It's an iconic movie from the '80s with some excellent themes. The visual effects, including the stop-motion, add to the overall appeal. And you're right, the film does touch on various subjects, including capitalism and the potential consequences of unchecked corporate power.
That was also an example of good script writing. The TJ Lazer move got casually introduced, you didn't think of it until much later, when it suddenly becomes relevant. The "Directive 4" on the other hand was foreshadowing, it also became clearer at a later point in the story, when you almost forgot about it.
Robocop is about a lot of things, both of the time and still today. Timeless themes include corporatism, military-industrial corruption, media shallowness, police recklessness and violence, etc. For the time, it makes reference to the collapse of Detroit specifically and hints at some of the monstrous people responsible for the Vietnam War the decade before (one of the guys in the boardroom operating ED-209 was named McNamara, who had a very distinctive appearance like Robert McNamara). The movie is packed to the rim with meaning and references, but is also just a lot of perfect action, energy, and personality.
I suspect you're reading too much into Dr. McNamara. Beyond the more qualitative judgment of whether he really looks like Robert McNamara or not, he wasn't wearing Robert's distinctive and ever-present glasses, which surely he would have been if he'd been intended to be a deliberate imitation / reference.
@@bigdream_dreambig it was a reference to him, edward neumier talks about it just like the guy described. Also Ed-209 was loosly based on the huey helicopters from vietnam.
I think you missed a whole part in the beginning where Murphy twirls his gun and talks about his son? That's how Lewis knew Robocop was Murphy. She saw Robocop twirl his gun.
Hi Amanda!🙂Robocop takes place in 2043. OCP moved police officers to high risk areas who had signed organ donor cards, in order to make their Robocop. Murphy did the TJ Laser twirling his gun thing at the shooting range. That is why Lewis thought it was him. The ED-209 machine stop motion is fun. Dick Jones death falling out the building is a weird special effect. This is actually the first film in the unofficial Paul Verhoeven trilogy. He made two other futuristic violent films. They are "Total Recall" (1990) and "Starship Troopers" (1997). It is best to watch them in release order to see the advances in technology and Verhoeven's growth. I'm sure others will recommend them in the comments. Great reactions to your first Verhoeven film, Amanda!!!!🎬👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ronnie Cox who plays Dick Jones, has a very lanky build, long arms & legs in proportion to his body. This was accentuated if not exaggerated, by the special effect of him falling, which if I recall, was an homage to the same effect from an old movie, but I can't remember which one?
I'm sure other people will mention is, but...the director of Robocop - Paul Verhoven - also directed Total Recall (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) and one of my favorite movies, Starship Troopers. Both are very much worth a reaction video.
14:25 "How did she know?" Remember earlier, when Robocop shows up and starts practicing in the shooting range and all the cops notice the particular sound of his gun, she sees him put the weapon away by spinning it like the TV scifi cowboy from the show his son used to watch. When Lewis and Murphy first go on patrol, she sees him practicing that spinning move and he tells her he likes the move and wants to impress his kid. On some subconscious level the brain inside the cyborg acts it out by instinct.
It wasn't his first day per se, he physically and mentally met the requirements of the program, which is why he was moved to a more dangerous precinct. Its also why backup was delayed/unavailable.
Lewis figured out it was Murphy because of the way he twirled his gun before holstering it. Murphy did it shortly after they met, and she saw Robocop do it at the gun range and put it together.
They had a dream team for the practical effect and makeup, with Rob Bottin (The thing, Total recall) Phil Tippett (Star wars, Jurrasic park) and Stephan Dupuis (The fly, Scanners) among other great technicians
10:00 - that’s actually a real ER team doing this scene. Verhoeven wanted things as accurate as possible, so the stuff you see them doing to Murphy is what they did in real life.
This film is a blast. Robocop as a film seems to be heavily inspired by both Judge Dredd and Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Robocop as a character is very Judge Dredd a law enforcement officer set within a dystopian city. Delta City which we only see as a model city looks alot like Mega City One from the Judge Dredd comics. Also the Dark Knight Returns elements mostly relate to the news reports and interviews that to me always reminded me of Dark Knight Returns. The actor of Robocop Peter Weller even went on to voice Batman in the animated Dark Knight Return movies both Part 1 and Part 2. Frank Miller also was one of the writers on Robocop 2 so that's cool as well. Also Robocop is technically a Superhero film using many conventions of the genre along with pulling heavily from comic book characters etc. There's even a fun Iron Man nod in this film with the store robber who picks up a Iron Man comic a fun parallel to the character of Robocop. Marvel also creates Robocop comic books that were amazing.
@@william_santiago Even if the writers could have gotten the movie rights at that time, Dredd wasn't well known to anyone who didn't visit a comic book specialty store.
I think it's a creative coincidence that The Dark Knight Returns and the first Robocop film have similar storytelling elements. Miller was hired to write the second and third films and he has been vocal about not liking the experience. I waited to see the animated version of TDKR as a full film, and it's brilliant. You're right about Robocop being a superhero film. In fact, it's the first R-rated one.
@@Madbandit77 Yeah from my understanding hollywood massively edited his work which is a shame. But I'm glad showcased Miller went all in on his comic work of Robocop. If there was ever to be a sequal in the form of a new film or a TV show I would 100% would want Miller attached along with Paul Verhoeven.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I'd recommend reacting to Starship Troopers, another of Paul Verhoeven's films in the same vein, satire and over the top violence. I know you're not a big fan of sci-fi but I'm sure you'll enjoy the brutality and critique of fascism.
Starship Troopers is a fun crazy action flick. It's greatest trick is indeed that it lets you root for a fascist society. Verhoeven thought it was obvious, but reviewers at the time didn't get it. It's a warning that shows how easily a society can turn evil.
Thank you so much for the super thanks! :D Unfortunately, i'm already very familiar with the movie Starship Troopers as i grew up watching it. It was one of those movies that was constantly in re-runs on the tv haha. I haven't watched it in years though and i think i would have a different perspective now as an adult but i'm not sure if people would like to watch a "re-watch" instead of a "first time watching", if you know what i mean. Oh, and sorry for the late reply.
@@amandamiquilena You're very welcome, and no need to apologise. Speaking for myself, I'd love to see you re-watch it and have your perspective on it as an adult but I understand if you don't. I'll still watch anything else with you :)
Lewis's suspicions are due to the fact that at the beginning of the film Murphy was practicing turning his gun and aiming, just like the TV hero his son loved and wanted to surprise him. At the robocop shooting range he makes the same turn with his pistol and that makes Lewis suspicious
Lewis recognized Murphy in RoboCop because he swung his gun like he did. The Dick Jones who falls from the skyscraper is in fact a puppet with exaggerated features.
Great reaction Amanda, very entertaining as always! I hope you are doing well. The movies of Paul Verhoeven are always a bit over the top but fun to watch. I can recommend Starship Troopers and Total Recall (1990) from him. They are just as much fun!
Killer, iconic movie... you can never dream how it was to see it on VHS, back in 1987. And it's just such a well made movie, it feels like a dreamy environment, the whole movie. I wanted to see it on cinema, back then, but had 10 years less than what was needed, lol. It's so violent, lol, but Paul Verhoeven's directing is just perfect. Genius director.... editing and cinematography is perfect. The score, locations, sets, figurine, makeup, script, overall a killer movie. This movie is so 1987, amazing times. I miss the 80's. No internet, no cellphones, real people and real movies. But then again, it was another planet back then, than what the world is today. People where totally different.
Few movies if any have ever pulled off satire like this. Super dark humor, over the top violence and dystopic sci-fi have never worked as well together before or since
I saw this movie with no foreknowledge and low expectations in a theatre when it was first released. I was very impressed with it! It was great in so many ways, but one that I thought was often overlooked was the score. Loved it.
Peter Weller is one of the US's great underrated actors. Paul Verhoeven also directed Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct, and Total Recall. Considering the themes of blending technology with biology, it would have been interesting to see what David Cronenberg would have done with this film.
That movie was _way_ ahead of its time. Even the sequel had amazing stop motion too, and RoboCop 2 (the actual robot, the villain so to speak) is amazing; one of the best antagonists in sci-fi movies in my opinion.
About the head shot: in real life, people can survive and even function to a surprising extent with more than half their brain removed. By the way, I really enjoy the thoroughness of these reviews and the number of scenes covered. Robocop is probably Latin for macho testosterone balls, but it's interesting to see how the opposite sex reacts to this kind of dystopian madness.
The external view of the Detroit Police station Murphy/Robocop is assigned to is my old job's office. The steel mill where Murphy and Lewis retreat to is my where my Father retired from. There have been many people who have survived gunshots to the head. There was one case that the bullet entered on one side, punctured the skull, slid along the membrane bag around the brain called the dura mater, then exited the skull on the other side. The brain itself was completely untouched. The person made a full recovery.
You just saw a person get a load of bullets in him at the office room. And you laughed. 10 minutes later another body is getting a load of bullets. And now you're shocked and disturbed. 2 almost exact scenes and they generate 2 complete opposites. We call that good film making.
Amanda, Lewis noticed the spinning trick he did when he holstered his gun at the shooting range, it was the same one he did when they got coffee and he spoke about his kid liking that TV show, that's how she knew it was Murphy.
You know, she makes a great point in this movie. There is no big reveal of robocop showing Clearance that he is muphy and he is back. like omg moment for clean. Thanks for the movie
I was 7-8 years old when I first saw this, and I am born in Denmark, Amanda. ;-) You have to remember, this movie really lit a fire under people's asses, because this film came only a few years after Terminator, which was also an ORION production.
Phineas P. Gage (1823-1860) was an American railroad construction foreman remembered for his improbable survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and lived for 12 more years. So yep he could have lived from the gun shot to the head. 🤕
Hey Amanda, thank you for your effort and personality into reacting to this film. It’s is a gory, camp and satirical and you did a stellar effort on picking up on it. Thanks again great reaction
Listen, thank YOU so much for watching my content and for this super thanks! I know i say this often but i truuuuly appreciate it :) And sorry for the late reply btw
Regarding the shock you have at how cold the company is, that's how companies function irl as well. Money is always number one for them, regardless of what happens.
Robocop was more than a movie; it was a franchise! There was a Saturday morning TV show animated, toys, a 900 number, (dont ask how much I spent calling it) and video games!!
I really like how in the first scene where RoboCop stops a crime, in that convenience store, they juxtapose RoboCop's advanced technology with regular old normal stuff in every shot. They really emphasize the interesting "very near future" vibe by having regular old bottles of jack daniels and bags of chips right next to this inconceivable biotech monstrosity. It very much highlights how much of a "next step" RoboCop is: the ED-209 is just an advancement in existing technology, but RoboCop is an entirely new thing altogether. Not man, not machine, not man-with-some-machine or machine-with-some-man, but a genuine blending of both.
I was 10 when I first saw this back in 88. Watched it with my Dad after it came out on VHS. The part where Kenny gets blown away by Ed-209, I felt so sick the rest of the night. I have never seen gore in a movie like that.
In that scene that Robocop kills Clarence Boddicker that was a rush and a thrill to see, back in 87', for the first time. Such a very well made movie. Curiosity; the Robocop design was partially inspired by Fritz Lang's robot on Metropolis.
22:00 Fun fact, not even his head, is just his face over a cybernetic skull, turns out it was done to avoid a complete mental breakdown from the subject.
Hi Amanda, great reaction as always. I'm sure this has been mentioned already - but Lewis initially recognises Murphy as Robocop, or at least strongly suspects he might be, when Robocop does the gun twirl at the shooting range, from earlier in the movie. This is one of Verhoeven's best movies, along with Total Recall and Starship Troopers. Both like Robocop, are extremely violent, in an over-the-top kind of way, and also heavy on the satire, especially Starship Troopers.
Amanda : "1980's hairstyles were so wild...." You have no idea. I hear the same thing from my older cousins and aunts about 1970's styles and fashions. So I guess fashions and styles get less wild and more tame the more we move into the future.
Hello Amanda, I'm writing this - less than a minute into your video. This is one of my top 3 favourite films of all time, I'm above 40 and I'm above average interested in movies btw. It's tricky to react to this film because it is so jammed packed with impressions, so it's difficult to find time to actually react. You will find, on a 2nd or 3rd viewing of this film, that it has a deep message. A message that you should contemplate. BTW thank you for reading this :) take care!
4:20 Yes. The actor's widow was instrumental in ensuring live ammunition was banned from future films. Unfortunately, Alec Baldwin didn't read the memo.
If you paid attention to Morton's RoboCop plan prior to Murphy's slaughter you'd be afraid for him (because he's one of the prime candidates that was placed to a new precinct according to the "risk factor" )or Lewis before they took on Clarence's gang. And a lot of people survive gunshot wounds to the head although he still died,just not fast because of his armour.
I saw this in the movie theater when it came out a billion years ago lol but Its still a film that resonates even in today’s time, it definitely goes beyond just being an 80s movie, the social satire still hits the mark and the overall visual design is way ahead of its time.
To answer your question at 14:42. The reason why officer Anne Lewis knew it was him was because the way he twirled his gun before putting it in his leg. She knew Murphy did that to impress his son when he showed her that while getting coffee before going to chase Clarence Bodicker.
One detail I feel is often overlooked is that officer Alex Murphy was transferred to “Metro South” in hope he would be shot dead and serve to construct Robocop. A cynical tragic fate without his knowledge.
It’s cool that you credited Peter Weller’s performance as he took the role seriously; it wasn’t just a silly sci-fi movie to him, which, given the premise, it could have been. They actually paused filming for a time to allow Weller more time to adapt to the suit, which you see in the choreography for the drugs lab scene. His movement is also balletic.
15:37 OMG! Lol, thanks for catching up! Ha ha ha ha. Mind you, I didn't notice if it ever mentions a year. If I know 80s movies, they probably predicted this would be the far future of 2003 of something like that.
Ocp owns the cops, transferred him to that department, and didt send backup just so they could have the body for the robobcop program,, she recognised him first by the gun twist/flip then the jaw the voice
This is just one of those movies that was made at the right time. The themes resonate still today but the talent of all those involved in its creation was lightning in a bottle.
16:08 Because Paul Verhoeven is Dutch and his director of photography for this scene, Jost Vacano, is German, they didn't realize what an offensive pejorative "bi+ch" is in English, so they kept calling the two actresses "bi+ches" as they directed the scene. The actresses took it in stride, and Kurtwood Smith and Miguel Ferrer kept cracking up when the directors were talking to the actresses.
