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.
Réponse de FlyingSaucersAreReal
le 25 mars 2017 à 16h04
7/10.
Doesn't seem unreasonable.
Réponse de tmdb82469342
le 25 mars 2017 à 16h13
Are you joking? This film is a confirmed 5/5 classic, dude!
Réponse de Dawn Of The Ed
le 25 mars 2017 à 16h44
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?
Réponse de SpaceRanger06
le 25 mars 2017 à 18h57
This film is a classic. Deserves a 9/10 at the very least.
Réponse de tmdb82469342
le 26 mars 2017 à 12h10
"I LIKE IT!"
Réponse de Eaglezone
le 17 avril 2017 à 15h15
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.
Réponse de FlyingSaucersAreReal
le 17 avril 2017 à 18h03
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.
Réponse de Irina
le 7 novembre 2017 à 12h06
I agree, this masterpiece deserves 5/5 or 10/10. RoboCop is a phenomenal movie
Réponse de fan_of_films
le 8 novembre 2017 à 14h23
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.
Réponse de Irina
le 8 novembre 2017 à 14h27
I'm Christian but I never thought about RoboCop this deep. Thanks for your interesting theory. I love it.
Réponse de fan_of_films
le 8 novembre 2017 à 14h33
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!
Réponse de tmdb82469342
le 26 novembre 2019 à 16h43
72% now.
Better but still unacceptably low.
Réponse de Fergoose
le 16 mai 2020 à 03h51
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)
Réponse de CheekyMonkey
le 16 mai 2020 à 05h49
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!
Réponse de Billions
le 16 mai 2020 à 06h06
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.