way round. Moderrn action films could learn a lot from this.
It has aged very well. 33 years after release, watching with fresh eyes, this was cruising for a 8/10 from me, but sadly lost a point with the steelworks showdown, which was decidedly average. Still, a pretty top drawer film.
7/10 (sorry OP)
Respondo de CheekyMonkey
je Majo 16 2020 je 5:49 AM
It's a masterpiece... That's not hyperbole...
Robocop shows us what is possible in a popular movie, religious allegory, political warning, social commentary, fun action, hillarious one-liners, iconic characters, heartfelt emotions... etc... all rolled into one...
I'd buy that for a dollar!
Respondo de Billions
je Majo 16 2020 je 6:06 AM
It has a lot of utterly seemingly unintentionally funny moments that would make Will Ferrell blush. The cops turning up to stop RoboCop/Murphy getting shot down by a SWAT team then immediately giving up with a mere "fuck" was ridiculous even for an 80s movie about a cyborg. The RoboCop remake was a lot more intense and serious. 80s RoboCop was still fun to watch but I don't think it was written intentionally to make me laugh as much as it did, which was a lot.