3 Things You Can Learn from… RoboCop
“Part man. Part machine. All cop.” With a tagline like that, it’s hard to miss the concept behind Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop. The film — much like the eponymous character’s fusion of man machine — is a surprising mix of hyper-violent 80’s action and bristling social commentary. This combination resonated with audiences in 1987, resulting in commercial and critical success that spawned an entire franchise. Indeed, RoboCop has become a cultural icon, joining the likes of the Terminator, Luke Skywalker, and Ellen Ripley in the sci-fi hero Hall of Fame. Nearly 40 years later, the film hasn’t lost its luster, entertaining first-time viewers and engrossing longtime fans as they discover new details that made the retro-future of Old Detroit come to life.
You now have fifteen seconds to comply — with finding 3 Things You Can Learn from… RoboCop.
Details:
- Released in 1987
- Directed by Paul Verhoeven
- Screenplay by Edward Neumier and Michael Miner
*Spoilers ahead for the entire movie.*
Thing #1: Action movies can be about more than just action.
To paraphrase Nicole Kidman’s infamous AMC pre-roll ad, we go to the theater to love, to cry, and to care.
But sometimes, we just like to see a bunch of bad guys get filled with bullets.
RoboCop has no shortage of scenes where people get shot, stabbed, melted, defenestrated, etc. It’s the kind of hyper-violence that puts butts in seats, and the box office receipts proved it. But writers Edward Neumier and Michael Miner always wanted RoboCop to be more than just an action movie with a goofy name. Beneath all the blood and guts is a smart social satire that also explores philosophical concepts that the Die Hards and Predators of the decade often had no interest in.
RoboCop came out at a time when Reaganomics, yuppie culture, and Cold War tensions were in full swing, so it’s no wonder that the bad guys work for OCP, a huge fictional corporation that sells weapons to the military and — inexplicably — owns the police force of Old Detroit. The officers there are forced to deal with a cycle of crime that’s perpetuated by the suits in power, dying to preserve order in a futile war. When Officer Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed on duty, his resurrected form is considered a product, a resource to be used or disposed of by the company at their discretion. His humanity is suppressed by coding, only bubbling back to the surface when reminded of his past. With a fractured sense of self, Murphy/RoboCop must come to terms with his fate and fight the corporate gangsters who are responsible for his new reality.
That’s a lot to unpack for a movie where a guy gets melted by toxic waste.
Thing #2: In-universe media can bring a fictional world to life.
One of my favorite methods of world-building in film is using media within media. From Tropic Thunder’s “trailers” to the satirical malt liquor and apparel commercials in Bamboozled, fake promotional content has a way of making a film’s world feel real. RoboCop is no exception, using “Media Breaks” throughout the film to give the audience both exposition and context for the unfolding events.
There are three Media Breaks in the movie, each one consisting of a short news segment and an ad. The news segments are delivered by two cheery hosts, who deliver depressing updates on world events — like escalating wars and accidental orbital laser strikes — as if they’re discussing the weather. They also provide crucial information about OCP and RoboCop’s exploits, giving the audience an idea of the public perception of these entities.
Meanwhile, the ads sell items like artificial “sports” hearts; Battleship-like board games with a nuclear twist; and crappy American cars. They poke fun at the idea that rampant consumerism never ceases, even when the world is seemingly on the brink of World War III.
Not only are the Media Breaks funny and informative, but they also help to break up the action of the film, creating natural resting points between all the gunfights and explosions. It’s an efficient way to deliver exposition while also managing the movie’s pacing.
Thing #3: Advocate for your craft.
Making movies is expensive. With millions of dollars on the line everyday, it makes sense that producers want their cast and crew to stay on time and — ideally — under budget. But movies are also an artform, so brute-forcing solutions to problems isn’t always an option. Such was the case with RoboCop himself, actor Peter Weller, who faced a huge issue that director Paul Verhoeven and the producers desperately wanted to push through as soon as possible. Luckily, the actor got his way.
For seven months prior to shooting, Weller had been working with a mime artist to develop a form of movement that they thought would work well in the RoboCop suit. However, the final suit wasn’t completed until the first day that his scenes in costume were meant to be filmed. That’s when Weller realized he could barely move in this new version of the suit, rendering his months of preparation useless. Weller requested that he be given a few days to learn how to move in the new suit, a suggestion that would force production to shut down in the interim and cause the studio to lose money. Arguments ensued between the Weller, Verhoeven, and the producers, with the non-actors unable to understand why he couldn’t just suck it up and perform. But eventually Weller won out, and the actor came back with a new style of movement that allowed him to work within the suit’s limitations.
Had he acquiesced to the demands of the crew, Weller would have been underprepared and unable to do his job. But by fighting for more time, he was able to give the director the performance that was needed. At the time, the decision pissed off a lot of people. But with the benefit of hindsight, crew members have agreed that Weller made the right call.
What do you think of RoboCop? Did you watch the Saturday morning cartoon adaptations? Did you secretly wish you could be a cyborg too? Let me know in the comments!
