Today we’re going to do something different on The Chomp. Rather than focus on a game, this post will celebrate a film, its titular character, and the franchise it inspired. If you grew up as a child in the 1980s, you likely knew two things: robots and giant robots. Sure, things like neon, gold chains and video games obviously existed, but robots represented a different category of great. Whether more than meets the eye, a roaring defender of the cosmos, or a time-crossing murderer (yes, I know there’s a technicality with that one), robots in the 80s were just awesome. Perhaps the most awesome robot of all wasn’t just a robot, but a man in a robotic frame. A cyborg. As a fellow child of the 80s, I say with full confidence that one of the greatest robotic characters of any kind debuted in the ballad of Alex J. Murphy, better known as RoboCop.
Released on July 17th, 1985, RoboCop was directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. RoboCop‘s story centers on the aforementioned Murphy, a Detroit cop and family man murdered by the ruthless crime boss Clarence Boddicker and his gang. A powerful megacorporation named Omni Consumer Products (OCP) later acquires Murphy’s corpse and outfits him with the latest in cybernetics, transforming him into the titular cyborg lawman. View the film’s official 1987 trailer below, if you choose:
For those who watched the video, some of you may recognize the trailer music as Brad Fidel’s theme for The Terminator. We’ll get to that cybernetic organism (there’s the technicality I know some of you fellow dorks looked for) and its relationship to Murph a little later in the post.
RoboCop‘s origin begins with Neumeier, who went to Hollywood after being inspired by George Lucas’ success with Star Wars. Eventually, Neumeier got a job on the crew of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film, Blade Runner. An adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep, Blade Runner follows bounty hunter Rick Deckard’s mission to eliminate a band of renegade androids. After asking a crew member about the film’s story, Neumeier conjured the idea of making a film about a man who becomes a robotic police officer. He later met with Miner, and the two compared notes and expanded upon Neumeier’s initial idea. For the source of this information and a more detailed account about Neumeier’s experience writing RoboCop with Miner, please read Joshua Sky’s article on Heavy Metal.
Although history remembers Paul Verhoeven as the visionary who brought RoboCop to life, he almost didn’t direct the film. After his first English language release, Flesh and Blood, debuted in theatres, Verhoeven received Neumeier and Miner’s script for RoboCop. Verhoeven initially found the script mediocre and threw it in the trash. Martine, his wife, salvaged the script and after reading it convinced Verhoeven to reconsider the project.
Think you, Martine! We Robo Fans owe you a big one.
RoboCop‘s cast is one for the ages, featuring a number of accomplished actors, among them:
Dr. Peter Weller – Murphy/RoboCop
Nancy Allen – Anne Lewis, Murphy’s partner and high-kicking badass
Miguel Ferrer (RIP) – Bob Morton, the ambitious head of Security Concepts
Felton Perry – Donald Johnson, an OCP employee and friend of Morton’s
Kurtwood “You’re a Dumbass” Smith – Clarence Boddicker, the aforementioned crime boss
Ray Wise – Leon, one of Boddicker’s henchman (this is his finest moment)
Paul McCrane – Emil Antonwsky (he goes “oooOOOoooooOoooo“)
Ronny Cox – Dick Jones, the devious Senior President of OCP
Daniel O’Herlihy – The Old Man, chief executive of OCP
Several of these cast members factored into my fan life after RoboCop. Ferrer spent several seasons on the TV show Crossing Jordan (where worked with lead Jill Hennessy, who starred in RoboCop 3); Wise starred in several projects, among them David Lynch’s Twin Peaks where he is terrifying; Smith was awesome as the redoubtably stern Red Forman in That 70s Show; McCrane had a long run as the abrasive Dr. Romano on ER, a character that probably suffered a fate worse than Emil’s; and Dr. Weller earned a PhD in Italian Renaissance Art History n 2014. During his studies, he hosted Engineering an Empire, a show on The History Channel, where his trademark humor shined:
And I added this because the internet:
Of course, Dr. Weller delivered more than wit and wisecracks over the years. He starred in a number of projects, among them Screamers, the television show 24, and highly praised as the voice of Batman in DC’s animated version of The Dark Knight Returns.
Regarding RoboCop as a film, I believe it still offers one of the most unique blends of science fiction, humor, and action ever filmed. The biting satire and wit of Neumeier and Miner’s script coupled with Verhoeven’s keen and relentless eye perfectly compliment each other. For example, RoboCop‘s story features several television news reports, commercials, and even a game show that informs viewers about the film’s world. The film does not shy from lampooning corporate fascism and consumerism, while exploring issues about humanity and its ever expanding relationship with technology. If you’re curious, the video provided below contains these segments:
Further, I recommend watching RoboCop Archive‘s video on the game show and its history:
Perhaps the most infamous element of RoboCop is its violence. Its uncut version was rated X for violent content, and took several submissions before receiving an R rating. In this oral history on the film by Simon Abrams, Verhoeven explains how the film’s violence buoy his interpretation of Murphy’s death as analogous to Jesus’ crucifixion. Murphy’s death is an intense watch regardless of the cut (it involves several seconds of the man being torn to shreds by gunfire), but the X-rated cut is especially brutal.
Another famous gory scene is poor Mr. Kinney’s untimely demise. Played by Kevin Page, Mr. Kinney is a young OCP employee who gets selected for Jones’ demonstration of ED-209, a powerful anti-crime robot that doesn’t know the meaning of “quit.” During the demonstration, ED mercilessly shoots Kinney into bloody oblivion before shutting down, leaving the young man swiss cheesed on company property. If you’re interested in learning more on Kinney, violence in RoboCop, and a possible South Park link, please consider Ryan Parker’s Hollywood Reporter article on the character.
Gore aside, the portrayal of violence in the film’s action sequences is ace. There are memorable moments like the shootout in the cocaine factory:
And Robo’s battle with ED-209:
These scenes show Verhoeven’s mastery at work. The shootout at the drug factory presents Robo at his strongest, absorbing shots and delivering death with bullets of his own. Verhoeven showcases the awesome power of his Auto-9 handgun with every pull of the trigger; its barrel erupts with flames as it emits that signature piston-like roar.
The opposite is true in Murphy’s fight with ED. Although the action is just as intense as the shootout scene, the man in the machine is far more vulnerable as he faces a physically superior opponent. There’s a moment when Verhoeven focuses on one of Murphy’s exposed eyes after his helmet is damaged, which eloquently encapsulates danger, humanity, and desperation. Further, respect must go to special effects artists Rob Bottin, who led the film’s special effects team and designed RoboCop’s suit, and Phil Tippett, who oversaw the stop animation sequences for ED (which was designed and constructed from Tippet’s early sketches by Jon Davies and his crew).
It would be unforgivable if I did not mention one of the most enduring elements of RoboCop: Basil Poledarius’ (RIP) incredible film score. Simply put, RoboCop has one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded for a movie. If you haven’t heard it, the playlist below affords you the chance:
Poledarius later collaborated with Verhoeven by composing the soundtrack for the director’s 1997 film, Starship Troopers, an adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s sci-fi novel. The script for ST was written by RoboCop co-scribe, Neumeier.
Upon its release, RoboCop became a critical and commercial success. With that success came sequels (RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3), television shows (RoboCop: The Series and RoboCop: Prime Directives), a 2014 reboot (it was flawed but earnest), and a set of commercials that will live forever in the hearts and minds of those who experience them:
If I kept you awake thus far, you likely recall that RoboCop was originally rated X and required cuts for an R rating. Naturally, that means at minimum it’s a product aimed at older teenagers, right? During the 1980s and much of the 90s, Hollywood had no issues adapting R rated products for the children. To this day, I’m grateful for that approach because it provided us not only with the Rambo cartoon and toys, but cartoons, toys, comics, and video games for Robo.
Thank you, 1980s Hollywood.
The first RoboCop cartoon debuted in 1988, and aired as part of the Marvel Action Universe. Lasting for one 12-episode season, both Marvel and Orion distributed the show, which offers a slightly altered version of its source material plot. Murphy is still partners with Lewis, but Boddicker and his gang are still alive. Murphy’s primary antagonists include new characters like the nefarious scientist Dr. McNamara, and jealous cop Lt. Hedgecock. Below is the show’s intro, along with the intro for the second RoboToon, 1998’s RoboCop: Alpha Commando:
I loved this show and watched it regularly as a kid. My mom gifted me “The Man in the Iron Suit,” an episode of the series that came on VHS (back when one episode of a show appeared on an entire tape) which I still own. Its story centers on Dr. McNamara’s latest creation, an Iron Suit worn by Hedgecock. OCP forces Murphy to battle McNamara’s suit as a test of his value: should he lose, Murphy could either die in combat or be permanently shutdown. It’s a very intense episode that covers themes like identity and corporate politics from the movie, while exploring the friendship between Murphy and Lewis. Good stuff.
Before video games became commonplace like now, other things occupied the time of us 80s kids. Yes, I know today’s youth has their toys and board games and I’m not hating. However! We had toys that fired caps and weren’t cap guns. Behold:
Mom, Grandma, I thank you. My big-headed spoiled self had a lot of these toys. I still have the Robo-1 car, the helicopter, both the gang and police motorcycles as well as Robo, his ally Wheels, his night glow version (which originally was only available through mail order), and that one bad guy who was on some bulljive. Great times!
RoboCop has starred in several games on various systems since his debut, ranging from the arcades, Nintendo’s NES and personal computers, to the Sega Genesis, the Xbox, Android and iOS, and current consoles. He’s even featured in Mortal Kombat‘s universe, debuting in Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, where he is voiced by the man who portrayed him first, Dr. Weller:
As stated earlier, this post offers something different than the usual video game coverage. However, I will explore some of my favorite RoboCop games in a later post because there are some standouts that warrant further discussion.
Lastly, RoboCop has an extensive history in comics, beginning with an adaptation of the 1987 film. Marvel published a 23-issue series based on the character from 1990 to 1992, and comic adaptations of RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 occurred as well. In 1992, industry giants Frank Miller (who Orion once hired to write a script for RoboCop 2) and Walter Simonson joined forces for RoboCop Versus The Terminator, a story that pits Murphy against the might of SkyNet, the source behind the Terminators’ war with humankind. RoboCop Versus The Terminator is an experience that deserves more attention than will fit in this post. Trust me, it’s coming.
Since I turned 4 years old, RoboCop has remained a significant part of my life. It stands as one of the first franchises I ever loved, and continues earning my support. Respect to all involved in the original film’s creation, and those who have and continue to create for the character now. For more information on RoboCop, do check the film’s page on Wikipedia, which provided much of the information used in this post, the RoboCop Archive, an excellent channel on YouTube, and the RoboCop Wiki. Thank you for your cooperation, and until next time…
ChompRetro 