RoboCop, the film that helped highlight the cyperpunk genre as well as the 80s. A good cop is blown to pieces and made into a cyborg under the thumb of a conglomerate. People have tried to bring the gun twirling cyborg in for a modern audience; but every one who had tried just doesn’t seem to get it right. A more recent comic called RoboCop: Citizen’s Arrest even made the effort to separate from the movie sequels; and the team at Boom! Studios still couldn’t get it. So just what is this and so many other attempts missing from these depictions of this redundant defender?
The Coming of RoboCop
The themes of media influence, gentrification, corruption, corporate overlords, business mixing with politics, privatization, and man vs. machine are all present in RoboCop related media. The most recent film reboot even brought in how drone performance to replace human oversight is generally a bad idea. But just what are all these works missing; and what can be done to make RoboCop relevant in real world events?
That’s when looking back at everything, it all came together. Despite the improved special effects and action sequences; what really made the first RoboCop film stand out was its overwhelming sense of humanity. The guns and gore are just a distraction at heart. Title character Alex Murphy’s relationships with others made his actions relatable and compelling. The whole reason he twirled his guns even after he became RoboCop was so he could connect with his son; it’s also how his partner recognized him. After Murphy’s memory of his old life started to come back; what began as his programming became the means for him to continue living as a defender of Chicago.
Poking Fun at Satire
The satire in the advertisements and OCP interactions also made the franchise stand out. The tagline “I’d buy that for a dollar” is always accompanied by a personality who satirizes American consumer culture; almost like the movie tells the audience that everything is easy pickings. Combine this with the multiple out of business factories; and you have a setting that tells the story with the cast. Like any evil corporation, the only thing OCP has going for it is its obsession for profits. Yet the construction of RoboCop is done by hard working and good meaning people who celebrate in between Murphy’s production.
Engaging Villains
Also the villains were driven by passions and are more than just something to shoot at. Clarence Boddicker, the crime boss who blew Murphy to pieces with his gang was by all means an unstable criminal. With a decorated amount of crimes; he’s only able to walk about because of his connection to an OCP executive. His interactions with others however made him stand out with a sense of duality; he is a sadistic killer but has a sense of business by telling his gang when to stop fooling around. Dick Jones, the main villain of the movie is driven by his passion to succeed, even after making grave mistakes. To get what he wants, Jones does everything he can to eliminate the competition and restore lost glory. Despite these circumstances, no character does something without a personal reason.
RoboCop: Low Quality Mass Production Model
Compare all this to everything that came afterwards. The themes started to become redundant; OCP kept crawling back out of whatever hole they dug themselves in despite their multiple bankruptcies. And Murphy always reverts to his commands and pushed away from everyone he cares about. Inside and outside the movie, corporations capitalize on a slow moving target of self-pity. All of the action and violence happens for no reason other than to drive whatever derivative plot forward.
Not Even Worth a Dollar
With RoboCop: Citizens Arrest, there is the concept of everyone being RoboCop thanks to an app on their mobiles. To this day, everybody is a cyborg like Murphy thanks to these devices. The RoboCop app references similar programs like Shopkicks and Pokemon Go to enhance their daily lives. As a result the citizens of are like what Murphy was transformed into after his initial debut; exaggerated versions of his old self. Redundant stories, privatization by directives, and advancing for the sake of advancing. This actually sounds like something that fits RoboCop, too bad it is thrown under the bus after three issues.
Fans of the comic however have praised it for depicting the satirical TV scenes with a parody of FOX News. But the darker aspects don’t match up to the comedy, in fact it just gets in the way. The main villain is an obvious parody of Steve Jobs, to the point of driving the idea that the entrepreneur is insane. He literally drops a bomb and does not face any psychological consequences. There are no personal stakes from anyone other than Murphy and a couple of his supporting characters. Even after a recalibration, it’s just telling the same old RoboCop story of rising up to topple oppression.
Ceasing RoboCop Productions
A friend of mine once told me that RoboCop had already had his story told, maybe it’s time to retire Murphy and show a new angle to this story.
As always thanks for coming and remember to look between the panels.