Hall of Fame: Robocop
In the summer of 1987 the world was introduced to RoboCop. The film that introduced us to the character, appropriately titled RoboCop, was an instant classic. RoboCop was also a commercial and critical success. Not just a mindless action movie, the film took shots at the media, corporate greed and the evil that men do.
The character RoboCop would have one of the most violent origin stories in the history of cinema. And it was in that brutal scene where Clarence Boddicker and his gang executed police officer Alex Murphy that a movie icon was born.
The importance and impact that a villain can have on the ticket buyers getting behind the hero is evident in the movie RoboCop. Would RoboCop have been someone the audience invested in as much as they did (and continue to do) if not for the vile human beings he was battling? The villains in 1987’s RoboCop are just as Hall of Fame worthy as our hero. Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) and Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) is one of the most unholy unions ever seen. These men needed to be brought to justice, the audience wanted to see these men brought to justice (preferably in violent fashion) and RoboCop gave the audience exactly what they wanted.
The success of 1987’s RoboCop spawned the 1990 sequel RoboCop 2. The second film was a step down from the original, it was more comic book and less gritty, but still a fun movie that reunited the audience with “The Future of Law Enforcement”. The villains in RoboCop 2 are also a step down but memorable none the less. They include the whacko drug kingpin Cain, who would morph into RoboCop’s OCP replacement and a criminal wunderkind named Hob. But before this sequel hit the theaters, the RoboCop character took an unexpected turn…
In the fall of 1988, RoboCop, a character from a very R Rated movie, became the star of an animated series geared towards kids. Lasting only 12 episodes, RoboCop turned his bullets in for the more cartoon friendly lasers and continued his battles with OCP and even a resurrected Clarence Boddicker. This not coincidentally was about the same time RoboCop toys were being produced by Kenner. A second animated series known as RoboCop: Alpha Commando would run for 41 episodes in 1998-1999.
RoboCop would continue to be toned down over the years. In 1993, RoboCop 3 would be released in theaters and carry a PG-13 rating. To make up for the lack of Peter Weller and R rated material, they gave Robocop the ability to fly, which is ironic as this movie didn’t fly with audiences.
A RoboCop: The Series followed in 1994. The show ran in Canada on CTV and in first run syndication in the United States for one season. Some notable guest stars that appeared on the series included Roger E. Mosley (Pentathlon), Kim Coates (Officer Downe) and Roddy Piper (They Live). RoboCop would return to television in a Canadian produced mini-series known as RoboCop: Prime Directives in January of 2001.
Even after all the watered down versions of the character and a disappointing movie reboot in 2014, I still find myself totally captivated by the RoboCop I was first introduced to back in 1987. Peter Weller and director Paul Verhoeven laid the groundwork for what has become a franchise character. RoboCop is half man, half machine, all cop and now Bulletproof Action Hall of Famer.
