Robocop, 1987
Welcome back to another edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! The boys are taking on another fan-favorite, a movie that has become an absolute cult classic for a generation of filmgoers. This week J. Blake and Dion Baia discuss the future of law enforcement and OCP’s Crime Prevention Unit 001, aka Robocop, from 1987.
The fellas rebound quickly after some technical difficulties but quickly get down to business, attempting to unpack this legendary film that just turned 30 this very week. Dion and Blake reflect on their connections with this classic and their first exposure to this iconic film. They go through the history behind the project and lay out how all the stars aligned to make a movie that almost didn’t get made. The lads cover the amazing SFX within the movie, be it Practical, Visual and Stop-Motion. They compare the two cuts of the film, and discuss the subtle differences that had the censors going crazy. They contrast the difference between visual and visceral filmmakers and how that translates to a young child watching something like Robocop who might not understand the social satire, as opposed to an adult who may see this story in a completely different light. So, since modern audiences are of course familiar with the iconic title ‘Robocop’ because it has transcended into the Urban lexicon, but out of context, did it actually sound like a B-movie script to some in the mid-1980s? What were the legendary problems with the robo-suit that actually shut down production so all the flaws could be ironed out? How many times was Robocop screened before it was able to receive an R rating and remove the scarlet letter X? And did the forced cuts that were made to appease the MPAA to get that R rating actually take the gratuitous violence (which was meant to satirize) out, and instead turn it into something completely different and all that more disturbing and graphic for audiences? Well grab your Cobra Assault Cannons, your tickets to see Bixby Snyder and the keys to your new 6000 SUX’ (all of course installed with Blaupunkts), because we’re headed to Old Detroit in this all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
EXTRAS:
Watch Peter Weller get suited up in the Robo suit on Entertainment Tonight circa 1986!
Take a look at this great 1987 featurette on all the Special Effects for Robocop!
Have a look at Peter Weller in 2013 talking about how portrayed the character of “Robocop“.
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Oh boy oh boy! This was an awesome thing to wake up to on Friday. I saved the episode for Tuesday when I knew I was gonna have a real shitty day at work and damn am I glad I did. This one got me through a rough work day.
Robocop was a big deal growing up but to be honest I’m shocked my parents let me watch this. I know when you’re a kid certain things go over your head like the social satire and stuff but god damn! I’m even more shocked they have shot of Murphy being gunned down in the opening of the Robocop cartoon from the late 80’s…okay, it’s just a POV shot of the gang and a flash of light but still.
Seeing this as an adult I find the OCP stuff fascinating, particularly the old guard vs the up and coming executive. Miguel Ferrer always cracks me up when he says “I fucking love that guy!” In fact, I love all the villains. Clarence’s gang, the OCP executives, ED-209, every one could’ve headlined their own Robocop sequel, but the fact that they’re all in this movie doesn’t take away from their story or their menace.
I like Robocop 2 but the scene where they do the autopsy on Duffy while he’s still alive as punishment for talking still makes my stomach turn…that one is a hard scene for me. Robocop 3, I only like the jetpack scene. What I consider to be a really good sequel in my brain is the Robocop: Prime Directives mini-series that came out in the early 2000’s. There’s a lot of call backs to the first movie but it’s also got a great storyline and it’s like four movies.
Great episode, guys! You always manage to knock it out of the park.
And as for recommendations for future episodes, yea I’m gonna nag about Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire again, but also maybe Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight.
Jose,
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it. Your continued support & comments mean more to us than you’ll ever know.