Let's dial it back one more year to 1987. Aretha Franklin is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a squirrel shut down the Stock Exchange by burrowing in a phone line (awesome...), both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted to great success, and Paul Verhoeven unveiled his dystopic crime film, Robocop (also to great success...) set in a slightly futuristic, crime-ridden Detroit (at least the future as viewed through 80's style Ray-Bans...) and features the aforementioned (and quite possibly the most famous...) cyborg crime fighter laying down the law...
We enter a world (set in an ambiguous near future...) where the crime rate in Detroit is basically an epidemic, cops are being killed every week and are threatening to strike, and the overall management of law enforcement is being handled by the mega corporation, OCP. It is revealed that the company is planning on releasing an automated policing unit as the human police force is seen as unable to handle the job. After a disastrous unveiling of the ED-209 (an AT-ATs smaller cousin...), the Robocop program in accepted and begins production. This leads us to our tragic hero, Murphy, who is gunned down the first day on the job in Detroit (kind of a reverse to the cliché'...). His still (barely...) living remains are claimed by OCP and integrated into the Robocop hardware, allowing a human brain to operate what amounts to a man-sized tank. Robocop then goes about the city and prevents many crimes, both big and small (ripping off a convenience store [look for old Marvel comics in this scene...] to stopping a hostage situation...). Eventually, the human side of Robocop reasserts itself and he begins remembering his old life, his old family, and those who brutally murdered him. So, after hospitalizing one hoodlum and tracking down another gang member of tried to kill him, Robocop busts into a cocaine processing plant (god, I love the 80's...) where the rest of cop killers are. He nearly kills the leader of the gang (the dad from That 70's Show...) before being reminded that he is a cop first and cannot take the law into his own hands. Also revealed is that the head guy at OCP is the money behind the crime lords in Detroit, which leads Robocop to attempt to arrest the head OCP guy. Unfortunately, a protocol in Robocop’s programming prevents him from arresting OCP members and a functional ED-209 was waiting to take him out. Fortunately, Robocop outsmarted the machine by toppling it down the stairs but was then greeted by the remaining police force (under OCPs payroll...) and was shot up, forcing a retreat to the steel mill where he was nearly killed at the beginning. OCP guy hires the rest of the cop killing gang, arms them with futuristic grenade launchers, and sets out to kill our hero. But, through cunning and smidgeon of good luck, the gang is whittled down to the leader. Robocop becomes trapped under scrap metal, but the leader becomes cocky and gets close enough for Robocop to stab him in the neck with a spike, killing him. Afterwards, Robocop returns to OCP to deal with the money man. Revealing proof to the board that he killed the creator of Robocop, the villain tries to take the owner of OCP hostage. But, the owner fires the money man which removes the OCP protocol and allows him to take him down by blasting him out the window. As Robocop leaves, the owner asks his name and his simple reply is, 'Murphy'...
This movie is a science fiction staple for me and I pass it on to anyone who enjoys the genre. Robocop is more subtle science fiction though as it takes place in a near future, it is based in a recognizable city, and there is no mention of space travel, aliens, and the like. It is especially fun for those who dig realistic fiction and dystopia vs. utopia universes. While the contrasts between the two aren't as pronounced as in other films (The Matrix, Demolition Man, etc...), it is a more logical progression into the future as there are no laser guns, no flying cars, etc. It's just regular people being put down by 'The Man'. Because of the amount of bloodshed and bullets, this typically gets lumped in with the general action movie genre (due to the aforementioned sci-fi subtleties...) but that is a bit of over simplification of the kind of movie Robocop is...
It warrants mentioning that Robocop can be perceived as an early pop culture champion of the cyberpunk movement. Let's look at the facts: Robocop exists on an Earth where a giant corporation wants to change their environment (read: Detroit...) to fit their ideal of perfection and go to many lengths to do it. Murphy is first a normal working Joe (read: lower class...) and then is dropped further in status (read: near dead...) before being changed by the corporation to bear their standard into the future. Robocop then turns against the 'overall' wishes of the corporation and becomes an autonomous unit, capable of free thought, judgment and actions. He is still bound by his prime directives (Serve the public trust, Protect the innocent, and Uphold the law...), but is able to act more heroically, meaning more compassionate and human. Granted, we don't really get to see this until the second movie, but the principle holds true. He's a plugged-in rebel who fights for the good of the public and that makes him a cyberpunk hero in my book...
One last point of note: There have been several articles written to point out the biblical metaphors within Robocop. I've read a couple of them and can (sort of...) see where they are coming from. List them in the comments what you picked up on...
6 comments:
Robocop is subtle? You gotta watch more nuanced sci fi. Put "Children of Men" in that Netflix queue of yours ;-). Don't worry, it has gunfights, too.
I've been meaning to write a personal "Top 10 Sci Fi movies" post for a while. Maybe I'll get to it between work and class today.
Don't know about the biblical references (it's been 10 or so years since I've seen the movie) but I'm interested in finding out what they are :-)
I consider this to be a very subtle sci-fi flick, at least setting-wise. Consider: we have one instance of an automaton and a cyborg and that's really the only sci-fi elements it contains. The future portrayed, while covered in crime, is a logical extension of the present. This is similar to how the Alien universe or Outland could be an extension of the present, but in a much more fantastical, FAR future sense. Robocop could be a sort of environmental/spiritual predecesor(?) to these settings...
Some of the biblical references include the way Murphy is killed and then brought back is supposed to be an allusion to Jesus, as well as his walking in the water at the end is like walking ON water. There are a handful of others, some kind of obvious while others are a bit of a stretch. Interesting on the surface, but it does devolve into the ridiculous...
Interesting definition of "subtle" :-P
What's your definition of subtle? Give me a movie that I have seen that is considered science fiction AND you would consider subtle science fiction. I can imagine you would say Inception...
I think we're just using different definitions of "subtle". Stupid semantics :-P.
For me, "subtle" is more about tone than topic. Inception is NOT subtle: it's rather in-your-face in fact. Awesome, certainly, but not sublte. Some "subtle" sci fi flicks for me include the aforementioned Children of Men, Moon, Gattaca, and the original Alien film. All of them are subtle, sophisticated, nuanced films that aren't in-your-face. The book Sphere, though poorly translated into a movie, is also very psychological and subtle.
RoboCop, as a shoot-em-up action flick, does not have "subtlety" written all over it. I kinda see what you're getting at with how it isn't fantastical sci fi like say Star Trek/Wars. But, that doesn't mean "subtle" to me. To me, that just means something more like "realistic".
Actually, you just pointed out our differences by using the 'Alien'. That movie has sci-fi in your face (space travel, alien creature, android, etc...) but the feel of the movie is subtle, as if the movie could exist without the sci-fi elements. I think this is something that Robocop and Alien share. Then again, I could still be misunderstanding you...
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