

-----------------------------------

DoktorNo

Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:41 pm


My impressions after watching Robocop 3

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Highligts, why this movie sucks:

*BAD ACTING
*ILLOGICAL SCENARIO
*FAILED ATTEMPTS TO MAKE GOOD ONE-LINERS

BTW: this movie seems to be anti-capitalistic, but for me it looked like NRA commercial.

I doubt if it was intened by filmakers.

More to come; I'm just at the middle of the movie.


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DoktorNo

Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:07 pm



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*TOO STUPID FOR ADULTS, TOO BRUTAL FOR KIDS
*MAKING MOVIE PG-13 DOESN'T SUBSTITUTE FOR LOGIC
*FAILED ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HEROIC/ICONIC SHOTS

Trivia: the syth voice from videophone is clearly made by Amiga 500 computer. The voice generator was so shitty, that manufacturer eventually skipped it form further relases of Amiga OS.


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DoktorNo

Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:57 pm



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*DUDE, WHERE IS LOGIC HERE?
*FAILED ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HOMAGE FOR THE FIRST MOVIE (in some moments)
*BLUESCREEN WAS GOOD IN 1970'S NOT 1990'S
*EXPLOITING THE NINJA FAD WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA

Robocop in pimpmobile was one of the few scenes, that made me smile...

I have a feeling, that Robocop is just a second-plan gadget in this whole thing...


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DoktorNo

Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:24 pm



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OK, its over.

Unbelivable. This movie could exists without Robocop in it. He is like gadget in James Bond movies, that saves hero's life just in time.

The all complains about this movie were true, I won't repeat them now, because they are widely known (at least on this forum ;) ).

IMHO jetpack was a last resort to update the hero for the new decade, where audience were expecting, well, a better mobility from heros. Recycled music score from first movie doesn't helps either.

I hope moderators would understand my unusual approach to this movie. ;)

Really, really, really, really final remark:

*IS THERE ANY LOGIC OUT THERE?


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Archive

Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:31 pm



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This topic makes we think about a longer fan commentary text thing to go with the movie. Could be fun to read. :)


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DoktorNo

Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:39 pm



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This topic makes we think about a longer fan commentary text thing to go with the movie. Could be fun to read. :)Oh yea, I wish I had more time. I would do this sort of thing. ;)

This movie DESERVES it!

BTW: the only thing that doesn't sucks are the cast from orginal movie. Their performance was good, but Nancy Allen looked like she was thinking "oh my God, how long I am supposed to be here"...


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RoboPimp

Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:55 pm



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lol quadruple post.


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Psyburn

Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:25 pm



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The only things that sucked were the japanese corp. , ninja bots and Ann's cheap death.

Other than that, it was fine. nothing steller.

*flame shield*


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Ruprekt

Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:17 am



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I've never seen it, and it's going to stay that way. I'll stick with the first two.


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Law Giver

Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:45 am



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it was low budget and forgettable, its good to have just for the collection and an occasional watch.


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DoktorNo

Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:05 am



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Maybe we should make a big recap, something like what is in http://agonybooth.com/...?


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AlexMurphy

Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:02 am



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The only things that sucked were the japanese corp. , ninja bots and Ann's cheap death.

I'm pretty sure there are more things than that which sucked. RoboCop's strange vocal toning, it's not because of Robert John Burke, but they actually made his voice sound...well fake and automated.


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Shindiggity

Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:50 am



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I've never seen it, and it's going to stay that way. I'll stick with the first two.

I WISH I'd never seen it.  Trust me, you're not missing anything.  R1 and 2 are classics and the only ones worth watching (multiple times)!

Ninja robots?  Come on. Movie ninjas were popular around that time but it didn't mean RoboCop had to follow suit.  Combine that with the gunarm/flightpack and you have the ultimate sellout.  And not a very good one at that.  No wonder the franchise is in such dire need of respect...


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DoktorNo

Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:51 am



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The only things that sucked were the japanese corp. , ninja bots and Ann's cheap death.

I'm pretty sure there are more things than that which sucked. RoboCop's strange vocal toning, it's not because of Robert John Burke, but they actually made his voice sound...well fake and automated.

It's all falls into "BAD ACTING" department.

Moreover, the scene, where Robo had an dream, where Lewis morphed into Lazarus were just embarrasing attempt to bond these characters...


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AlexMurphy

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:08 pm



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There is a difference between ACTING and THINGS DONE BY THE SOUND DEPARTMENT. I'm pretty sure Robert John Burke couldn't add those echoing tones to his voice. That was done by the sound department, not only that, but the it is the directors fault that he talked like that because most likely that's what he told the actor to do. 

It's not always the actors fault. Blame the director.


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Darkseid

Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:48 am



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I didn't like the fact that they had ninja robots as opposed to just regular ninjas.  These Japanese robots made Robo less special because he was "state of the art" for an American-made robot. ED-209, Robocop, and RoboCain look obsolete compared to these Otomo robots.  Having these advanced Otomo robots seems out of place in this movie because that Japanese company that took over OCP could've sent an army of Otomo robots to do all that "urban pacification" stuff.  

Okay. I could've tolerated ONE Otomo robot (the one that was tracking the resistance group and got killed by Robo) but to have TWO MORE near the end just upped the movie to major suckage!  If they just had an improved version of ED-209 in that end fight sequence (maybe a mix of Japanese and OCP technology) then it would've improved the movie (not by much but it would be interesting to see).


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protozoan

Tue Aug 26, 2008 5:16 am



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robocop 3 has some good in it. about 30% of it is good. the rest= shite. the splatterpunks were lame, they build them up to be scary and out walks this weird looking fat girl with a punk hair cut! ooooooh thats scary. they looked like villians from a police academy film! the ninja robot could have been so much better, he's given a great couple of intro scenes but never gets paid off, the fight between him and robo is a badly edited, slow paced mess. the main villian was in the wrong movie i thought, reminded me of a bad timothy dalton, and the guy who was conspiring against the rebels felt to me like a poor mans version of the duffy character from robocop 2. and so on. you can pick at this forever, but i can still watch robocop 3 and switch off and enjoy it, its not the worst movie around and its good for days when you're feeling frizzled and just want to chill out. i have more fond memories of the amiga game but! that was great for its time.


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RoboPimp

Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:01 am



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Good scenes in Robocop 3 (not in any particular order0

-Rebels in the van fucking the cops up and then getting chased by Robocop
-Robocop busting out of the top of the police car.
-Rehab brutality
-Anne Lewis' death scene and the stuff in the church
-Robocop in the motel
-Robocop in the pimpmobile and chasing the Rehab van
-The cops quitting (favorite scene in the movie)
- Cops vs. Splatterpunks (until Robocop gets involved)

That's about it, not all of them are amazing, but those are all of the pretty good ones in the film. I'll also note that I enjoyed Robert John Burke as Robocop, and I think he did a decent job even though he was stuck in a shitty situation. Overall I'd give the film like a B-, while I'd give R1 an A+ and Robocop 2 a B+.


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protozoan

Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:48 am



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yeah robert john burke did do a decent job. another part i like and i'm not sure why, is the part where the ninja robot steals the map from the gas station. that was a neat little scene. i would like to see a special edition of robocop 3. would be interesting. i've got the special edition of batman and robin in my dvd collection and although its a crap film, the special features are very self deprecating and enjoyable to watch. my rating of all 3 robo's-                            robocop- A+ robocop 2-A+ robocop 3-C


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DoktorNo

Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:07 pm



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I said before; this movie lacks LOGIC. Kids reprogramming ED-209 in seconds, jetpack, sudden apperance of two more robotic ninjas, Robo shooting out a way across the wall with his AUTO-9, bouncing Rehab's Desert Eagle, splatterpunks easely hired by Rehabs...


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RoboPimp

Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:38 pm



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I said before; this movie lacks LOGIC. Kids reprogramming ED-209 in seconds, jetpack, sudden apperance of two more robotic ninjas, Robo shooting out a way across the wall with his AUTO-9, bouncing Rehab's Desert Eagle, splatterpunks easely hired by Rehabs...

SPOCK!!!


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Archive

Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:57 pm



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-The cops quitting (favorite scene in the movie)
A lot of people say that this is a powerful scene but whenever i see it I'm just punched in the gut with how cliché it is. The "taking a stand" scene is overused in a lot of movies as that final act scene where either all people start to applaud, stands up, raises their hands or just walk up beside the little guy who takes a stand against the big guy. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad scene, it just so overused and seemed ripped right out of "drama formula A." 

And that is the main problem with Robo3 for me. Nothing is chocking, nothing is inventive. It's just dull and uninspired. The scenes that aim to be cool are either just silly or just extremely un-logical or copied straight from the first two movies. Robo shooting the car roof instead of just opening the door is just an example of "cool" stuff that end up as incredibly stupid.


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DoktorNo

Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:59 pm



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SPOCK!!!

Hm?

In Next Generation it would be "DATA...!"

Am I wrong?


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RoboPimp

Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:12 pm



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Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad scene, it just so overused and seemed ripped right out of "drama formula A." 

Yeah i've definitely seen the same scene done better. But compared to the silly antics of the entire rest of the film this particular scene carried some weight. I also thought that while the movie itself had tons of crappy acting from the supporting cast this scene had some pretty good acting and decent camera work and stuff.


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TODD-209

Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:09 am



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I can't help it. I love Robocop 3. Yeah it's low-budget. And yes, it has loads of cheesy effects, terrible dialogue and even worse acting. But that's exactly why I love it. (lol) It's like it's so bad it's good to me.

It's like someone else mentioned having Batman & Robin in their DVD collection even though it's a crap movie; it's just interesting to watch. I'm the same way. 

But I'm also like others in that there were good things about it. For example, I like how they tried to replicate some of the look and feel of the original movie. The second one, as good as it was, kinda got away from that.

Also, I absolutely love that scene where the guy walks into the doughnut shop to hold it up, and  all of the cops draw a bead on him with their lazer sights, and the guy behind the counter says, "So...what's it like being a rocket scientist?" (lol) That scene cracks me up every time.

And Robert John Burke seemed to add some subtle new robotic moves here and there that seemed to fit Robocop pretty good. And I liked how his armor had more of a silver sheen like the original instead of the blue one of part 2 (although I like the blue armor too). 

I liked the idea of the underground resistance fighters going against the rehab forces. Maybe it wasn't executed so well, but it was a nice premise...

Ottomo? Hmm...it made sense that the Japanese would develop a realistically human-looking cyborg, but I'm like others in that the "climax" with two more ninja robots was just cheesy, especially when they cut each other's heads off. (lol) Lame...

And the Splatterpunks?  Ugh...they grate on my every nerve. Stupid stupid stupid!!


The movie is just a complete cheese-fest, but I love it anyway. After all, it's Robocop. I'd watch daytime soaps if he were in them. (lol)


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protozoan

Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:49 am



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i think the cheesiest scene in robocop 3 is when dr. lazarus is giving her speech  broadcast when she is imprisoned. thats some major cheese right there. its only been topped by keira knightleys speech in pirates 3.  the scene where the cops walk out wasn't all that bad and i agree, its a good moment, but its in the wrong movie. if the main villian was as intimidating as dick jones was in the first, it would have made this walk out scene all the more powerful. but yeah, i agree robocop 3 is fun to watch anyway!


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Philip17

Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:21 pm



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Hey, about the acting, I canīt complain with the acting of McDagget, he was a cool guy, and still I like it!!!
To bad Lewis was killed, she could have been baddly injured  :roll: (that would be better)  :) 
Robert Burke did a good job has robocop, we canīt blame him with the script he had to follow!!


About Nikko.... (kill her  :twisted: ) I donīt like her, if she is a child and can control an ED209, when she is an addult she will be abble to hack the USA security systems  :ohdear:  :huhwhat:  :roll:  :ohdear:  (rub out Nikko)

About the ninjas, I think they only shound have ONE ninja cyborg!!!  :roll:


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DoktorNo

Fri Aug 29, 2008 7:30 am



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The only movies, that sucked worst than R#3 in my eyes, were the those ones starring Hulk Hogan... :)


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RoboFan_93

Fri Aug 29, 2008 8:17 am



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I don't know... I loved it when I saw it for the first time (I was 9). And I kinda liked the JetPack. Hated Lewis' death though.
What I apreciate in this movie is that they tried to pay homage to the original and tried to show Murphy, not RoboCop only. 
It's not great, but it's also not terrible.


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Nika Silwerra

Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:31 am



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hmm I will rate R3 according my impression of watching it when I was small girl ( 11 years) Like RoboFan 93 wrote up ... 

My brother brought VHS and we watched it ! First impression was not so bad ..yeah we had good fun ..(the R3 is still a bit more comedy than previous films ) Yeah R3 has many bad things . ( because we all know what it is I will not be write about it again and again )

There was also good thing and ideas ..I like there is again more "night scenes"  it remind me much more R1 (The night was for  scenes with Robocop better than day) :wink: Also I like the idea with the gun arm and Jetpack ..hmm maybe if they did the film around this time ..maybe it would not so bad ! .. :wink: Also love the scene where Robocop jumped over the bridge with the car in beginning of the film .


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RoboFan_93

Sat Aug 30, 2008 11:38 am



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Yeah, it was a pretty good scene, plus Robo coming out of the car roof with the gunarm.


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Officer Igor Antunes

Sat Aug 30, 2008 6:44 pm



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I was 11 old when R3 hit the theaters in Brazil. It was magic for me, as a kid, watch it on th e big screen.

At this time i loved it. I still can feel the emotion when i saw for the very 1st time (months before premiere) the official poster (that one with fire and Rehabs background).

I can accept that Murphy would fly from the highest level of the parking lot and land just right to his partner to save her life as fast as he could. But as Archive, i see stupidty when he appeared on the car roof. Its faster to open the fucking door and shoot, because Robo still had the surprise factor. But when he shot the car roof, for about 3 or 5 seconds to rise, the Splatterpunks could already make Lewis and those goofy Cops very dead!

In fact, those cops were stupid to waste all their ammo and dont hit anybody... That shotgun trying to hit targets miles of distance is LAME.

The atmosphere in fact remember me RoboCop1, but without violence (or inteligence), this movie today for me as a adult, is just VERY disapointing. (LIPSTICK on Robo in pursuit scene!! GOD DAMN!!)

Best scenes for me: (just because are cool)
Robo flies from the top of the parking lot
Robo goes behind Macdagget
Cops and community fighting splatterpunks

TOTAL ILOGICAL!


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Bambi

Sat Sep 06, 2008 1:35 am



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I like it, anything RoboCop is better than nothing, although it's nowhere near as good as the first one. I can sit through the 3rd easily.


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costass

Tue Sep 09, 2008 10:37 pm



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This is a sick subject. Commenting about R3
is always interesting. However I watch this movie
a lot of times and well.. I like it too. It has bad 
moment in movies that's for sure. But I also have 
my favorite:

When Robocop carrying Ann in the church and she almost
touch his face. 

Robocop was fired it up by punks good scene but I
always feel bad when this happens (like when bad guys
cut robo on pieces in Robo2)

and many other scenes are good. But still this the worst Robocop in 
the trilogy. 

...and yes I also hate the moment when Nikko reprogrammed Ed-209
this is stupid. 

also hate this Ninja. Ninjas was very popular in early 90's and end of
80's but I still think there is no place for Ninjas in R3. Not even if
they are most modern hi-tech robots. Just don't fit it for me.

However I was  always happy when begin to watch the movies and never feel bad when I must watch the 3-rd part. Also when I watch the movie i 
don't feel the movie boring this is one of the main parts. So i say decent movie.


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bucka607

Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:19 pm



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i actually think burke was a good enough robo but the script was just extremely bad!!!!


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Wilson

Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:04 pm



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RoboCop 3 isn't that bad.
It's a cool movie.


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zach11

Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:06 pm



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Robo 3?! My apologies to anyone here expressing some appreciation for this movie.  My advice is to the contrary. Ruprekt and anyone else who has not seen this movie, if you watch R3, just realize that you will never get that 1hour and a half of your life back.  Search Youtube for the few minutes of clips worth viewing of this sorry excuse for a movie!


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Archive

Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:15 pm



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RoboCop 3 isn't that bad.
It's a cool movie.
Robo3 is a "Cool" movie?
That's just sick man.


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DoktorNo

Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:51 pm



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RoboCop 3 isn't that bad.
It's a cool movie.
Robo3 is a "Cool" movie?
That's just sick man.Or just delusional?


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Philip17

Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:42 am



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RoboCop 3 isn't that bad.
It's a cool movie.
Robo3 is a "Cool" movie?
That's just sick man.Or just delusional?

Not exactly!!! I say and I am sure that Robbert Burke is a good actor!!!
And he realy did a good job in robocop, please express your opinion about the actor and the movie in different ways pleaseeee

I mean, the scrip was crap!!! But robo acting was good!!! He did everything on his power to make the moves similar to the original, of course he is not Peter Weller!!!, But he is ver good, and I was not disapointed with his moves!!!


But the scrip with Nikko was lame, like I said before.... A child program an ED209??? she would be ripped appart if she even got closer to ED209  :wink:  

I love ED209, but I canīt shake the feeling that it is just stupid and with no logic!, But I loved the part when ED209 blows the security concept cars, we can see the massive power of our Enforcement Droid 209

Well thats all I have to say for now

--Philip17


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protozoan

Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:47 pm



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robocop 3 was cool when i was younger. just cool, compared to the other ones being kickass. but now, as an adult, 3 is crap, and the other 2 are still kickass


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VladMartel

Sun Sep 21, 2008 1:53 am



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When I saw it for the first time I was a child, yet I was disturbed by how childish it was (not violent nor dark enough, yes even when I was a child I liked violence :) ) and damn! When I saw it was not weller who played robocop I felt cheated.

Well this movie is so full of cheap clichés, such as the hero who is demonized by the population, the smart kid, the resistance movement, the serious hero who use a phony vehicle (like a cop chasing criminals with a child's bike, brief, a cheap humorous trick).



Anyway since it's a robocop movie, I like it, but I never and will never enjoy it like robocop1 & 2.


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Law Giver

Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:08 am



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To be honest, I maybe saw this movie only 10 times in my life since it came out.. and usually hardly ever the entire film  in its entirety .


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Archive

Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:19 pm



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The other day Robo3 was on the TV and i watched it for a bit. During one scene I suddenly realized just how full of
cliches and Robo1 stolen scenes it actually has. Here are the ones i found from start to finish:

Movie cliches:

* The little kid that is smarter than the grownups.
Most common in TV-series where the kids are always smartasses.

* Police officers hang out in a diner/eat donuts etc
Perhaps they do, i don't know, but the thing is done to death.

* Hero catch a bullet with hand or teeth
Pops up now and then in mostly comedys. Also found in Terminator3.

* The Japanese are evil and want to take over
Sure it serves a purpose in the movie but the fear of Japan was old even when Robo3 was made. 

* Partner/wife/friend killed. Hero wants revenge.
Perhaps the most overused plot device EVER.  

* The hero is framed for a crime he didn't do.
Also extremely overused. Especially in superhero/police type movies.

* A traitor in the hero gang.
There just always seem to be one in every gang. Always.

* Group of people make a stand.
Very common and often play out the same way. In Robo3 it is the police officers throwing their badges and walking out.

* Hero or sidekick hacks into the TV network
Seems to be really easy. Especially bad guys do it all the time.

* Weak sidekick suddenly kicks ass. 
In Robo3 it is when Lazarus fires the machinegun and yells to the bad guys to think it over. Terminator3 also had one of those moments.

* Bad guy headquarters blow up
Happens in every Bond movie but is generally used to make a explosive ending in 90% of all action movies.

Did i miss anything?


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vegasrobo

Sat Oct 11, 2008 10:32 pm



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All the ingredients of a Master Piece! :D  :D  :D .


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DoktorNo

Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:14 pm



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The other day Robo3 was on the TV and i watched it for a bit. During one scene I suddenly realized just how full of
cliches and Robo1 stolen scenes it actually has. 

Thank you for additional opinion. Its quite valuable. These all cliches add extra sucking factor.


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Archive

Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:09 pm



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What upsets me even more are the little things that are completely off with the RoboCop character. 
The pimp car chase is a obvious one where Robo just can't aim at all, despite his god damn targeting system.

Also, does the line "She said "no". Maybe you have a hearing problem" sound like something Robo would actually say? I think not.

With Weller gone it feels like they also lost the last one that actually got the character and knew what stuff that would be out of character.


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RoboCop 6000

Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:01 pm



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Yes the missing presence of Weller was the most terrible factor for the movie ,and also it is lack of true action scenes like in R1 or R2.Well i mean the violence exactly.


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protozoan

Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:05 am



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i think the biggest thing missing from robocop 3, besides violence and good characters, is tension! i thought the first 2 movies kind of had a scary undercurrent to them, like you knew anything could happen when you least expect it.


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LouisRocks12

Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:54 pm



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Even though the acting was bad it was pretty sad when Ann Lewis died  :cry: 
it wasnt so bad people make mistakes  :) 'after all were only human'.


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KidGoesWild

Tue Oct 27, 2009 4:57 am



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I saw it when it first came out on VHS. Since R2 had an open ending I always knew/felt that theres gonna be a third one and the anticipation was enormous. It was actually the first RoboCop I watched alone. Wow, was I surprised. Not in a good or bad way, just surprised - it had such a different feel and had absolutely nothing to do with other movies. The "sorry honey, but this is a movie for adults" label that I always used to hear from adults before disappeared and it was clearly a movie for my age. And RoboCop was cool, but he seemed like a guy dressed as Robo, not Robo himself. The voice was so incredibly different and his overall character. R3 was so full of cliche kids features: genius kid hacker, flying Robocop, ninjas etc

Before seein R3 I was wondering how the Robocop II Monster can be topped? It couldn't and it wasn't. Japanese Ninja androids Otomo proved to be a weak idea coming after such extravaganza. We already had life-like cyborgs and terminator and any other movie did a much better job. Also, there was no skeleton visible, nothing. About the only thing we got was fractured face - pretty lame in the era of very nice looking cyborg skeletons (*cough* Terminator)

And the actual confrontation between RoboCop and the Japanese ninja android was short and uneventful or -just not what I would expect from RoboCop movie. And Ninjas in Robocop always seemed out of place!Besides, androids were not cool ever since terminator came out and cyborgs appeared in the movies.

The change in rating is so evident that its really jumping you all the time. You really feel like it's a movie made for 8-14 and there's no real serious material here. The movie should be called "The New Adventures of RoboCop".

Weller didn't want to star in it. I understand, not their fault he's not there. I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance, so I really do believe that's the best they could do without Peter. But the voice...why did they gave him such completely different voice? His voice is so low now that he sounds like some giant robot or like Arnold or some kind of automat - "does not compute"...

And most importantly and the worst of all - his personality. Lack of it I mean. Where's Murphy? Why is Robo acting like a dumb cliche robot? It's like he never ever was human. He talks like a 50's sci-fi robot all the time and the character we knew from the first two movies is completely gone. Robocop here is just a walking image with nothing behind it. Murphy is completely gone. But even so, he didn't act so dumb in the first movie while he didn't have the memory yet. I mean, how dumb is the line (with low monotone voice) "you are arrested for *blank*..(gets his fingers cut)...and destroying police property". lol, are you kidding me? Can you imagine Robo in the first movie , when he kills Clarence and expresses his concern with his partner by calling her with concern "Lewis!" ,saying "officer down" in a robotic tone instead?? I mean what the?
He's basically a real life toy here, and can even replace his parts. Example: hands to gun, hand to flame thrower - classic action figure here! What else can kids want?

About the only time he sounds like the RoboCop is when Mcdagget asks him "how can I help you officer?", and he answers "by resisting arrest!". That's a good one
I also gotta admit that Mcdagget is a good villain in a classic Robocop style. Depraved of moralitites, cruel and cold with a real asshole ring to him. Oh, and I still think the actor John Castle looks so much like Steve Martin!

To sum it up: The ninja androids, the jet pack...it's all crappy Sunday morning family movie. Nikko seems to be the main character, and she's the person kids can identify with. She's a young genius with hacker skills and Robocop toys. A far cry from murderous swearing minors of the previous installment. The only thing missing is some super smart dog who would help out too.
Lewis dies almost immediately, so another familiar character goes out the window on this movie. Johnson from OCP is the only true link with his previous incarnation.


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Zentron

Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:12 am



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The change in rating is so evident that its really jumping you all the time. You really feel like it's a movie made for 8-14 and there's no real serious material here. The movie should be called "The New Adventures of RoboCop".Umm, yah, that was the whole thing about the movie, they wanted it to be a PG-13 movie, to appeal to younger viewers, which unfortunately killed it completely and missed the point of the other two movies!


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Snoopy

Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:12 am



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*TOO STUPID FOR ADULTS, TOO BRUTAL FOR KIDS
.That is kinda true and at the same time its not
I remember when I was like 5 I was playing RoboCop 3 at a birthday partyand all the kids was like man this sucks where's the violence lol haahha.Whats so wierd about that is that I guess they must have known robocop was pretty violent which the first 2 were really.

I know this is pretty random Ima go a bit off topic I remember I guess my sisters thought RoboCop was on some kid stuff.They let me watch RoboCop when I was little but ha they never watched it.They thought it was fine so I remember one time I was playing it in the living room I always remember this I was playing with some batman toys by the way.They then I guess watched it with me and the next thing I know I couldn't find my RoboCop tape later not the same day though lol.It took me years to realize they threw it away years I mean years I barely realized this like this year.They always put the blame on my brother;they always said he sat on the tape and broke it.Then I remember same thing goes with RoboCop 2 they knew I loved robocop they couldn't keep me away from it and always wanted to make a "clean version" of RoboCop 2.As a kid I always remembered robocop 2 having a different and unique feel to it.

I was never allowed to own the first 2 robocop films as a kid,after these incidents.I however was allowed to have RoboCop 3,I remember buying it a couple of years after it came out.I remember unwrapping it and playing it.Call this weird I also remember Jack In the Box hahah being I ate there the day I bought it.

Thats one of the reasons why I cant hate on RoboCop 3 things seem to be better when your younger,you feel things better.If I discovered let say now I don't know if I would like it, I think I would as I have and undieing love for RoboCop(I'm not saying you guys don't,don't take it the wrong way I still happen to like things people seem to hate its).Sure it might not be as good as the first and second.But in a way its better then most movies nowadays.


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KidGoesWild

Tue Oct 27, 2009 3:53 pm



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Thats one of the reasons why I cant hate on RoboCop 3 things seem to be better when your younger,you feel things better.If I discovered let say now I don't know if I would like it, I think I would as I have and undieing love for RoboCop(I'm not saying you guys don't,don't take it the wrong way I still happen to like things people seem to hate its).Sure it might not be as good as the first and second.But in a way its better then most movies nowadays.

I know what you mean but this is simply a thing called Nostalgia. Its natural that because we have personal stories and childhood memories attached to it, were always gonna have a place for it and remember it fondly. That doesnt mean the movie's any good at all tho. Theres plenty of movies I loved as a kid and as a result of that, own it today in my collection. But that doesnt change the thing many of them are pure crap. R3 is one giant mess that brought that franchise down and gave it a certain label - it is now what it sounded like before the first movie hit theaters - a silly kiddie robot franchise - thanks to R3 and its fellow partner in crime, the TV show, thats how the general public views robocop franchise nowadays.

I was around 9 when R3 came out and didnt like it then, dont like it now. It seemed really out of place and 10 minutes into the movie I knew something's wrong - it didnt feel like Robocop movie at all. while the first two were watched by adults and later aired very very late at night on TV, R3 was a movie that was squeezed between movies like The Meteor Man and viewed as such. I remember nobody cared about it and after R3 it was actually a shame to admit that you like the franchise. I know many people who dropped it and never mentioned it again and switched to other franchises. I still cant believe Dekker's proud of it

To this day Robocop franchise is now like a prime example of ruined and raped franchise. On many many different forums people often say "hope its not gonna end up like the poor robocop franchise". At least in my circles its considered one of the worst demises in Hollywood

Im not saying gore would change it. Crap story is a crap story. Adult approach and a SERIOUS approach would change it. And a completely different script. Seriously, theres not an ounce of logic and sense in nearly every scene and everyone has things and equipment needed always laying right next to them, its like a cartoon

Do I completely dislike it or hate it? no. Hate is a strong word. I actually even think the shift from adult, thought provoking gory satire into morning kids movie is quite a surreal and such misfired move thats its interesting just for that fact alone. But without that and as a standalone movie, it has nothing to offer me and its like watching a he-man movie from the 80s. Its so cartoonish that you just cant get into it

Even Basil's score was a major disappointment. I was shocked - SHOCKED when I found out that he scored the 3rd one. For the most part, its like a dumbed down and simplified version of the first movies' score, with lots of great cues and parts missing, and the ones that are repeated verbatim do not fit the uninspired and bland scenes


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Snoopy

Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:18 am



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^ I get what your saying and yes Robo 3 really did tarnish the robocop francise and made it a laughing stock.But I still like it and there is many things wrong with it.I really do dislike the way RoboCop is seen by others I really do dislike it they should watch the first 2 and then say something.Only if the franchise was looked at as people look @ the terminator franchise.But that would in a way be impossible with robo 3 and the stuff that followed I could admit that.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:28 am



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Yeah, its a pitty how Robo is perceived today. I do get what youre saying - R3 is just the fun and bad but good cheese, right? Thats how I remembered it - as really bad and childsh but fun to watch once in a century. Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I cant sit through it nowadays. Almost every scene and move is so flawed and lacking logic that its impossible for the suspense of disbelief to kick in. But hey, if you can still enjoy it, more power to you. I think its a good thing cause you have 3 RoboCop movies that you can enjoy instead of 2


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Snoopy

Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:34 am



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Yeah man,BTW welcome to the site you're a cool person.Welcome to the site


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KidGoesWild

Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:38 am



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Thanks! Im not a diehard like you guys but I do know my stuff and have my occasional "boosts of interest" in the franchise from time to time. Since I rewatched the trilogy lately, here I am


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Snoopy

Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:47 am



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NP and yeah I have boosts of interests with alot of stuff as well.It took me about 6 years to join this site(found out about this place back in 2003,I use to lurk) btw


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Archive

Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:04 pm



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I talked to a couple of friends about "RoboCop3" the other day and we all agreed RoboCop could easily be replaced by Hulk Hogan or some other hero type character and the movie, with some small changes, would not differ much.

The whole premise of defending the neighborhood against the evil suits is so bland it can get.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:18 pm



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Yeah, and I still cant get used to this image in a RoboCop movie

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/lovegunner/Batman/r3.jpg

All its missing is Nikko screaming "To The Second Star On The Right! Neverland!"
Something like this scene would be just unthinkable in the first two movies


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DoktorNo

Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:08 pm



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"Tetsuo!!"

:D


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RobbieValiant

Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:53 pm



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...I may be the only person who honestly liked this movie. I enjoyed it the first time, still do. It's good for what it is- a fun 90's action movie. Nothing great, no, but something fun to watch when you want some nice light action.


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KidGoesWild

Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:00 pm



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...I may be the only person who honestly liked this movie. I enjoyed it the first time, still do. It's good for what it is- a fun 90's action movie. Nothing great, no, but something fun to watch when you want some nice light action.

Well, you were in that unique position in that it was the first roboCop youve seen. You didnt have any expectations or any image or atachement to the true robocop and its world presented in the first two movies. For example, I lived with robocop for years untill R3 came out, and it was anything but what we knew and liked in every possible area. But if youre not used to the characters, its world and feel and have no expectations, I guess you really can like the movie

I like how one reviewer described it:The transformation from ultra-violent gorefest to comparatively docile kiddie flick

It was way too big of a major and sudden shift


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KidGoesWild

Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:39 am



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This topic makes we think about a longer fan commentary text thing to go with the movie. Could be fun to read. :)

Sure would be. I noticed so many signature elements for a cartoon, and when you have a script for a cartoon with an elementary school humor (picking nose...) and youre presenting it through a live action movie, its really silly.  Just for fun, heres my commentary on the first chapter of R3 titled "Eviction" on trilogy DVD. Ironically, its probably the least flawed from them all.

*I realy like the opening, probably the best thing about the movie. I find it funny how the father in the opening Delta City commercial looks like George Clooney. And I also like the fact that the Delta City is becoming a reality, althought something;s wrong here - wasn't Delta City already well into development in the first movie, with a large part of the city already built?
Mediabreak was cool too, althought I missed Jess.

* And here's where it goes downhill and ridiculousness starts. Right away we're presented with the first example of the shameless and corny stereotype, one of many many in the movie. R3 is probably the most stereotype and cliche loaded movie of the 90s, with only several cheap 80s B movies matching its level.
-We have a computer genius kid who is Asian...(cliche and sterotype in one)
-We have a good family represented as multiracial with caucasian male and asian female, a typical set for Disney and 80s family movies

* And here's when we say goodbye to logic for the first time: The wrecking ball hits the house suddenly when there was nothing around but peace and quiet. Well, what happened to the crowds on the streets? what happened to all the halogen lights, Rehab trucks and commotion on the streets? What happened to the Rehab officers with megaphones? I mean, I can easily forgive not hearing the giant crane outside cause thats a pretty minor thing which worked for the scene, but not to hear Rehabs and all the commotion, and then suddenly having a riot outside? The way it was presented just doesnt work at all, it falls flat on its behind

*Rehab loading the gun for gramma was just silly and completely unnecessary. Its a silly element borrowed from cartoons where kids are reminded of the danger, like growling dog for example, even if the angry dog is onscreen nonethless. But kids dont focus as much as adults, thats why they have to be reminded in a very unsubtle way of what theyre seeing. So the gun wasnt enough, it had to be reloaded by a big angry guy to make it visible. Thats NOT the same thing as uncocking the gun in the movie - the gun HAS to be uncocked and serves a different purpose: showing that the person is serious about and ready to shoot.

* Now, why would rehabs pull Nikko from her parents and then just release her? I was wondering why are they separated in the first place and thought that maybe kids have a separate bus, but then I go"what the hell?" when they manage to pull her away, they just leave her.

"you broken cow":...ah, PG 13. The thing is PG 13 allows to say "bitch" at least. I think the movie shouldve been rated PG. If I would use an insult like this against someone, Im pretty sure that person would be pretty confused and ask me if Im gay. Its in the same vein as "you silly goose"

*So everyones gone but not Nikko and shes screaming on top of her lungs, yet nobody noticed her and everyone just left. Oooh-kay?

* lol, what was the rehab doing there standing still like a statue with the lights off not moving? 
And who turned on the lights in the van? there was no one inside and he didnt move. And why did he fire a shot? That would only scare her away!
And why didnt he react earlier when she was screaming there for a long time walking around

* we see another cartoon element which will became a big pattern in this movie - things being conveniently handed or placed just when and where they needed. Nikko falls just in front of the van's door

So thats that for Chapter one


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Archive

Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:32 am



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That's a good commentary. A lot of stupid stuff i never noticed. :)


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Stan The Man

Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:34 am



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Heh, nice to be reminded of R3's ridiculousness in more literal detail - Keep it up. :)


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KidGoesWild

Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:38 am



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That's a good commentary. A lot of stupid stuff i never noticed. :)

I wish I wouldnt  :wink: 

Im really surprised Dekker directed and co-wrote the movie. He did some great great stuff for Tales From The Crypt

Oh, one more thing. One more cartoonish characterization evident right away - its seems like ALL rehabs are evil, just cause theyre rehabs. Just cause theyre wearing a grey uniform theyre bad guys. Black and white thinking at its best.


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KidGoesWild

Sun Nov 01, 2009 8:15 am



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Btw, since its very relevant to the topic at hand, here are my 3 picks from various big review sites about R3

DVDVERDICT.COM

"Robocop 3 finally lets the series down. It's more than just bad in terms of the franchise (like, say, Alien: Resurrection&#8212;not a bad movie, just a disappointing Alien movie)&#8212;it's a bad film all around.

The fundamental problem with Robocop 3 is that, even beyond its PG-13 rating, it has been made specifically for young boys&#8212;it's Robocop for kids. Everything has been dialed down to the lowest common denominator, which would help explain the repeated moments of melodrama (every time a "good" character dies, he or she gets an impassioned closing line set to sad/swelling music), overblown sentiment (a Curly Sue-esque young orphan girl plays far too large a role in the proceedings), and cheap humor&#8212;who knew Robocop had been programmed to rattle off so many awful one-liners?

The film feels terribly flat&#8212;on screen is non-stop spectacle, and yet there's no connection to any of it. That may be because Robocop 3 has no real story to tell, just a series of action beats, once again designed to elicit gasps of "Cooooool!" from 13-year old boys. It's a major departure from the slyness and sophistication of the first two films."

DVD.NET describes it in a pill

"A slap in the face to anybody who enjoyed the intelligent, multi-layered nuances of its predecessors, the three-quel was an abominable dumbing-down of the series. It strived to make the tragic Frankenstein-like hero into a kiddie-friendly merchandise mover. It failed, both on this and every other level."

CINEMABLAND.COM was less subtle in its description

"Robocop 3 is about as enjoyable as having a living, leprosy infected rat sown into your body and then feeling it as it slowly eats its way out of you, gradually bursting through your spine.

Unlike Verhonven and Kershner who had precision instincts with action, Fred Decker has nothing, and I do mean nothing."


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nindo

Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:36 pm



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I perhaps will be made type on the fingers but I am perhaps one of rare to appreciate robocop 3. In particular because I find that the gadgets of robocop are original but also because the signed original musics poledouris (RIP) is of return.
And I also find that Robert burke has a face rather close to Peter weller when one sees him without his helmet. But on the other hand the voice of weller is better to hear.


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KidGoesWild

Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:50 pm



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I perhaps will be made type on the fingers but I am perhaps one of rare to appreciate robocop 3. In particular because I find that the gadgets of robocop are original 

Hmm, I dont know about original. The flight pack was widely featured in many action and scifi movies before and after, like The Running Man, Logan's Run, Return of the Jedi and Thunderball to name a few. Same with "hand accessories", mainly in Class of 1999. besides, the idea of changing hands into gadgets comes directly from action figures

I also because the signed original musics poledouris (RIP) is of return.


Basil was always great, but with all due respect to him, his score on R3 brought almost nothing new to the table. Just like many other elements of the movie (mirroring scenes, cinematography), it was a contrived attempt to recreate and remain in the shadow of the original. Its merely the original score but without keyboards (and I feel the loss of keyboards is really evident and hurting) and roughly simplified, with just a few original cues like "Resistance"

Im not alone in this. DVDTown.com described R3's score as "not just forgettable but downright annoying"

.
And I also find that Robert burke has a face rather close to Peter weller when one sees him without his helmet. But on the other hand the voice of weller is better to hear.

Weller didn't want to star in it. I understand, not their fault he's not there. I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance, so I really do believe that's the best they could do without Peter. But the voice and the actual performance (not physical)...dont even get me started on that


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Sean_001

Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:33 pm



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I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance

I know a few ladies on here think that Richard Eden was better. And to mention it, I think he did better than Burke.

He may not look like him. But the best version (post-Weller) of RoboCop/Alex Murphy.
Exibit A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PKwVvwwI4


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KidGoesWild

Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:45 pm



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I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance

I know a few ladies on here think that Richard Eden was better. And to mention it, I think he did better than Burke.

He may not look like him. But the best version (post-Weller) of RoboCop/Alex Murphy.
Exibit A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PKwVvwwI4

Hmm. Well, they both played "robotic" Robo and there was not a trace of any human personality in them. But I think the fact that Burke at least looked a lot like Weller gave him a slight advantage. Plus I really dislike the TV series and (especially) the TV movies, so I may be biased this way. Im a firm believer of a motto from AgonyBooth site: "Anything RoboCop that doesnt involve Peter Weller is crap"


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Nika Silwerra

Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:50 pm



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I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance

I know a few ladies on here think that Richard Eden was better. And to mention it, I think he did better than Burke.

He may not look like him. But the best version (post-Weller) of RoboCop/Alex Murphy.
Exibit A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PKwVvwwI4

yup right Sean and one lady is here ! 
I really never liked Burke .( but I never said I hate him there or something like it) For R3 I really dont know imagine other actor also for the reason it is the R3 and of course Burke was not the person who spoiled the film .For me is the Eden slightly better for Robo 

Maybe you boys say that he is really very similar to Weller but I really dont think so ! At least no as the Robocop .He is similar but as the actor ! Mainly his face and especialy eyes and thin face ! Of course during the film you see Robocop with helmet on , so you not see his eyes and rest of face but just his mouth and the Burke's lips realy are not similar to Weller :wink:

 ( of course again lips .. maybe also for the reason I am girl , but just my opinion ) hah I remember also my mother noticed that in the suit  does not is Weller as the Robocop 

Also Burke was in the Robo suit a slow or something . slower that Weller ..yeah Burke did not have  the right Wellers movements and dynamics .
At all .. Burke was not bad actor for Robocop  not so bad as Fletcher ( sorry sister ) Burke was as tall as Weller maybe also a bit taller and it was also good as well ! 

Also one soo typical thing what really absented in R3 was the twirlling with the Robo's gun ..So cult thing and they did not used it here ! shame ! When I was watching it first time I waited it there entire film ! 

ehm also nowadays when I watch R3 on a TV channels at the end of the film I have always the feeling " so good bye Robo your good times are away " I am really sad ! :| And also dont know how you all but I still have the feeling the script is written for totaly other character than Robocop . 

 In particular because I find that the gadgets of robocop are original but also because the signed original musics poledouris (RIP) is of return. 

The music , one of the few good things in the film ! Pity they did not use it for R2 ( In particular because Poledouris music is much more epic and emotive that the music used for R2 ) 

Also Basils music for R3 was not so good as the music in R1 ( this remind me Basils music for Conan the Barbarian 2 ) While the first soundtracks was absolutely amazing the further used for R3 and Conan 2 had some imperfections .Haha only the Basil music and the Robocop suit remind me "oh yeah I am watching Robocop "  :D


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nindo

Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:15 pm



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Another thing which makes me appreciate the 3. It is the return of the stupid show with  Bixby snyder I' d buy that for a dollar!


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Stan The Man

Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:23 pm



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I actually think Burke is pretty close to Weller in appearance

I know a few ladies on here think that Richard Eden was better. And to mention it, I think he did better than Burke.

He may not look like him. But the best version (post-Weller) of RoboCop/Alex Murphy.
Exibit A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PKwVvwwI4

Hmm. Well, they both played "robotic" Robo and there was not a trace of any human personality in them. But I think the fact that Burke at least looked a lot like Weller gave him a slight advantage. 

That's a good point, and I agree with ya there, Burke has a bit more of Weller-likeness to him, or at least he did then, anyway. Other than that, I'm almost divided on Burke and Eden, though admittedly I too might lean more to Eden, performance-wise. Eden had some good moments in the Series, and did fairly well.

Both Eden and Burke weren't horrible, but it goes without saying that either one ain't no Peter Weller.

Another thing which makes me appreciate the 3. It is the return of the stupid show with Bixby snyder I' d buy that for a dollar!

Lol, they showed that only once in the movie, and I honestly forgot that was in there. :b

As for Robo's gadgets, the Gun-Arm is the only one I cared for, and even then, that was pushing it somewhat. The jet-pack was just dumb kiddy-shit, plain and simple.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:04 pm



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You know, we also have to take it into consideration that Eden had so many episodes and so many hours to showcase something, while Burke onl;y starred in one movie. Cant believe Im defending something about R3  :b 


Maybe you boys say that he is really very similar to Weller but I really dont think so ! At least no as the Robocop .He is similar but as the actor ! Mainly his face and especialy eyes and thin face ! Of course during the film you see Robocop with helmet on , so you not see his eyes and rest of face but just his mouth and the Burke's lips realy are not similar to Weller :wink:

Hmm. I always and still think that hes looking very  very much like Peter in that movie. They actually fooled me the first time and I didnt know its not Peter untill the credits started to roll! (of course, that was years ago in 93). But of course the minute he opened his mouth I knew something really not right but didnt know what. And Im not talking just about his robotic Schwarzenegger voice, but about the way he was acting - like a robot who never even was human. But physically? Even without the helmet he looks very much alike. 

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/lovegunner/Batman/burke2.jpg

There are some moments when I would still mistake him for Peter, like when he's talking to Lewis in the car right after he supposedly had his memory wiped out. The profile shot looks exactly like Pete!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/lovegunner/Batman/burke.jpg

 ( of course again lips .. maybe also for the reason I am girl , but just my opinion ) hah I remember also my mother noticed that in the suit  does not is Weller as the Robocop 

Well, theyre not identical, and Robert was doing that angry mouth with his lips all the time ( :( ). But I still think he was still pretty close

Also Burke was in the Robo suit a slow or something . slower that Weller ..yeah Burke did not have  the right Wellers movements and dynamics .
At all .. Burke was not bad actor for Robocop  not so bad as Fletcher ( sorry sister ) Burke was as tall as Weller maybe also a bit taller and it was also good as well ! 

Ms Nika, thats craziness!  :wink: 
The one thing I really have to praise is Robert's physical performance. I think the guy really got it down, he was really, really good. Look when hes opening the car when hes getting into the car with Lewis

Also one soo typical thing what really absented in R3 was the twirlling with the Robo's gun ..So cult thing and they did not used it here ! shame ! When I was watching it first time I waited it there entire film ! 

Thats cause Robo in R3 was never human and cant even have a normal conversation, not even with a kid  :rage:  ("how are you feelin?" "my efficiency is 93%" - its like talking to GPS)
 

 In particular because I find that the gadgets of robocop are original but also because the signed original musics poledouris (RIP) is of return. 

The music , one of the few good things in the film ! Pity they did not use it for R2 ( In particular because Poledouris music is much more epic and emotive that the music used for R2 ) 

Also Basils music for R3 was not so good as the music in R1 ( this remind me Basils music for Conan the Barbarian 2 ) While the first soundtracks was absolutely amazing the further used for R3 and Conan 2 had some imperfections .Haha only the Basil music and the Robocop suit remind me "oh yeah I am watching Robocop "  :D

Maybe I was a little too harsh on the R3 score. WHile not as good as R1 or R2's, I think the music alone is still pretty damn good. I still would never want basil on R2. The music in R2 is also really really good and fits the movie and its mood, plus its done in a very classical way, like the 1930s movies. And its very similar to the great John Williams' score. It also incorporates parts of the classic Kin Kong music too. Musically its really, really good. Like I said before, I wouldnt want Basil on R2 and I wouldnt want Leonard on R1 - their music is perfect for the movies they appeared in. Plus, Im a firm believer that sequels should be their own movie, not just an extension of the original, like T2, Aliens or Empire Strikes Back or Rambo 2 to name a few.

The problem with R3 score is that the newly written stuff isnt even close to being as good as the stuff written for R1. And the older stuff is missing the keyboards which are replaced with persussion instruments and this way I think they loose the heart in order to get a more superhero/heroic sound


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KidGoesWild

Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:36 pm



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Another thing which makes me appreciate the 3. It is the return of the stupid show with  Bixby snyder &#8220;I' d buy that for a dollar!&#8221;

Theres plenty of elements from R1 in R3. Bixby is one. We have SUX, Delta City, silver armor etc. Like I said in a different thread:

I think theres a clear and shameless attempt to force a bond and connection with the first one. R3 was everything thats wrong with Hollywood - it wasnt about the storytelling or art anymore. It was now following the typical Holywood FORMULA - "copy the first movie cause it made more money". And so we have forced and contrived ties with the first one, like cinematography (color and visual presentation), music, similar scenes (like the ending) and constant throwbacks (delta city, the dollar guy, remembering death). Its just so planned out and forced that it makes the movie even worse. I think thats one of the biggest problems -that it had guidelines and formula to follow. That greatly limited the story. That and further limitations - the appeal to kids. And of course, the absolutely awful and unlogical script


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Archive

Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:46 pm



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Yeah, the constant use of stuff from Robo1 is kinda shameless. It always striked me as really lazy and a cheap way to try to make the viewer feel connected and emotional to RoboCop3, although they are actually getting the good vibes another, better, film.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:57 pm



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Yeah, the constant use of stuff from Robo1 is kinda shameless. It always striked me as really lazy and a cheap way to try to make the viewer feel connected and emotional to RoboCop3, although they are actually getting the good vibes another, better, film.

Im noticing more and more ripping off of R1 with time. The ending is an obvious spinoff of the R1 ending. Then theres a scene with the two rehabs pushing the girl around. You get the same shot with the big shadow on the wall and all as you did with the rape attempt scene in R1. The whole operation, or rebirth shown from Robo's POV, also with accidental turning on and even with the accidental screw up too! One word : contrived (planned, unnatural, forced, formulaic)

avrev.com shares my feeling: "it feels like something being made because someone sees a successful format, rather than something they want to say"


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LuanaTF

Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:02 am



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I know that this thread is a few months old, but having joined only 3 days ago, I want to speak my opinion here rather than starting a new thread.

Robocop 3 was the only movie of the trilogy I could allow myself watch for a while, so what I can say about Burke's acting is: he's NOT Peter Weller. Well, that's obvious, but what I mean is that often different actors have different understanding of a character and that's reflected in their performance. Anyway, story-wise (and this is MY feeling over it), the Robo/Murphy in Robocop 3 looks more like one that has come to accept what's become of him, that there is no way to change what happened, and his looking less emotional is a consequence of that, I believe. However, in the scenes where Ann Lewis dies and later on the presence of the kid, bring back his more human side: hes there for Lewis as shes passing away, to give her courage, and hes paternal to the little girl, who reminds him of his son. Those were very touching moments, showing his care for the people he loves. So well, I think Burke  willing or not  just portrayed a less conflicted Alex Murphy, who still lives of his memories, but in a resigned way, accepting. Im not sure how many years after the 2nd movie the events of the 3rd one take place, but if its some years, that may be a reason.

As for the effects and technology used, looks like that having the movie more child-friendly this time resulted in applying too many sci-fi elements (like the jet-pack) that don't really suit Robocop. Kids like that kind of stuff, even though adult fans who are more into the Robocop continuity at a deeper level don't appreciate it (of course). I liked it as a kid, but now that Im older I find it a bit silly. I mean, I love sci-fi and flying robots, but it just sounds like an un-tuned note in the Robocop continuity.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:06 am



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But the proboem is that Burke acts like a robot who never was human. And reaction to Lewis' death is the prime example of that. He remains stoic all the time and talks like an automat to the end. There are no traces of any human at all in his character. The robo that accepted his faith was in R2 - he had all of the signature Murphy character and wittiness, but knew what he was physically. In R1, he was a lost man in the amchine. In R3 he is a machine that doesnt even understand human behavior and thinking and talks like a mentally illed person or GPS ("You look like you became friendly with a tank", "I dont have many friends" - ah, that was a joke Robo. Or "Are you ok?", "My primary functions are 93%" - ah robo, this is a little girl asking if youre fine)


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LuanaTF

Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:02 am



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I guess Robo's lines weren't very deep-thought when they wrote the script, and I wonder if Burke had enough time to study the character. Anyway, the ones I wrote about in the previous post were just things I 'felt' from the movie, so I may be wrong about it. :)


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Officer Igor Antunes

Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:57 pm



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Can you guys accept the death of Lewis? Sometimes i think it's better forget about the 3rd movie. This is why i think Robo trilogy must be redone.


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LuanaTF

Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:03 pm



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It was tough to see a main character like Lewis die, but I think they didn't want to do that to her at first: I read somewhere that the actress wouldn't want to take the role of Ann Lewis again if the character wasn't to die in the first half of the movie, so I guess they had no choice.

And I'm not sure for the others, but I've lived pretty much on the 3rd movie as the ONLY Robocop movie I could watch for many years, so it's become part of me now ;) Can't let it go.


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Stan The Man

Thu Feb 04, 2010 6:09 pm



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Can you guys accept the death of Lewis?

Not because she, for practically the first time in the movies, didn't wear her armor, no. :roll:


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Officer Igor Antunes

Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:43 pm



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I read somewhere that the actress wouldn't want to take the role of Ann Lewis again if the character wasn't to die in the first half of the movie, so I guess they had no choice.

I read something about it too, but it's still strange and not professional (i don't kwow who to blame, Nancy Allen or Orion).

And as Stan said - oh yeah sure, if you're a experient, tough female, hot shot cop in Old Detroit, its obvious that you wont use your body armor off duty (irony) - afterall you're cruising in a police car with the trouble-maker RoboCop ON DUTY. (lame!)

And sure, you will expose your experient cop figure without cover to fight against a bunch of blood-seeker commandos. Come-on give me a break!

Anyways, sometimes i think the movie was made for us to buy some action figures. It worked. I was 13 when the movie was released in Brazil, and i just loved it. I had a good time, watching Robo flying with his cruiser from the rooftop, or hot pursuing MacDagget and shooting from the inside (not placing a damn single shot on his target despite his unbeatble technology).

And bought a number of 10-15 action figures as soon they imported it in Brazil (counting RoboCop3 and Robo Series toys). I was a happy kid with them.

But as a grown man, i can realize how commercial, non-sense the movie was. Now i can see how special Verhoeven work was, and as an artist myself, i try imagine how the trilogy would be, if the original writers and team had a chance to continue.

Sometimes i think the storyline from "RoboCop - The Future of Law Enforcement" (pilot episode from The Series) is a better and honest plot to continue Verhoeven original work. Thats why the original writers (Michael Miner and Edward Neumeier) had some participation on it.


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Archive

Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:50 pm



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It's been a lot of speculation and rumors about that, but Nancy Allen herself denied it in a fan interview. (posted on the board some years ago..)

QUESTION: About the death of your character Anne Lewis, we would like to know if that fact was established in the script from the beginning, or if it was a request?   

NANCY ALLEN: It was in the script, I would have never requested it.

I still believe that she wanted a smaller part, but she probably didn't want to actually get killed. The whole ending, as nauseating as it is with the kid, robo  and Dr Lazarus holding hands, would have fit better with Lewis.


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LuanaTF

Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:01 pm



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Thanks for letting us know, Archive.
Yeah, like that, it really sucks. :( I wonder if it was to spotlight new characters over the old ones, or to give more space to Dr. Lazarus' actress..


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Nika Silwerra

Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:44 pm



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Can you guys accept the death of Lewis?

As for me ? Never ! (Maybe now I will be rude ) Well maybe in other story .But not in the R3 .. The right Robocop from the first two scripts would kill the McDegget immediatelly after killing of Lewis ! Of course he has the directive .. but anyway ! Thats was a dull  :| 

After murder of Lewis I always had the feeling that the Lazarus takes the Lewis role a little bit and it was also the intention probably

But Lewis watched how they killed murphy .. then she helped Robocop remember who he really is .. " she reavealed the Robocop mysteri "
No one can replace Lewis !  :nothanks:


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RoboDemise

Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:04 am



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I personally think that the character Lewis had it coming. Fuck her. Should have happened at the beginning of the first movie when she attempted to rescue Murphy. Or at least avenge him. Oh that's right she didn't do that. I know... I know, wrong topic


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Stan The Man

Fri Feb 05, 2010 5:44 pm



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Sometimes i think the storyline from "RoboCop - The Future of Law Enforcement" (pilot episode from The Series) is a better and honest plot to continue Verhoeven original work. Thats why the original writers (Michael Miner and Edward Neumeier) had some participation on it.

You know, I always had that thought ever since I watched the Series and read the Corporate Wars info (Corporate Wars being the original draft of Neumeier and Miner's RoboCop sequel).

You know, a few months ago, I had a mind to post a topic regarding Corporate Wars/The Future Of Law Enforcement and how it easily could have been the sequel that, uh, could have been. :b  I think you've inspired me to go for it now. :)

(EDIT - I did post such a topic, which turned into a site article - [url=http://www.robocoparchive.com/archive/feature-robocop2-retro6.htm]read it here.)

Anyway, Lewis gettin' killed was just fail all-around. I remember hearing that she didn't care to be in the film without Weller, but like Archive said, she might not have necessarily wanted to be killed off. Bah either way. :roll:


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Deus Ex Robo

Sat Feb 06, 2010 4:45 am



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I personally think that the character Lewis had it coming. Fuck her. Should have happened at the beginning of the first movie when she attempted to rescue Murphy. Or at least avenge him. Oh that's right she didn't do that.

 BA-ZING! :lol:


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Nika Silwerra

Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:04 pm



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Anyway, Lewis gettin' killed was just fail all-around. I remember hearing that she didn't care to be in the film without Weller, but like Archive said, she might not have necessarily wanted to be killed off. Bah either way.

Well so she might be also wounded by the McDegget and to finish somewhere in hospital with hard injury .Or so . They did not need kill her in the script . Oh yeah but then the Robocop's revenge  :roll: I really dont know .. the rest of the film after Lewis death was really weird !


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Law Giver

Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:59 am



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I bought the trilogy pack in Walmart back in November for 10 bucks, and finally watched the 3rd one after a sorta long gap in viewing it.  It is just a low budget movie and Robocop was severely cornied out. At some times it tries to be closer to R1, but fails because it is such a lousy film and lacks any interesting  villains and grit. Its only grace is the Basil soundtrack but this is a no shit observation and fact.


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MurphysGal

Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:04 am



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It was tough to see a main character like Lewis die, but I think they didn't want to do that to her at first: I read somewhere that the actress wouldn't want to take the role of Ann Lewis again if the character wasn't to die in the first half of the movie, so I guess they had no choice.

And I'm not sure for the others, but I've lived pretty much on the 3rd movie as the ONLY Robocop movie I could watch for many years, so it's become part of me now ;) Can't let it go.

That's the exact opposite of me, I can watch the 1st and 2nd movies over and over and never get tired of them, but i can not stand the 3rd movie, it's to the point, i almost refuse to accept there is even a 3rd movie, and i will never ever buy it because i know it will be a waste of money cause i will never watch it., I thought it was that bad i couldn't even finish watching it the first time round. I hate the fact Lewis died and the scene itself just didn't feel right, it could have been done so much better. I also hate the way Burke talked in the film, not one bit of human emotion, it sounded all mechanical like Weller did in the first part of robo 1, what did burke not watch robo 1 and 2 and realise that slowly murphy was realising who he was and was becoming and sounding more human!! My thoughts is that Robo 3 was just a very poor attempt to cash in on a movie that was very successfull!!


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KidGoesWild

Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:35 am



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Can you guys accept the death of Lewis? Sometimes i think it's better forget about the 3rd movie. This is why i think Robo trilogy must be redone.

I dont recall ever being outraged by it. I mean, I cared for the character, obviously I didnt want her to die but recognized potential benefits for the story that could come out of it. Of course I can start a long ramble about how wrong it was done in R3, but Ill save it this time.

If I had to pick just one thing that really bothers me its that Lewis dies alone (she mentions that she only has a brother who doesnt even contact her) and scared.


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Nika Silwerra

Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:17 pm



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If I had to pick just one thing that really bothers me its that Lewis dies alone (she mentions that she only has a brother who doesnt even contact her) and scared. 

Thats right .. but , ahh she had even Murphy/"Burke" ehm might to show more of emotions to his partner and friend and only  woman by his side !.. Thats was really "dry" from him  :ohdear:  But what I should wait from R3


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KidGoesWild

Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:46 am



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If I had to pick just one thing that really bothers me its that Lewis dies alone (she mentions that she only has a brother who doesnt even contact her) and scared. 

Thats right .. but , ahh she had even Murphy/"Burke" ehm might to show more of emotions to his partner and friend and only  woman by his side !.. Thats was really "dry" from him  :ohdear:  But what I should wait from R3

The lack of any emotions from Robo is an issue in itself, but just the fact that Lewis dies so horribly is another. Lonely and scared and in pain. Thats pretty harsh for her character, especially since nothing can change it.

Just think how he reacted when Lewis was shot in R1: "Lewis!!!" -  a true, human concern for his partner. Yet in R3, she gets killed and he acts like an automat


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bucka607

Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:02 pm



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well i remember i was about 5 or 6 years old when i watched it first so i thought it was great i used to rent it all the time but now i find it a big letdown. I did however like how they brought reed  into it more, ''lets show um how real cops kick ass'' haha


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bucka607

Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:04 pm



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About his voice inR3 it was kind of like that in R1 when one of the tech guys i think says when you are resting you will sit in the chair and he responds ''yes i understand'' it was like that in R3


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Diesel_85

Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:05 pm



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Robo 3 obviously is the worst... but.. actually i still kinda like it.. it may have been the worst out of the 3 movies but still beats the PD series, i will never "dislike" a robo movie.. just be disappointed when it fails to be as good as the first


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KidGoesWild

Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:14 am



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Robo 3 obviously is the worst... but.. actually i still kinda like it.. it may have been the worst out of the 3 movies but still beats the PD 

Sure does. For me R3 is a masterpiece in comparison to the TV series and the PD series. I absolutely despise and avoid the TV stuff and even talking about it


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CAIN MKII

Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:47 am



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My impression after watching R3 in theater: what an insane piece of $hit !
My impression after watching R3 for the second time (DVD): last time ever.


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WeKilledYou

Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:54 pm



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I think my favorite thing about the movie is simply the removable gun for the left arm. Everything about that to me is just bad ass and suits Murphy perfectly. I was pretty damn disappointed in how Lewis was killed off. I didn't really care for the little girl or the fact that all of the villains in the movie don't really stick out. My biggest complaint is the disappearance of the old man.


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KidGoesWild

Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:35 pm



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I think my favorite thing about the movie is simply the removable gun for the left arm. 

I hated it. Not only it brings Robo down to a action figure character, but I also think its cheesy and most importantly, doesnt make any sense. As I said in my blog:

Since he has to carry it separate anyway, why doesnt he just carry it with a trigger as a separate weapon but needs to detach his arm which gives him disadvantages. Not only that but the calico gun is a semiautomatic weapon which Auto 9 is as well. It just smells too much like an action figure and a completely pointless weapon. He never really needs a flamethrower (he just burns maps with it!) and the only time he needs the rocket launcher is when he blasts the tank. Besides, whats the point of bringing/using it on regular street punks? In RoboCop he brought a cobra assault canon for the ED 209, in RoboCop 2 he brought Cobra for RoboCain. And now be brings an semiautomatic weapon (which he already has) moutnted with flamethrower and rocket launcher which requires him to take off his hand for..street punks???


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WeKilledYou

Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:11 pm



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I was 3 years old when the third movie came out(yes, I'm a youngin'), and I didn't see that movie until after it had already been out a while, and at the time I was too young to really even pay attention to it. But seeing Robocop with that gun and flight pack was what stuck in my head years later when I started to look at it more seriously and appreciate it. So that's a big part of why I like it.

As for the gun itself and what you have pointed out, that makes sense too. The only reason I could see for it to be attached, would be for extra ammo maybe? But even then, that doesn't seem like a good excuse either. It's really inconvenient in battle to have to take the time to screw that in. Him holdin a big gun that has multiple uses is a lot better.


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Stan The Man

Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am



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I think my favorite thing about the movie is simply the removable gun for the left arm. 

I hated it. Not only it brings Robo down to a action figure character, but I also think its cheesy and most importantly, doesnt make any sense. As I said in my blog:

Since he has to carry it separate anyway, why doesnt he just carry it with a trigger as a separate weapon but needs to detach his arm which gives him disadvantages. Not only that but the calico gun is a semiautomatic weapon which Auto 9 is as well. It just smells too much like an action figure and a completely pointless weapon. He never really needs a flamethrower (he just burns maps with it!) and the only time he needs the rocket launcher is when he blasts the tank. Besides, whats the point of bringing/using it on regular street punks? In RoboCop he brought a cobra assault canon for the ED 209, in RoboCop 2 he brought Cobra for RoboCain. And now be brings an semiautomatic weapon (which he already has) moutnted with flamethrower and rocket launcher which requires him to take off his hand for..street punks???

As a gun fellow I have to disagree with you on this. First off, the Calico/Gunarm in the film is clearly full-automatic (Bursts of multiple rounds) and not semiautomatic (one round at a time). So I'm correcting your terminology a bit there.

As for the main point it 'serves no purpose/makes no sense' - Even RoboCop can't handle absolutely everything with just his sidearm (Like regular cops) and certainly can't lug around the massive cobra gun every time he needs more firepower. 

Sure, the Auto-9 has done pretty much everything Robo has really needed for the most part. But situations change, and the fact that is has been 'adequate enough' can't disallow for having something more in case the situation changes. The saying 'better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it' applies here. 

The Terminator doesn't even need guns to kill anybody but having them makes the job easier. Soldiers have rifles but you can't expect them to handle every target with an M16, which is why they also have shotguns, grenades, rocket launchers, machine guns, etc. Same thing even applies with RoboCop - Awesome as the Auto-9 is there can be times where it isn't enough. 

First off, it's clear the gunarm fires rifle rounds, probably to better help against armor-wearing criminals. Also it clearly fires in longer full-auto bursts than the Auto-9, allowing him to give more effective cover/suppressing fire. 

The bomb launcher is just as effective as a cobra gun against shall we say 'hardened' targets and frankly is a lot easier to wield around than one. I'll also add the smart bomb seems to have multiple configurations to it, (He uses it first to blow the head off the first Otomo android without making a massive fireball) rather than just the cobra gun which only just blows shit up in a big fireball, something that can be hazardous in a urban combat situation.

I'll admit there's little practical use to the flamethrower though, as I doubt Robo will find himself flaming out caves to kill criminals like Marines did in the Pacific, so I'll give you that one.

I will also agree that having to lose a hand and attach it like that is a disadvantage but it does give a very stable firing platform than just holding it hand-held. Still, I myself would have liked it better if it just had braces that attached on the arm but a standard pistol grip so he could get it on and off quicker/easier and keep the hand, but that's just me.

As for the 'action figure' stigma, the fuckin' jetpack did more to enhance that than anything. The gunarm probably didn't help, but it by itself was acceptable. The jetpack is what turned it into a cheesefest.

All-in-all, I will always think the gunarm is a nice piece of Robotech and a good tactical extension (save for the flamethrower). Perhaps it's execution in the film wasn't all that good, but that's the fault of the film itself, and not the prop.


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WeKilledYou

Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:21 am



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Thinking back on things that legitimately bother me about three, instead of just dumber small things. I find myself annoyed with the showdown in the streets at the end. Sure Robo is supposed to fly in and save the day, but after Reed delivered his awesome one liner, I had really hoped that the cops and civilians would have caused a bit more damage against OCP and the splatter punk. But they basically did nothing but get spanked until Robo flew in with his gun arm.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:09 am



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Well Stan, we'd be going in circles so in short my response is that the gunarm, while MAY, possibly MAY have some use in very rare situations, does absolutely nothing in the situation when its used. Auto 9 is an automatic weapon and so i Calico (thanks for clearing up the terminology), so why wouldnt he just use his Auto 9? He would loose an arm then just to shoot automatic weapons which he couldve having both arms and his Auto 9 in his hand that he could just hide and then have both hands freed, and well, both hands period


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Stan The Man

Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:57 pm



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But circles are fun! :b Bah, that's fine, your clarification is noted. You don't necessarily dislike the gunarm so much as its execution in the movie, and I will give you that. I will add that whole scene with RoboCop using the gunarm at the beginning is stupid all over so you're fine on that one.

However, the gunarm is a nice piece so I just won't accept a bashing on it by itself. As you can tell. All steam ahead on the jetpack though. :mrgreen:


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Archive

Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:31 pm



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As some of you may know the gunarm was originally to appear in RoboCop2 in a very early draft. I can see a scenario where he would have used the gunarm against RoboCain. I think that could have worked.

I like the gunarm but i agree it is overkill. Robo didn't need anything else but the Auto-9 when he crashed the drug lab so the use of it in Robo3 is pointless and wasted.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:40 pm



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Right. I was just thinking that maybe if the first time he used it was for the fly attack in the end, it would be so illogical, instead of using it to get out of the car and chase street punks. I still dont like it tho, not as a detachable part. Its just too much like an action figure stuff


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Stan The Man

Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:02 pm



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All very true. I agree about it possibly being used in R2 as well. Again, it's a nice piece and does to me have a place and it's possible usefulness but I agree the execution of it in R3 is shit. That and the 'lose a hand' thing, it's certainly not without it's stupid side also.

That said, I wished it were used more in some other things, such as comics like 'Roulette' where he just uses some generic assault-rifle/shotgun or something instead. But that's my thought, and kinda off-point.

Again, I like the gun-arm, probably more than most on here. But I will concede it doesn't lower the 'action-figure/superhero' stigma for Robo in R3.

As I've said elsewhere, it's just some lame 'light' action film with RoboCop in it, and not a true 'RoboCop' film like the first two. It had no real darkness or feel like the earlier films, and it was meant to be like that. That I will never like it for, because it deliberately drifted-off course, intentionally was made to be so drastically different and silly and go against practically everything the first was about.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:24 pm



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Thats a very fitting description, "a movie with a Robocop in it but not a Robocop movie". Of course I could easily argue its just an image of robocop, not THE robocop from the first 2 movies since he acts so much different. I always find Dekker's comments very puzzling everytime I read him saying that R3 goes back to roots. In cinematography and composer only perhaps


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:30 pm



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Oh and as for the gunarm again, seeing how Robo is built I see cabling and metal skeleton in his arms, it doesnt seem like he was built with detachable arms in mind, at least not in Verhoeven's vision

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JrMAg7gZ5FQ/TP9BjFPMp9I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/C2D4qjP_ZL4/s1600/operation.PNG


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WeKilledYou

Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:35 am



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As some of you may know the gunarm was originally to appear in RoboCop2 in a very early draft. I can see a scenario where he would have used the gunarm against RoboCain. I think that could have worked
The gun definitely would have worked better, made more sense, and had credibility going into the end fight against RoboCain. Even with the "end fight" in part 3, it really didn't make much since, except up against the tank. But even then, he could have found another way.
using it to get out of the car and chase street punks. I still dont like it tho, not as a detachable part. Its just too much like an action figure stuff
Yeah, it wasn't like the punks out gunned him in any way. Even if his didn't have his auto9, he could have just beat them up probably.
Oh and as for the gunarm again, seeing how Robo is built I see cabling and metal skeleton in his arms, it doesnt seem like he was built with detachable arms in mind, at least not in Verhoeven's vision
I don't think Verhoeven planned to do anything that extravagant-for no reason other than to give him firepower. Then you could also think that by the time 3 came around, they just had experimented with newer experimental technology(like the flightsuit). But even then, the gun being a detachable part of his arm, there really isn't a way to justify it as being more dependable or worth doing it that way.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:21 am



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The gun definitely would have worked better, made more sense, and had credibility going into the end fight against RoboCain. 

Not as a detachable element. Robo needed both arms for the fight later on on Cain's back, to hold on with one and rip the brain with another. Also, with the gunarm he wouldnt even be able to close the Nuke container! That all illustrates my point how that gun handicaps Robo and how much better and more practical his Auto 9 is. Im very happy that Kersh opted to give Robo a Cobra canon instead of giving him that action figure gunarm against Cain. Not only it makes more sense but it just looks better and makes Robo look like one of us, people, when he has to carry a gun (and he did use cobra against ED 209 in R1 as well), rather than him being like a transformer or realy emphasizing the fact that hes a robot


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Stan The Man

Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:52 pm



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Again I agree with 'losing a hand', that part does suck. I had an old, slightly crude pencil drawing of the R3 gunarm with a standard pistol grip and a kind of loop that slipped over Robo's arm, which would probably have been much better, But I think we've all gotten our views across on that one.

That said, I too prefer the re-use of the Cobra Gun, it's a nice nod to the first without being in your face unlike all the shit in R3, though it irks me it's not the Barrett M82 from the first film. But that's another thing. Didn't seem to slow down RoboCAIN too much though.

In that regard, that's another failure of R3 as said earlier, the lack of a truly worthy adversary. Of course we would get such stupidity as Pudface and a giant rat later but the Otomo androids were a joke, and not even as effective of one as ED-209. Unlike say The T800, these peckernecks didn't look remotely terrifying or tough, and McDaggett was a minute-steak.

All told, unlike the first two films and even some other pieces of media, Robo had no real hard enemy in R3, even though they tried to do so by turning a badass and fairly reflexive cyborg into a lumbering oaf that takes two minutes to turn his head. That's another thing that pissed me off, not Robo's percieved 'weakness' (though that is a big problem itself) but the inconsistency of it in the film - the beginning shows him fast enough to catch a bullet and be covered in fire without a sweat, but fast-forward to the middle of the film where he's crippled by one grenade and knocked down by simple ninja moves. Bah.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:46 pm



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Oh the Ninja...how the bar has been lowered. I dont think theres one person that thinks Otomo is cooler than ED 209 or RoboCain


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Stan The Man

Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:24 pm



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Well, he's not. Otomo gives androids like Bishop a bad name. Shit, I'd almost take Pudface over him. (Though he is cooler than the giant rat.. or maybe not - controversy! :b)


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WeKilledYou

Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:46 am



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With the gun removing his hand, it definitely would have made it harder to fight RoboCain, especially when they were in the elevator shaft or when Robo jumps on the back of RoboCain. But the idea of having some massive fire power against him is nice. I like that they went with the Cobra, but as you saw in the movie, RoboCain as just too advanced for that really. So the gunarm probably wouldn't have done much more. Now if Robo had the flight pack against RoboCain, maybe that could have been more useful.

Now if Otomo was a transformer that had crazy gun arms, he might actually be cool. Otherwise, he's just a jumping bucket of bolts.


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Archive

Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:48 pm



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Now i noticed something while watching RoboCop3 (don't ask why..)

Otomo is seen smoking and while in the suit he wears cowboy spurs.
Now i can honestly not get why that was included. Is there some point or reason for this that I'm not picking up or is it just a "it looks cool" from the film makers standpoint.

Otomo is not even a cyborg, he's a robot, that can self-destruct. Explode. What purpose or good would smoking be? 


http://robocoparchive.com/forum/otomo2.jpg

http://robocoparchive.com/forum/otomo3.jpg


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RoboDemise

Mon Aug 08, 2011 3:42 pm



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I would say that the only purpose of smoking, spurs, and watch, etc. etc. would be for Otomo to blend in better in America. I don't think anybody really knew about Otomo being a robot except for Kanamitsu, or whoever he was, and other japanese higher ups. Did McDaggot know? I can't even remember now if he knew before the one was damaged at the end battle.

I'm sure that they didn't want anybody to know he was a robot because I don't think it would go over well with the U.S. military... Or anybody for that matter having an assassin robot running rampant on american soil. So that is what that scene is supposed to impress upon the audience, that he is blending in with Japan's idea of what americans wear and do (Cowboys maybe). Just my thought.


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Josh

Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:04 pm



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Otomo is seen smoking and while in the suit he wears cowboy spurs.

The only theory is that a lot of characters in Japanese media smoke because It's seen as cool.

But seeing as this is an American film it doesn't make sence. Unless Otomo was designed by a Jap...


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Archive

Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:19 pm



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I think Robodemise's theory is valid and probably correct. I bet that was the idea from a script/movie making standpoint. 

All in all it appears kinda goofy to me. At the top of my head no-none or few people in Robo3 smoke so Otomo would stand out immediately. Secondly, who would create a robot that has a smoking function? Not even the "Terminators" did any stuff like that and they were specifically done to blend as a human. Incredibly goofy!

As for the spurs, what kind of hole did Kanemitsu live in of they thought Americans still used spurs? They should have had him on a horse and a cowboy hat to REALLY sell it in. 

Question is, are we the viewers supposed to be chocked that Otomo was a robot? Is it supposed to be a badly executed plot twist?


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vegasrobo

Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:46 pm



-----------------------------------

Otomo sucked period,Yeah I think Otomo was meant too shock,And to be a kinda running commentary on American fashion at the time gotta love the 90's,It dosen't come off right at any rate....Even thou Robo 3 is pretty much universally panned as being the worst of the 3 films it has some really cool stuff "No not the jet pack or the gun arm"..Robo's visor entrance is the "shit" and his driveing his patrol unit off the roof been admittedly stupid was cool and very "Comicbook",Which to be fair was the direction Frank Miller wanted too bring the series,Its a movie thats never gonna be remembered for anything other than killing the "franchise",When in fact the franchise actually died during it's production with Orions severe financial problems..Rushed into production with an inadquate budget and missing it's lead I think it's a miracle that Robo3 was ever even completed by all rights it shoulda been shelved and been the subject of rumor for years to come but it did'nt I'd like too think that Fred Dekker put forth his best effort under some crazy ass restrictions Budget,PG 13 rateing,Lack of preproduction time..It's a coulda been movie thats why I like it,the story behind its production is interesting to say the least..Stepping off the podium now...:)


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Zentron

Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:05 pm



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Another question is... what could be done to make this a better movie?


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vegasrobo

Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:12 pm



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A better heavy for Robo too square off against,A better effects budget,Lose the family friendly approach,You can keep Burke cause I liked him as Robo..More and veried splatterpunk chaos "Why were they so feared?".They came off pretty gay as opposed too intimidateing..


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Josh

Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:35 pm



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They came off pretty gay

Classic
:lol:


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vegasrobo

Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:36 pm



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Yeah like california sufer boy gay.....:)..A little Boondocksaints there for ya..:)


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KidGoesWild

Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:38 pm



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Another question is... what could be done to make this a better movie?

- More puns and satire on capitalism and Americana (like in the first 2 movies). In this one we only got a commercial for an action figure...
- No Niko, unless you wanna make her some drug addicted kid or murderer or a kid that will get killed during some shootout. THAT would be very inline with the previous 2 movies
- No Police Academy-style humor which is all over the movie
- Make Robocop the main character of the movie, like in the first 2
- Make Robo a human character, feeling pain, anger and having some personality, like in the first 2 movies. Dont turn him into some unresponsive automatic device who says "a vehicle is approaching"
- No ninjas
- No "scary" splatterpunks
- lay down on the stereotypes
- no flight pack or gunarm or other action figure accessories 

That would improve it I think


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RoboPimp

Wed Aug 10, 2011 3:36 am



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- no flight pack or gunarm or other action figure accessories 

I totally agree with you except the part about the gunarm. While the flightpack was useless and stupid, I think the gunarm had a lot of potential. Like if he used it to shoot down 50 splatterpunks in the course of 2 minutes, or fought 10 ED-209's with just that. Basically if he kicked some ass with the thing I think it could have worked out nicely. Unfortunately it was just a fancy tool that didn't do anything.  :ohdear:


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RoboDemise

Wed Aug 10, 2011 12:36 pm



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People love RoboCop 3 because... It makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.
http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af349/ImpendingDemise/negrodamus.jpg

This does apply here I believe. RoboCop 3 is like Wayne Brady. Old women probably love RoboCop 3. I'm a firm believer that it should just be considered the pilot to the series or something. Not the 3rd installment of this franchise...


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Archive

Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:54 am



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I think i got about 20% of what you meant in that post. 

So i agree with that part about Robo3 being better suited for the series. In fact i think it would have been excellent as a 2 part season finale.


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Ponteral

Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:38 pm


R3

-----------------------------------

For me it's a RoboCop 3 typical example how to destroy a legend. 

PG-13. I still don't understand. RoboCop under R rating is not RoboCop. In this movie is more stupid things.

RoboCop can change his arm for a machine gun. RoboCop can fly and finally RoboCop protect children. It can be funny, but it's not funny for fan like me, whitch love RC1.

RoboCop 3 is bad movie, but still better than PD and TV series, but I think, that this movie sent RoboCop to the ground...


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ElectricSoul

Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:30 am


Re: R3

-----------------------------------

For me it's a RoboCop 3 typical example how to destroy a legend. 

PG-13. I still don't understand. RoboCop under R rating is not RoboCop. In this movie is more stupid things.

RoboCop can change his arm for a machine gun. RoboCop can fly and finally RoboCop protect children. It can be funny, but it's not funny for fan like me, whitch love RC1.

RoboCop 3 is bad movie, but still better than PD and TV series, but I think, that this movie sent RoboCop to the ground...

unfortunately,and ironically, RoboCop wasn't about making good movies at this point. it was about pushing a product and toys to children,and the real RoboCop fanbase suffered because of that....


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ElectricSoul

Sat Sep 03, 2011 2:31 pm



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there were a couple of good things i felt in Robo 3 that i liked:

1) glad Basil came back for the score...

2) liked the actual RoboSuit look in this...harkening back to the silver look of Robo 1,while keeping the high-tech "gloss" look of Robo 2...

3) the whole initial "standing up to OCP" and Annes' death sequence...


guess that's really about it...

i didn't mind Burke's voice being digitized or whatever.... gave him more of a machine vibe... it was something used in the first movie too for Weller,but dropped about halfway through,i guess to signify Murphy's emerging humanity...

Otomo,to me,made sense in the fact that the Japanese,especially in the 80's and 90's,amde the best shit,and more advanced stuff than we did...so i could easily see us with the big,clunky-ish cyborg,and them with the full-robot that can easily pass as a human....


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cobrahunter187

Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:49 am



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ah robocop 3, i remember entering the cinema, my mom and i waiting for it to start, and even as a kid, the magic wasnt there anymore.
The plotline were obviously written by some 6 years old kid, get this robocop will fight ninjas and then boom nuclear explosion (sounds like kindergarden works to me)
Cheap accessories like robo jetpack (wtf) the tri weapon arm (wtf)

They can't seriously get any of what robo is right, first of all murphy isnt a freaking plane it's robocop and if he's too heavy to run n jump, why the hell is he up in the air with a jetpack !!!
On the second aspect murphy is a sharpshooter, we all know that, but still have you ever tried to hit a target at long distance with a flamethrower (Oo) or better yet with a machine gun ! that's just complete bullshit.

Needless to say the acting is cheap, the plot is cheap and everything in this movie says "i'm a piece of garbage dont buy me"

worst part is that even it's a mediocre robocop experience i still give it a try once in a while, which i shouldnt.


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Robocop 4

Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:02 pm



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"R3" I was disappointed in me for many reasons:

1 - Lack of actor Peter Weller and Dan O'Herlihy.
2 - What I would have preferred that Robocop had fought against a powerful cyborg that was stronger than "ED-209 and Robocop 2" and it was called "SuperRobocop" I never approved that had entered the ninja as enemies.
3 - That the film is only for kids, but for the lack of violence and action.

The only good things are the new weapon and the prototype wheel.


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Josh

Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:13 pm



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What I would have preferred that Robocop had fought against a powerful cyborg that was stronger than "ED-209 and Robocop 2" and it was called "SuperRobocop"

You should write scripts man.


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Archive

Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:32 pm



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The only good things are the new weapon and the prototype wheel.

Prototype wheel?

I thought they invented the wheel a long time ago, or are we truly doomed to re-invent it again and again?


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Robocop 4

Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:34 pm



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The only good things are the new weapon and the prototype wheel.

Prototype wheel?

I thought they invented the wheel a long time ago, or are we truly doomed to re-invent it again and again?

I meant to say that the jetpack and the good in the film.

Then another reason I do not like "R3", because Lewis died. Why the screenplay so decided.


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AlexRobo

Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:04 pm



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If Ed Neumeier had returned to write the R3 script and if Tim Hunter directed it then I'm sure Lewis would have lived and been more like she was in R1 if the studio didn't **** it up.  Maybe an independent company should have bought the rights from Orion in order to make a hard R-rated RoboCop 3.  Somebody like Carolco who had a blazing success with Terminator 2 and Universal Soldier or New Line who were responsible for comic book movies like The Mask and The Crow (I think).


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Robocop 4

Thu Mar 28, 2013 11:02 am



-----------------------------------

If Ed Neumeier had returned to write the R3 script and if Tim Hunter directed it then I'm sure Lewis would have lived and been more like she was in R1 if the studio didn't **** it up.  Maybe an independent company should have bought the rights from Orion in order to make a hard R-rated RoboCop 3.  Somebody like Carolco who had a blazing success with Terminator 2 and Universal Soldier or New Line who were responsible for comic book movies like The Mask and The Crow (I think).

Then it is not mentioned in the film "The Old Man", why is no longer leader of the OCP, another mistake they made&#8203;&#8203;.


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Raymond

Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:33 pm



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hehe that "prototype wheel" comment had my laughing and then you meant JETPACK. What is your mother tongue when wheel and jetpack are close together :)



Anyhow, completely agree with a stronger enemy. Can't go from ED-209, RoboCain to some lame robot ninjas that were embarrassing. Even if a movie is PG-13 it can still have something fearsome.

Disagree with Lewis dying. It was necessary in the plot to trigger Robocop to turn and fight with the resistance. Otherwise a move like that had made less sense


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artuditu

Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:46 pm



-----------------------------------

Anyhow, completely agree with a stronger enemy. Can't go from ED-209, RoboCain to some lame robot ninjas that were embarrassing. Even if a movie is PG-13 it can still have something fearsome.

Yeah, I agree, it's not just the fact it's a ninja that looks 100% human, it was also narratively very disappointing, in the first encounter with Robo, he looks too deadly with that sword that could cut Robo in half, and Robo looks completely slow and useless, but then with great luck he is able to put the gunarm and kill it with the rocket launcher. Very, very disappointing. In matter of seconds he goes from incredibly deadly to easy to kill.

The final encounter, which should be the climax of the story, it's even more stupid, two ninjas appear, Robo is in big trouble (why doesn't he shoot again his rocket launcher? short on ammo?), they throw him to the ground like a baby (why they play with him instead of cutting him into little pieces?), and then the little girl saves his ass reprogramming the ninjas with bluetooth (with ED-209 at least she used an USB port!).


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Raymond

Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:21 pm



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Yeah, I agree, it's not just the fact it's a ninja that looks 100% human, it was also narratively very disappointing, in the first encounter with Robo, he looks too deadly with that sword that could cut Robo in half, and Robo looks completely slow and useless, but then with great luck he is able to put the gunarm and kill it with the rocket launcher. Very, very disappointing. In matter of seconds he goes from incredibly deadly to easy to kill.

The final encounter, which should be the climax of the story, it's even more stupid, two ninjas appear, Robo is in big trouble (why doesn't he shoot again his rocket launcher? short on ammo?), they throw him to the ground like a baby (why they play with him instead of cutting him into little pieces?), and then the little girl saves his ass reprogramming the ninjas with bluetooth (with ED-209 at least she used an USB port!).


Well if I could do just ONE change to Robocop 3 I would have removed the little girl and her magical hacking. Two potentially redeeming scenes like the ED-209 encounter and the finale gets completely ruined by that crap. Who in their right minds thought the audience would go "wow" from that? In fact it wrecked the movie for me already in the beginning. Why would MILITARY drones have interfaces for that kind of connections. And even if they did, why wouldn't it be ENCRYPTED! 

The scene when the little kid hacks ED-209 in seconds turned the movie to lame childrens movie permanently because it was hard to take anything seriously from then on. In fact I had prefered the kid to punch ED-209 in it's non existent balls and then have it fall over and do pig squeels. It had felt more realistic.

But I've seen many movies from the 90s were hacking is described super easy and done by young kids.

Terminator 2 has John Connor hacking an ATM if I remember correctly. I sort of fear that Robocop3 took a lot of wrong inspiration from successful movies released earlier, and then tried to work it into their own trainwreck of a screenplay.


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KidGoesWild

Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:07 am



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Terminator 2 has John Connor hacking an ATM if I remember correctly. 

Well yeah, but that kid grew up and travelled all over the world learning to fly choppers, use and assemble guns and hack all sorts of programs and computers to be fair

______________________ 

http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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Silicon Knight

Thu Aug 01, 2013 8:12 am



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Like it has been pointed out in this topic, the idea of the Otomos was pretty silly because they seemed ridiculously advanced compared to everything else seen in the films, they were like from a different movie. OCP's Robots were huge and bulky, their AI still at an infant stage (see ED-209 malfunctioning), and the Japanese were able to make Terminators with katanas? If that technology was around, wouldn't the Americans catch up somehow? Of course "realism" is not something to look for in this sort of film, but what about verisimilitude and internal logic? It almost seemed like watching a war movie with BF-109s going against F-16s.

That said, I loved the score, but then Basil Poledouris made even Conan the Destroyer watchable


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RoboPimp

Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:49 pm



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It almost seemed like watching a war movie with BF-109s going against F-16s.

And we all know just how retarded that would be...


 :roll:


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gez1967

Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:45 pm



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ill never git my 120 mins or what ever it  was life back...
have it in the blueray box set , but that disc hase cob webs on it


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Sin_Valor

Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:37 pm



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I always hated this movie because they killed off Anne Lewis. THAT is where I crossed the line! This movie sucked so hard, not even Otomo could redeem this crap!


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vegasrobo

Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:26 pm



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Shit I liked it..It's bad but I like it.


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Stan The Man

Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:50 pm



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Shit I liked it..It's bad but I like it. 

I can't ever like it. Not possible. But I'll admit I can't ever 'hate' it as such like some others do.

I can certainly watch it but it's tough for me to enjoy. I remember someone posting that it was like 30% good. I can pretty much concur with that. It's not all bad, but more bad than good for me.

But it's ok vegas, you can like it - we all know you're sick that way, and it's cool. :wink:


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razgriz21

Sat Nov 23, 2013 2:23 pm



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Well, I only saw Robocop 3 twice.

Once on Sci-Fi.

The other time on Netflix.

The only nice things I have to say is the night photography (a bit bright in some areas), the cast (though wasted), and the score.

Personally, I have no desire to re-watch it like Robocop 1 or Robocop 2.

Though I understand that this was filmed back to back with R2 which could explain why it felt rushed.

That and Orion having financial problems delaying numerous movies.


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RMorrison81

Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:34 pm



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The first 20 minutes or so are fun to watch, and then it's all down hill with the cheesy introduction of Robocop.... I really struggle with it!!


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Stan The Man

Sat Nov 23, 2013 8:35 pm



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The first 20 minutes or so are fun to watch, and then it's all down hill with the cheesy introduction of Robocop.... I really struggle with it!!

You know, you're spot on. The movie is actually somewhat decent until RoboCop emerges from the roof of the car and then it flops around from then on.. sad really. Sure Robo had somewhat over the top entrances before but blasting through the roof with the gunarm was just painful.

Going back to the gunarm - I still like it but hate its execution. More than anything it really just needed to be toned down in the movie - That first scene with Robo could have just been him opening the damn door or punching it out even and then just blastin' with the Auto-9. Using that thing right away just makes what is already a cheesy sequence that much worse.

Bah, so much with fucked up with this damn movie.. Bottom line, as I've said before, it intentionally drifted off, and that was a mistake. It became a film with RoboCop in it, not a RoboCop film.


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vegasrobo

Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:38 pm



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Had a lot of good ideas going for it but due to time and money they just didn't pull it off,Ended up with a toothless Robo which to be honest for me is the #1 problem with 3,The lack of any real violence doesn't add a sense urgency to any situation in the film it just roll's through the motions form beginning to end..Even Lewis's death has little to no impact because of this..If they had money and actually fine tuned the script to retain it's adult audience it would be on par or even better than 2,Over the years I've become a fan of Burkes Robo I like the faster more aggressive pace he tends to move at it looks good and I think he really tried his as off to lend some depth here and there to Robo,As written Robo is flat as a pancake from beginning to end almost as though Dekker figured all Robo needed to do was blow shit up..It's a film curbed by bankruptcy and poor execution,But not without it's merits it's nowhere in the same league as P.D. it stands above that and most of the series..It would've been interesting on the whole what if angle..What if Orion hadn't folded?,What if it retained adult appeal...


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razgriz21

Sun Nov 24, 2013 1:35 am



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That's a lot of what ifs.

I really find the main villain to be cartoony. No offense to John Castle but he wasn't menacing nor that hateful.  Not even charming or mysterious.  The idea of OCP mercs was good but they could have easily been robots because what we get is middle school level storm troopers aided by reject punkers.

With a good cast, I expected better acting but a toothless script among other variables keep it in park.


Also, Borg car chases weren't thrilling


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ChAnOoD

Sun Nov 24, 2013 1:47 am



-----------------------------------

Going back to the gunarm - I still like it but hate its execution. More than anything it really just needed to be toned down in the movie - That first scene with Robo could have just been him opening the damn door or punching it out even and then just blastin' with the Auto-9. Using that thing right away just makes what is already a cheesy sequence that much worse.

Donīt be rude with Robo. Maybe the fall made him fuzzy and forget how to open a carīs door.

Yeah, that part was absurd. Itīd work on a "Naked Gun" movie, but not for Robo. Also, he do his "trademark" feet hitting the floor after he shots the splatterpunks. Maybe they were trying to get a "new" way to introduce him, so they started with the "roof"?

Some people complain that Robo appears after 15 or 20 minutes in the movie, but I liked how first you see his POV, his visor, how they reveal him with tiny bits. Sadly, he does that over the top entrance with his car flying.

 As a funny note, when I went with my father to see it at the cinema as a  child, I thought that "spatterpunk noise/shout" when Lewis was in danger was people in the theater shouting. I was pretty pissed thinking that some people are doing that when I went to see one of my fave characters in the big screen.


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razgriz21

Sun Nov 24, 2013 3:35 am



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Speaking of that silly entrance.

Would have been better if it happened like this.

Murphy goes speeding down the road and the thugs shoot out the driver's side tire.

The Taurus skids out of control and hits a punk before crashing into a parked car.

A thug foolishly approaches the driver side door shooting at it only to get said door throw thrown at him instantly breaking his neck.

Murphy steps out and shoots the remaining thugs with his Auto 9


Also, what is up with the main baddie's right hand man Seitz?  Which leads me to believe he had no personality and was a yes man.

Also, slow reaction time pal. Now he is barbeque.


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Rob O'Coplin

Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:49 pm



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Rip Torn was epic in this movie. Prolly should have won an award for his performance.  :roll: 

This movie stunk from the get go. From the PG-13 rating to the guy who portrayed Robocop. The Robocop Trilogy could have done without R3... but then it wouldn't be a Trilogy...then there would be a time paradox! And I will cease to exist!...


or maybe they should have just finished it at Robocop 2. :?


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ChAnOoD

Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:36 pm



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The Robocop Trilogy could have done without R3... but then it wouldn't be a Trilogy...

One of the things I like about 3 is that it closes the whole thing. I mean, Lewis is gone, Robo have a family and OCP is done. It isnīt a open ending. They did it thinking on that. Itīd be difficult to continue the plot after that (and thatīs why The Series and PD ignored the sequels).


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:38 am



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The Robocop Trilogy could have done without R3... but then it wouldn't be a Trilogy...

One of the things I like about 3 is that it closes the whole thing. I mean, Lewis is gone, Robo have a family and OCP is done. It isnīt a open ending. They did it thinking on that. Itīd be difficult to continue the plot after that (and thatīs why The Series and PD ignored the sequels).

Yeah, I just recently said in another thread that I do like how it closes the trilogy and all loose ends.  I love the overall story, the arc of the trilogy, even if R3 limps badly, the general outline works. And you know, I like the fact that we have such variety in the trilogy like the Alien series has. The first film is this dark thriller about revenge and loss, the second one is a surreal and visually colorful violent graphic novel onscreen, and the third one is this kid friendly superhero story with ninjas. I find this very appealing and interesting


_____________________________ 

http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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gez1967

Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:42 am



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seen Robocop 3  about 5 times that's about it, the only things I did like about it was the jet pack and the machine gun arm, apart from that it sucked big time, and will most probs never watch again


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Stan The Man

Thu Jan 23, 2014 3:32 am



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One of the things I like about 3 is that it closes the whole thing. I mean, Lewis is gone, Robo have a family and OCP is done. It isnīt a open ending. They did it thinking on that. Itīd be difficult to continue the plot after that (and thatīs why The Series and PD ignored the sequels).

Yeah, I just recently said in another thread that I do like how it closes the trilogy and all loose ends.  I love the overall story, the arc of the trilogy, even if R3 limps badly, the general outline works. And you know, I like the fact that we have such variety in the trilogy like the Alien series has. The first film is this dark thriller about revenge and loss, the second one is a surreal and visually colorful violent graphic novel onscreen, and the third one is this kid friendly superhero story with ninjas. I find this very appealing and interesting

Well said guys - R3 may have been a limp dick, but it did provide a decent close to the movie's general arc.


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RoboDemise

Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:52 pm



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No comment. :b


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Stan The Man

Thu Jan 23, 2014 8:37 pm



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No comment. :b

Back, R3 lover, back back!


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vegasrobo

Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:32 pm



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Oh what could have been..


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Josh

Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:48 pm



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Well said guys - R3 may have been a limp dick, but it did provide a decent close to the movie's general arc.

If there's anything Demise likes it's a limp dick.

Or a hard one, he's not fussy really. Hell, it could be upside down and inside out and he'd still be game.


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RoboDemise

Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:14 am



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As long as it's laminated with kevlar I'm down... Err... :opps:


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Stan The Man

Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:49 am



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Oh what could have been..

Man do you have any idea how I feel that.. I made a whole article out of that one feeling over Corporate Wars... and with it I even think R2/R3/Crazy-man-Miller's crap could have been fitted in as well.. Man how I dream.. 

Anyway, R3 is what it is, and I don't like what it is so there ya go. Still its a part of my Robo-love too.

If there's anything Demise likes it's a limp dick.

Or a hard one, he's not fussy really. Hell, it could be upside down and inside out and he'd still be game.
As long as it's laminated with kevlar I'm down... Err... :opps:

:lol: And I'm funny to you? Bah, I think we all need another outing with Proto again.


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KidGoesWild

Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:08 am



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I was never a fan of the Corporate Wars, its just too far out there imo, I dont know, I just never liked it at all, for me it sounds like a bad and too whacky fan fic

_____________________________ 

http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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Stan The Man

Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:13 am



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The Series pilot wasn't that wacky or out there for the most part, and it was a basically a modification of that same story, and which is what I made my article's basis on. Now if you think of that Series pilot with Weller, Lewis, Reed, some blood, some adult tones and so forth? Oh man.. But I agree, a lot of CW (what we do know of the original's setup/ideas anyway) is pretty fucked. But if they had gotten a chance to really try and do something with it, who knows?

I still wouldn't have minded a reboot along those lines. The base story and setting itself make a perfect excuse for being set later and doing something somewhat different and all that. 

Damn, getting off-point man. Anyway, R3 isn't utterly horrible, I've been able to slightly like/enjoy more than I used to, a couple other things I hate more now though. It definitely could have been better, mainly with some blood and Weller, but as I said, what can ya do? Try to enjoy for what it is - I usually can't, but some can. Good for them.


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KidGoesWild

Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:19 am



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Well, what bothers me most is the feel of the movie, and the different type of a humor, a Police Academy style. Actually no, what bothers me most, plotholes and siliness aside, is the portrayal of robo, or rather lack of it, how hes acting like a cliched tough guy robot and a device rather than a witty Murphy in the last two. You cant feel for a guy who doesnt have any emotions, have a poker face all the time and doesnt even feel pain at all, and who speaks like a GPS "a vehicle is approaching" (Ill plug my article here - http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/2010/12/robocops-personality-throughout-movies.html). Even when I watched it the very first time, without knowing that Weller was replaced, I kept feeling like theres something wrong or off with robo, ending credits explained that ("Robert Burke"), but its also the script , the lines, behavior and side role that he was given

Is there a link to your article?

_____________________________ 

http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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Stan The Man

Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:27 am



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I'll address that in a PM, so we can close out this tangent here.

Now some other fool talk about R3 damnit. :b


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KidGoesWild

Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:39 pm



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I was thinking, with all resurrection and Christ overtones, whether the Robo rescue from the sky was an intentional nod to that. Chances are slim, or rather zero knowing Dekker and how "deep" he and R3 are, but even if unintentional, it adds a bit to the overall theme


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Archive

Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:52 pm



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Just found out that a work print of RoboCop 3 was found around October 2013 and is now floating around the web. 

For a few minutes I got excited in the potential of seeing some deleted scenes, but unfortunately the only thing that is different from the final cut is that the workprint is MISSING some scenes.

Robo3 disappoints me once again.


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vegasrobo

Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:54 am



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Shit...:(


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KidGoesWild

Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:39 am



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Just found out that a work print of RoboCop 3 was found around October 2013 and is now floating around the web. 

For a few minutes I got excited in the potential of seeing some deleted scenes, but unfortunately the only thing that is different from the final cut is that the workprint is MISSING some scenes.

Robo3 disappoints me once again.

Perhaps then there really arent any deleted scenes/scenes that were omitted but shot. Such a pity we never got a trilogy set with making ofs and documentaries and audio commentaries for all three movies

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Stan The Man

Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm



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I have seen some BTS short clips of R3 before, firing the gunarm and such, that were pretty cool, but they're spread out and tough to find. Even for R3, I agree, would be nice to have a couple of nice extras. Bah.

As for the Christ/sky reference, intentional or not, if thats what you'd like to think of it, don't see how it makes R3 worse, other than being another R1-recycle of course.


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KidGoesWild

Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:59 pm



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As for the Christ/sky reference, intentional or not, if thats what you'd like to think of it, don't see how it makes R3 worse, other than being another R1-recycle of course.

Well, in that case, I wouldn't group it together with the other R3 butt licks towards original, but rather as a continuation of a theme. But again, Im sure it wasn't intentional, it was just a typical superhero to the rescue in last minute type of a deal, but still


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Archive

Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:22 pm



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Interesting observation. I haven't thought about that. 

But yeah, I think it was mainly Verhoeven that ever did that kind of Robo/christ comparison. Apart from some hippy Jesus stuff by Cain, it was more or less ignored in all later Robo media as far as I know.


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RoboDemise

Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:55 am



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I think the rescue from above as a christ reference is really reaching. I don't see it at all. Nice thought, but no dice. I think they just wanted him to have his car destroyed at the beginning, just like R2 but a little different. Just a way to introduce him as a badass that can take more punishment than a taurus... :b


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:29 pm



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I know its reaching, and Im sure it wasn't intentional, but unintentionally it adds to the whole religion/resurrection theme. Thinking about it, all 3 movies are about revenge. In the first, he takes on revenge for his death, in the second one, for his second crucifixion, in the third, for Lewis' death

Apart from some hippy Jesus stuff by Cain, it was more or less ignored in all later Robo media as far as I know.

Well there was this brief moment when Robo looks at the corss on the church in R3

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Stan The Man

Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:55 pm



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Well there was this brief moment when Robo looks at the corss on the church in R3 

This is true. That said, I can't really agree about the 2nd film being a revenge story - it was more an ego battle between Cain and Robo. It never really was a straight, 'I didn't ask for this' revenge more like the original, or indeed R3.

Main problem I have always had with R3, and why I give R2 the nod is because of tone. R3 just doesn't feel like the original, like at all. R2 did, it still had that atmosphere to it. I don't know if it's lack of Weller, lack of Jon Davison, the PG-13 rating or some combo on the three, or even something else perhaps, but it feels like some period cornball action movie where someone put RoboCop in the blank spot of 'insert action hero here'. R2, for all its faults, still felt like a RoboCop movie. R3, not.


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KidGoesWild

Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:27 pm



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Well there was this brief moment when Robo looks at the corss on the church in R3 

This is true. That said, I can't really agree about the 2nd film being a revenge story - it was more an ego battle between Cain and Robo. 


I always get a sense that when hes coming back to the mill hes pissed, hes cold, hes ruthless, and he doesn't give up till he gets Cain, for what he did to him

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KidGoesWild

Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:12 pm


Re: My impressions after watching Robocop 3

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I dont understand why everyone hated Robocop 3? I thought it was a great movie with a lot of good one liners and action. The ED-209 hack scene was great, as well as seeing the Japanese version of a robocop. Not to mention Robo got an awesome new arm add-on and a jetpack. -- ok the jetpack was kind of dumb but still. So other than the film being rated pg-13, and not having Weller or O'Herlihy why did you hate it? .


Well, the thing that bothers me most is this - http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/2010/12/robocops-personality-throughout-movies.html 

and this is the rest that bothers me - http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/2010/12/robocop-3-faults-scene-by-scene.html


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Superquad7

Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:04 am



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R3 just doesn't have the razor's edge that R1 and even R2 has.  It's not about the excessive violence, cursing, etc.  I've watched a ton of things on cable that would be PG-13 that have that same razor's edge that just cuts and and cuts the viewer.  R1 is just relentless, and R2 will punch you in the face over and over.  R3 is just a friendly hi-five or something.  "Hey!  Thanks for coming to watch our movie!  It's really fun and rad!"

R3 really feels like the leftovers from R2 anyways.

RoboCop riding a pink Caddypimpmobile is worth my price of admission anyway.


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Stan The Man

Sat Mar 22, 2014 6:36 pm



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R3 just doesn't have the razor's edge that R1 and even R2 has.  It's not about the excessive violence, cursing, etc.  I've watched a ton of things on cable that would be PG-13 that have that same razor's edge that just cuts and and cuts the viewer.  R1 is just relentless, and R2 will punch you in the face over and over.  R3 is just a friendly hi-five or something.  "Hey!  Thanks for coming to watch our movie!  It's really fun and rad!"

R3 really feels like the leftovers from R2 anyways.

I'm gonna frame this and quote this from here on because it's just about perfect in terms of my thoughts on R3. Goddamn that was well-said. PT for that, dude. :wink:


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ChAnOoD

Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:41 pm



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R3 really feels like the leftovers from R2 anyways.

More obvious when you read Frank Millerīs RoboCop, based on the original R2 script.


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kodatarule

Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:45 pm



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Well movie on it's own isn't that bad but it totally misses the point of 1 and 2 ... It was pretty bad actually but I liked it to some extend...Hell yeah at least it's better than total recall bullshitty remake...


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Superquad7

Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:08 am



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I'm gonna frame this and quote this from here on because it's just about perfect in terms of my thoughts on R3. Goddamn that was well-said. PT for that, dude. :wink:

Well, my day was just made as well.  :)  I actually made my wife watch the Pimpmobile scene.  She at least got to see me laugh my butt off.  She at least snickered.

Oddly, I've liked R3 a bit more over the years, but there's just so much that misses the mark for me.  

One of my biggest gripes is the robot ninja.  I still remember when I was much younger and watched it for the first time and how jarred I was.  It's like going to a hockey game and seeing them toss a football around instead.  Also, MAN I HAD NO CLUE FRANK MILLER LIKED NINJAS.  I'M GLAD HE MADE SURE TO TELL ME IN THIS MOVIE.

Robert Burke did ok, but for me it's just Peter Weller or bust.  He just owns that role.

More obvious when you read Frank Millerīs RoboCop, based on the original R2 script.

Yep.  As a kid, I always thought something was terribly off, and then later I'd read that Miller's unused ideas for R2 were carried over into R3.  What really flicked the switch for me was reading through that Avatar comic.  Or trying to.  I get that the artist was trying to channel Geoff Darrow, but it just didn't work for me.  I'm quite the Geoff Darrow fan as well.


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gowett

Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:36 pm



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@@Tazzy Murphy@@ AKA My Mom Like R3! The only reason I like R3 is only because it was a Robocop movie and the gunarm and jetpack But that's all! Very Poor plot line! As for my mom she loved the scene where the cops and the people of the city coming togather to fight OCP!


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kodatarule

Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:08 am



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@@Tazzy Murphy@@ AKA My Mom Like R3! The only reason I like R3 is only because it was a Robocop movie and the gunarm and jetpack But that's all! Very Poor plot line! As for my mom she loved the scene where the cops and the people of the city coming togather to fight OCP!
My mom loves robocop 3 she says because there is not that much violence...Are you kidding me ? I would even take a more brutal version of rc1 director's cut...


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BurnOne4Robo

Thu Mar 27, 2014 1:40 pm



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Said it before, I'll say it a million times over:  Robbocop 3 is one of the worst films I've ever attempted to watch.  The directing is incompetent (to say it nicely), the script might as well be non-existent; you could adlib a better movie, The campy-ness is completely out of place, and basically every thing about every scene is garbage.  I find it impossible to watch this movie in one sitting.  I have to take it 15 to 20 mins at a time, it actually hurts to watch.


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RoboBabylonAD

Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:59 am



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I wouldn't say the directing is incompetent.

The problem is that it's rudimentary.

I think people who've claimed "RoboCop 3" to feel less like a cinematic film and more like a film made for television are the ones who're absolutely right. It has a television quality to it, right down to the sanitation of the content but even more than that...it feels like a script-by-committee.

The biggest regret about "RoboCop 3," in hindsight, is the unfortunate fact that THAT is the big finale to the series and character as he was originally created.

I think Robocop, almost more than any other franchise of its kind with the exception of "Halloween," is the one that you could make the best argument for in terms of how it genuinely should've just ended with the first film.

Now I love all subsequent Robocop, from "2" and even parts of "3" to certain elements of "The Series" and "Prime Directives" and the remake...and as a concept, there was certainly the potential for longevity to keep going with more adventures. You've got a character very much in the tradition of Batman where you could give Robo a pantheon of villains to fight in the name of defending Detroit, taking its cues from Bob Morton's claim of Murphy having "a lifetime of on the street law enforcement programming" and crime certainly wouldn't intend to let up.

But simultaneously, you could've easily ended it with Verhoeven's film as a statement on the reclamation of humanity...the rekindling of the spirit within the machine.

No matter how many times I go through the process of sitting down to a "RoboCop" marathon of the films, I always end up feeling frustrated over the fact that Murphy is taken on this existential journey through the first film...gets beaten down by friend and foe alike only to rise up and transform from Robo back into Murphy in that euphoric moment where you can't help but cheer for him...and then you have to watch helplessly as he winds up conforming and falling right back into line in "Robo" status dealing with the Nuke epidemic right afterwards and so on. You see what I'm saying?

Back to "RoboCop 3"...it feels incredibly paint by numbers.

I remember how the original film was marketed to portray Robocop as a fully formed super hero...but the reality is that it was the sequels and the franchise after the fact that turned him into a super hero more than the first film really ever did.

To that end "RoboCop 3" plays like that. It's Robo as a super hero...with everything from an array of zany new gadgetry to Nikko as his plucky sidekick to Dr. Lazarus as his Alfred and the sinister villains that are evil out of obligation rather than as a social statement on capitalism.

Where "RoboCop" pushes boundaries, "RoboCop 3" is comfortably cradled well within them and it's a real shame.

And again, THAT's how the trilogy ends. It acts as though it's the epic, end all-be all battle for the soul of Old Detroit...but the reality is that "battle" is what exactly?

It's Robo flying in on his jetpack, blowing up one tank and gunning a handful of Splatterpunks down before flying into the OCP tower...watching helplessly as Nikko and Marie destroy the Otomo androids FOR him...and then him flying off like a chicken with the two of them as a failsafe bomb finishes the job. So in the grand scheme of things, Robo himself didn't do an awful lot to save the day in his own movie.

Now on the plus side, I do think the film opens very strongly, specifically with the idea of prolonging the moment until we finally see Robocop. It creates an almost mythic quality about the character.

"I don't think this is exactly a guy, Moreno."

"you think...it's HIM?"

There's a wonderful aura of mystery and suspense leading up to Robocop finally making his arrival.

But ultimately, it feels very predictable and deliberately tame.

For a send off for Robocop, it just feels so much smaller than it thinks it is...and it's a real shame.


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ChAnOoD

Sat Jun 14, 2014 2:01 am



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And again, THAT's how the trilogy ends. It acts as though it's the epic, end all-be all battle for the soul of Old Detroit...but the reality is that "battle" is what exactly?

I think all the sequels from the first film ended having interesting ideas, but they donīt develop them too well.

In the case of Robo3, the aspect of Murphy getting off the police force to help the people is a great concept. It would work incredibly well today, with all the riots on the streets and corruption from the people in suits. Sadly, as you point, it doesnīt go deep on it and they build all that thing to solve it in a few minutes. But I think the rating and the studio are guilty (Miller isnīt a "family" writer).


Same happens with the rest of the films: while Robo 2 have interesting parts, it ends as a mess. The Series has some nice episodes and some of the themes are interesting, but the execution wasnīt right (and the thing that amazes me is how they aimed for a PG audience but they do that "sex scene" in the pilot. I found it funny and "brave" if you compare with the tone of the whole thing). As for PD, Iīm one of the fews who see it with good eyes. Yes, theyīre 4 cheap films and theyīre well not directed, but they tried something. In this case, I think itīd be improved if other guy was directing the films. And RebootCop has cool themes as well, but they usually show  them for a minute and then forget about them.


Back to Robo3, I kinda like how it ends. OCP is gone, so is Murphy free? Donīt like too much the last sentence "You can call me RoboCop", as it looks like they were trying to do the opposite of the end of the Verhoeven film, but I like that they tried to give RoboCop an end, killing the greedy corporation and leaving his past behind him.


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RoboBabylonAD

Sat Jun 14, 2014 2:23 am



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I can definitely agree with your points, particularly with "Prime Directives."

Funny enough, your avvy...as much as it's freaking me out haha...is one of my favorite scenes.

That idea of Murphy's consciousness getting rebooted and triggering the memory of his own murder and the subsequent human reaction to it. It's a very powerful and haunting scene.

Could you imagine a scene like that...but performed by Peter Weller and done so in a more compelling, appropriately budgeted version?

Like you said, "Prime Directives" has a number of fantastic elements.

I like the idea of it being set 10 years after the events of the original film and I love that it involves Alex's son as a main character and the idea of him growing up to be a presence within the very company that's responsible for what happened to Murphy (not in the sense of killing him...that obviously falls to the feet of Boddicker...but in the sense of not letting him rest, utilizing him for the "RoboCop" program of their own volition).

I think you've pretty much summed up the key to this whole thing, my friend.

The "RoboCop" franchise is a prime example of promising potential that's ultimately failed by poor execution. Not because the ideas themselves are bad...but how they're handled just doesn't do them justice.

And we all know how RoboCop feels about a lack of justice  :wink:


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RoboTrap

Sat Jun 14, 2014 3:37 am



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Robo was definitely a "one-and-done" type of film. Not that it didn't merit a sequel, but in order for one to work it would have had to abandon a lot of the iconography (terrifying thought for a film exec) and the odds of that happening weren't favorable. The sequels we got failed to grasp what made the film work as a whole, and especially didn't understand what made Murphy work. He has a clear, concise arc that ends with him reclaiming his humanity, and the sequels should have jumped off from that point instead of recycling the Robo character we had at the beginning of the first film.

RoboCop 2 only works if he did what OCP thought he was doing: disposing of his humanity. But he didn't! He was giving up the fight for recognition of his humanity, which is a very, very different thing, and something that wasn't touched upon for the rest of the movie. From a plot and story perspective, it just serves to reset him to RoboCop and that's that.

RoboCop 3 & The Series were continuations of that misstep with the character. The glimpse we got of Murphy in RC1 was of a warm man doing a hard job because he thought it needed to be done. I know it seems bizarre, but RoboCop 2 should have given us a Robo that split his off-duty time between the sadness what he's lost and just... being Murphy. Smiling, poking his partner in the ribs, being a human being.

I find it hard to picture, however it's what needed to happen for both the character and the franchise, and it's something they aggressively fought against to preserve what they thought was the appeal of the character. 

Sorry Sarge, but they fucked up.


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Superquad7

Sat Jun 14, 2014 7:43 am



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RoboCop 3 gave us Robo driving a pink pimpmobile.  That in itself is worth the price of admission.

I like the movie a little more now as a seasoned fan, but there's still too much of it I can't stand.


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Archive

Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:14 pm



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I know it seems bizarre, but RoboCop 2 should have given us a Robo that split his off-duty time between the sadness what he's lost and just... being Murphy. Smiling, poking his partner in the ribs, being a human being.

Oh god. That sounds absolutely terrible and I hope nobody seriously wants to see that. 

As cool a guy as Alex Murphy seemed to be before he got killed, it is the character of RoboCop that we love and with it comes a certain robotic personality.


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Superquad7

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:23 pm



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I know it seems bizarre, but RoboCop 2 should have given us a Robo that split his off-duty time between the sadness what he's lost and just... being Murphy. Smiling, poking his partner in the ribs, being a human being.

Oh god. That sounds absolutely terrible and I hope nobody seriously wants to see that. 

As cool a guy as Alex Murphy seemed to be before he got killed, it is the character of RoboCop that we love and with it comes a certain robotic personality.

Agreed.  R2 saw "Murphy" being human, but not being a silly one - other than when given the crazy directives.  I rather enjoy the more subtle humanity of Murphy as in the beginning where he tells Lewis, "Lewis, hang it up."  That's not a robotic line - that's a human line, and especially the way Weller delivers it.

Also, one of the things that RoboCop 2 is criticized for is one of the very things I love about it: "Murphy" is now the product. Sure, it's referred to as "RoboCop," but that's not the exploration of the product that's in R2.  OCP attempted to strip him of his humanity yet it learned the hard way what happens when they make him something other than what he's not.  Even the last line and Muprhy's socket wrenching of his helmet (probably to remove it, no less) give the irony of what he actually is.

R3 is pretty much what happens when you try to take RoboCop and just make an early teenager's comic book.


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artuditu

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:24 pm



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The remake showed clearer than ever than Robo trying to get back his family is a dead end story, always leading to the same frustration. 

The original films, specially the first one, were smarter not going through that path, just avoiding it or putting it aside. Murphy seems a nice guy before dying, yes, but what we have to understand is it works so well because it is generic, the audience can identify with Murphy instantly and feel his personal journey because he is more or less a normal guy. It is not that important who were his wife and son, he had a wife and son and he lost them, that's all you need, it makes the story more universal and mythical, the character is about man and machine, not about a particular individual before becoming machine.

It is not even important who was Murphy before dying, really, he was a brave cop, good partner, nice family man, you get all that in 2 or 3 scenes. But new reboot trends like amazing spiderman, man of steel and even batman begins, they want to give a full biography of the character before becoming a superhero, and make them more important and special before being important and special. Yet again Robo is not just another superhero, generic flashbacks of what was like being a man and having a family is all the character always needed.


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Superquad7

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:32 pm



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The remake showed clearer than ever than Robo trying to get back his family is a dead end story, always leading to the same frustration. 

The original films, specially the first one, were smarter not going through that path, just avoiding it or putting it aside. Murphy seems a nice guy before dying, yes, but what we have to understand is it works so well because it is generic, the audience can identify with Murphy instantly and feel his personal journey because he is more or less a normal guy. It is not that important who were his wife and son, he had a wife and son and he lost them, that's all you need, it makes the story more universal and mythical, the character is about man and machine, not about a particular man before becoming machine.

It is not even important who was Murphy before dying, really, he was a brave cop, good partner, nice family man, you get all that in 2 or 3 scenes. But new reboot trends like amazing spiderman, man of steel and even batman begins, they want to give a full biography of the character before becoming a superhero, and make them more important and special before being important and special. Yet again Robo is not a normal superhero, generic flashbacks of what was like being a man and having a family is all the character always needed.

I'd certainly agree that generally speaking his identity isn't completely central to the story, but I won't go so far as to say that it's "unimportant".  Also, one of the things that does set RoboCop apart from other characters is that Alex Murphy IS a particular person - not an everyman character.  Alex Murphy isn't just a person, but he's the person that looks, acts, and speaks the way Weller portrayed him.  R3 would have even been better served had the movie included the parts intended where the different face was to be explained.

I don't want to come across as too argumentative, especially given the main point of your post (which I do agree with).  However, the points I listed above are things I feel very strongly about, especially having watched these movies so many times over so many years thinking very critically about them and just exactly why I like them so much.


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Stan The Man

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:38 pm



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Great posts guys, especially RBAD and artu. I too agree that the real story of RoboCop, the family element included, was done as much as can be done in the first film, after that there's nothing to revisit on that level without being redundant or going in circles. 

As said they could still build on that and come up with good stories and themes, but each time fell short in some form or other. Superquad pretty much hit it on how I view Robo-Murphy in R2, I felt it was just fine. Honestly though, no matter what you do, there's nothing that will touch the magic and balance of the original film, just not possible. I always thought a tweaked Corporate Wars story might have been close, but perhaps it too would have too much off the mark, who knows. That said..

I know it seems bizarre, but RoboCop 2 should have given us a Robo that split his off-duty time between the sadness what he's lost and just... being Murphy. Smiling, poking his partner in the ribs, being a human being.

Oh god. That sounds absolutely terrible and I hope nobody seriously wants to see that. 

As cool a guy as Alex Murphy seemed to be before he got killed, it is the character of RoboCop that we love and with it comes a certain robotic personality.

I always say I don't mind a bit of emotion and stuff, I too wouldn't want a weepy RoboCop, or even a weepy kind of RoboCop film. We got that in the Series and the reboot and while I like that angle, there's a level where it's just too much.. I'm wondering now if you can even have 'just a bit' of that and still have it work.. Artu was dead-on in that it's a road that only leads to frustration, hence why I always thought 'just a bit', minor, almost superficial service to it, would be acceptable, but even so, that headache would still happen. I agree dodging it was the smarter move. I still wouldn't have minded a bit more of a stamp, even on the 'dodge', but thinking about it these days, just not so sure.

Anyway, to stay on-point, I've always held RoboCop 3 weakest of the films primarily because it just doesn't feel like a RoboCop film to my eyes, doesn't feel like the original or R2, the tone and atmosphere just isn't the same, and isn't right. Whatever it is, direction, Jetpack, no Weller, no good villains, no hard violence or humor, some/all of the above, etc it's missing something there on a basic level, and ultimately seems to me more a generic action/cop/crime film with RoboCop in place of Max Payne or whoever you want to put in there. It's a film with RoboCop in it, but not a 'RoboCop' film. Really can't put it any other way.


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artuditu

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:44 pm



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I'd certainly agree that generally speaking his identity isn't completely central to the story, but I won't go so far as to say that it's "unimportant".  Also, one of the things that does set RoboCop apart from other characters is that Alex Murphy IS a particular person - not an everyman character.  Alex Murphy isn't just a person, but he's the person that looks, acts, and speaks the way Weller portrayed him.  R3 would have even been better served had the movie included the parts intended where the different face was to be explained.

I don't want to come across as too argumentative, especially given the main point of your post (which I do agree with).  However, the points I listed above are things I feel very strongly about, especially having watched these movies so many times over so many years thinking very critically about them and just exactly why I like them so much.

Obviously Peter Weller puts his face, voice and mannerisms, as any actor does, and he is a perfect casting choice. 

But my point is all that is in the interest of making a fast impression of a character, as I said you can sum him up in 3 main traits: good cop (brave, dutiful and action oriented), good partner (Lewis and him develop an instant bond) and good family man (he talks about his son with Lewis, he has flashbacks of his family when dying). We are talking about few scenes and minutes, most of it is a long action scene (chasing the van and factory). 

The film does not develop more because the character at that point does not need it, what is important is what happens to him (brutal murder) and what he becomes, Robocop.

Since that point the story is very mythical and universal, it talks about identity and humanity, but it never develops the idea of Murphy before death being a special and unique individual, just a generic good man the audience can relate to. Death and resurrection (first physical and then spiritual) is what happen to him, from there we start the journey.

The reboot is just unable to manage all those more minutes and greater importance given to Murphy and his family, because they did not understand what made the original work so well.


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Stan The Man

Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:50 pm



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I'm with ya, artu. I too very much appreciate how simply and succinctly the original film handled its business. We know all we need to know about not only Murphy, but OCP, the city, the police, the world environment/tone, Jones, Morton, Boddicker, Lewis.. In fact about 80% of the film we get by about the 20 minute mark. A real crash course if you will. After that any further info's extraneous, doesn't add anything really. And most of the movie is that way, getting to things with purpose and speed. Yet it never feels rushed.. nor does it feel like anything's truly missing or left out. It's beautiful and brilliant. It's that wonderful, magic balance in play.

This coming from a guy who usually would like a lot of background fluff and crap, as I've said elsewhere. Strange, huh? :)

On that point, that's something R3 certainly lacks in - the film isn't succinct, indeed it drags on at several times. Makes for a boring watch. The remakeboot was even worse in that regard in places. In fact I equate the new film with R3 in what I said previously, that it misses something on a basic level, misses that particular 'feel', and instead feels like a whatever action/crime flick. Bah, thats something else though. 

R3 is still the worst on the films, plain and simple. R2 has it's many faults, but it has more in it I can look past and enjoy. Even with that aside, RoboCop 2, for whatever reason, still retains that original's 'feel' I speak of. R3, not.


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artuditu

Sat Jun 14, 2014 6:09 pm



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What I like more of R3 is how they continue with the story of Detroit and Delta City, that is OCP taking over the city. That story arc is probably the thing that ties the original films together and gives some unity to them. At the end of R1 there is a police strike going on, and that's what we have at the beginning of R2.

Actually R1 creates a lot of expectation around Delta City, remember that conversation between Dick Jones and Clarence about everything going to kick off, millions of construction workers, etc. Robocop is the cop of Delta City, they should come together, they are the future.

I really felt disappointed when it looked clear the reboot script was discarding Delta City and the police strike.

Other than that it has been discussed many times what's wrong with R3, lots of things. I would point again the tone, which is very contradictory, for the most part of the film is very pessimistic and even dark, people expelled from their homes, a girl that lose her parents, refugees in churches, Robo gets his memory almost erased, OCP executives killing themselves, Lewis getting killed, we even have a teenager prositute because her father is unemployed... Seriously is any of that suitable for children AT ALL?

But as I said the tone is very contradictory, we get from time to time funny dialogues and action clearly aimed at children, and everything it gets too flashy and fantastic with gunarm, jetpacks, ninja robots... The little girl genius that saves everyone with her computer, including Robo, etc. etc. There is no point in mentioning all again. At the end the battle between people+cops and rehabs+criminals is too over the top, it was epic when I was a kid, but it really doesnīt make much sense.


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Stan The Man

Sat Jun 14, 2014 6:17 pm



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I too did appreciate the pick-back-up of the Delta City element, though at the end of the day it just seems like another shameless R1 link. Maybe that's too harsh though. Bah. That said -

Other than that it has been discussed many times what's wrong with R3, lots of things. I would point again the tone, which is very contradictory, for the most part of the film is very pessimistic and even dark, people expelled from their homes, a girl that lose her parents, refugees in churches, Robo gets his memory almost erased, OCP executives killing themselves, Lewis getting killed, we even have a teenager prositute because her father is unemployed... Seriously any of that is suitable for children AT ALL.

But as I said the tone is very contradictory, we get from time to time funny dialogues and action clearly aimed at children, and everything it gets too flashy and fantastic with gunarm, jetpacks, ninja robots... The little girl genius that saves everyone with her computer, including Robo, etc. etc. There is no point in mentioning all again.

Indeed, and I only quote this for emphasis. Far from the amazing balance of the original, we get his thing where balance seems like a foreign concept. Bah, the price of a PG-13 rating I suppose. Sounds like that same problem can be pointed out with the rebootmake as well, but again, that's another thing. :roll:


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RoboTrap

Sat Jun 14, 2014 9:49 pm



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I knew that the idea of a more human Robo wouldn't be met with welcome arms, but I'll stand by it. I brought it up and even I can't picture Weller in the RoboSuit acting like normal Murphy. But cold, nigh-emotionless Robo can only do so much; there's a point where being badass gets boring and the human beneath needs to be clear.

Yes, the remake tried to do that and failed, but gunfights and music aren't bad ideas just because the remake failed at those too!

You can backtrack and have Murphy wonder whether he's a man in a machine or a machine haunted by a dead man, or you can push forward and have Murphy become dominant to the point where, for brief moments, even he can forget he's trapped within that shell.

But stagnation isn't a viable option to me.


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Mephisto

Sun Jun 15, 2014 10:11 pm



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I showed my girlfriend both RoboCop 1 and 2 of which she hasn't seen the first one in years and never has seen the 2nd one. Enjoyed them though. I couldn't show her the 3rd one. It's fucking embarrassing to watch. Robot ninja's, little hacker girl, and PG stupid shit. I can't sit through it. All i showed her of it was lewis's death scene, and how damn underplayed the scene was with Burke looking like he's fucken smiling the entire time and showing no damn emotion.

Murphy just lost the last hold on humanity he had. Oh well, off with the rebels he goes. Fuck that movie. It doesn't exist.


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Stan The Man

Mon Jun 16, 2014 1:30 am



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Like I said, I wouldn't mind a bit more 'human' to Robo, but even a bit too much just muddies the waters and can get frustrating. 

That said, that scene was a real pain to watch, especially with the rather good buildup with standing down McDaggett and Robo's Prime Directives flashing, all to then see what Meph just described.. Bah.


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BurnOne4Robo

Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:30 pm



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 Fuck that movie. It doesn't exist.

My sentiments exactly.


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Slash Man

Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:58 pm



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Relatively new fan to RoboCop, so I had the benefit of having all three movies available at the same time. The first movie? I can't really compare it to anything, it's in a league of its own. The second? I actually liked it as a sequel. You're kinda required to ignore the plot inconsistencies with the first film, but the RoboCop action (including some of the greatest stop motion IMO) was phenomenal. The third just didn't deliver anything. The story of RoboCop 2 was a bit of a mess, but it was all in good fun. RoboCop 3 was just painful to watch.


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Stan The Man

Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:42 am



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^ I think I like this guy.

As for the topic, well, this man mostly said it. In my Robo movie marathon it actually was a chore to go through R3 right after the first two, just was. Yes I do see how it is structured better as a film than R2, problem is there just ain't much in that structure. My long-held outlook has not changed - R3 remains a film with RoboCop in it, rather than a RoboCop film as R2 was.


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RoboBrand87

Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:53 pm



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I like Robocop 3. My love for Jill Hennessy is the main reason, but I also dig the score, Burke as Robocop and the homages to the original film.


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RoboPimp

Thu Dec 08, 2016 3:39 am



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I've said it before but I'll say it again: I love Robocop 3. I'm sure all the reasons have been stated before too, but here's five reasons to love it:

1) Sgt. Reed gets a lot of screen time and has his finest moment at the end.
2) The Delta City plot line, which started in the first movie, comes to a climax.
3) Nancy Allen is great as Lewis as always, especially in the powerful death scene.
4) The gunarm. Not everyone likes its application, but its an iconic part of Robocop lore.
5) Frank Miller's Rehab concept is great for Robocop, and John Castle's MCDaggett is a great villain. 

An honorable mention to the commercial for Johnny Rehab, which is probably my favorite of all the fake Robocop commercials.


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Kamdan

Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:20 am



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I can recall that even at a young age of five, I could appreciate the dark humor of the first two films and any sort of sympathy came from RoboCop himself. When it came to the third film, I could tell something was off with our focus shifted to the Nikko loosing her home and parents. As I grew up, I began to see all of the Nazi Germany overtones and thought there could have been something worthwhile if they hadn't tried to appeal to the kiddie market they were aiming at with me. All they needed were toys, which they did supply, and that's all I cared about. Plus, Lewis' death was a cop out, since she substained the same damage at the end of RoboCop 1, but she survived since she's a tough cop.


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RoboWags

Thu Dec 08, 2016 3:05 pm



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I have to agree with Pimp.  Robo 3 is a great RoboCop story.  Would it have been on par with the first movie if it were R-rated?  Yes.  Would it have been better with Weller in the suit?  Yes.  All in all, I think the tone of the movie sets the mood for a dark picture which the first movie set as well.

Kamdan makes a good point about Lewis' death as well.  I was never happy with it myself but it made for a powerful catalyst for Murphy to join the rebels.  Without that push, he may not have been so inclined to do so.  We do get to see a little more depth (though not much) in Murphy and Lewis' relationship.  By this point, they have been partners for about 5-6 years (according to some versions of the script) and it shows.  Murphy disobeys an order to come to her aid and they even know personal details about each other showing they have discussions of a personal nature beyond just their work. They are partners and friends, something we didn't see much in the previous movies.  In the end, they had even both watched the other die - a VERY intimate and personal moment I think.  They obviously care about each other in ways we had only previously seen in the comics.

The gunarm and flight pack, while not popular with most fans, show us that there is continued development on RoboCop by OCP and that they are continually trying to make him better (especially after the Cain/Robocop 2 incident.  Interchangeable parts make him more versatile across a wide range of applications beyond simple law enforcement.  My wife calls it his "riot gear".

For all it's flaws, RoboCop 3 has at its core a good story which ties up several loose ends in Robo's story and that of OCP as well as Lewis, Reed, and even Johnson to a point.  It may not have been executed in the right way, but to me it ties up the story pretty well.  I think Robo vs Terminator fits perfectly after it (and it was meant to).


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artuditu

Thu Dec 08, 2016 6:06 pm



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I think at some point we all have wanted to like R3 :p

Now my question is, those of you who still like it, how would you rate it out of 10?

I can like or enjoy movies I find very flawed, but that wouldn't mean I find them good. R3 has interesting things and moments, no doubt, but the flaws and bad moments are so appalling I could never argue more than a 5 out of 10 without feeling embarrassed :lol:


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Stan The Man

Thu Dec 08, 2016 7:34 pm



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^ I'd give a 6 or maybe a bit higher myself, if only because the good elements that are there are quite good - In terms of structure R3 is done well and has several good elements as pointed out that I have to concur with. But indeed that alone a good film does not make. And R3 has bad elements that are really bad and so it's not enough of a counter for me either. 

While it has a good story, a lot of it really doesn't feel so much RoboCop to me, that combined with the whole contradictory watering-down, and toning-down and, well - neutering - of the whole thing is what results in my long-standing 'film with RoboCop in it, not a RoboCop film' point, and why it loses to R2 as my second-best. But it's not the worst thing for sure - I'd rate it better than RemakeCop, and definitely PD for sure.

I more-or-less agree with all of Pimps points yet interestingly one thing I note in there is the lack of anything about RoboCop himself. Not that I'm saying the RoboCop component is necessarily lacking or that Pimp is implying that, but I think it's in a way telling that one of the most positive points for a Robo film ain't Robo himself.

That said I do like very much Reed's character getting to shine in R3, it's probably my most favored aspect in R3. Reed kicked some ass, that was cool as shit. :) Lewis' death I'm mixed about, leaning to dislike. I agree it added some impetus to Robo's fight against OCP/Rehabs but still think it was as said a cop-out and unnecessary. Allen of course still acted great though, this is certainly true. I too liked bringing back Delta City as well, correcting what I feel was a misstep in R2. And of course I like the gunarm, perhaps with some reservations but still. Hennessy was nice and I liked having some Pouledouris music, reused and cheesifed in spots though it was.

As for Robo himself, make no mistake, I will never say Burke did badly. If I ever did in the past, that was wrong. He worked with what he had to work with and do so quite well. That said, some aspects of his performance lacked considerably, enough to where it counted against him and reinforced a 'doesn't fit' stigma after Weller. Mostly in delivery of lines, and expressions - Much of that I'm sure is script and direction faults but still, well, Burke ain't Weller, and there's not really any way around that. I think Richard Eden did better in this regard, honestly. Still, again, Burke did fine. But Peter Weller IS RoboCop, end of (Sorry, Eden. :b).

Even with all this I can mostly agree that getting rid of the watering down and returning it closer to the tone and atmosphere of R1 and R2 (R-rating, essentially) would have made it much better - An R-rated R3 would probably surpass R2 in all honestly, much as I enjoy and appreciate R2.


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Edd 209

Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:06 pm



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R3 is like comfort food.  You know it's no good for you but you can't help it when you want some Robo in an easy and generic fix.  I love just slipping this movie on when I need some Robocop but don't want to get too involved.  R1 and R2 really draw you in whereas R3 you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.


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RoboPimp

Fri Dec 09, 2016 3:11 am



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Now my question is, those of you who still like it, how would you rate it out of 10?

Like 7/10. But of course, I'm more than a bit biased in this. Robocop 3 is probably the movie I have seen the most. Not just out of the Robocop series but of any movie. There was a long period of time when I refused to watch the first two movies because they were too scary and gave me nightmares so I would just watch Robocop regularly for years. Now, I'm not a cinema guy so I don't really care about the technical details. The 2014 remake might be considered a better movie to an outsider, but I think its generic crap and have no intention of seeing it again. Robocop 3, on the other hand, is very unique, even within the Robocop franchise, mixing the best and worst elements of the series into one ridiculous package. 

Here's a confession: I never liked Robocop because of how intellegent or well crafted the first movie is. I liked Robocop because he looked cool, and I still think he does. So a cinephile might have their reasons for thinking Robocop 3 does not live up to its predecessors, but to them I say eat my turds. I love Robocop 3 because it has always been a part of my life, a bright light shining out of my memories of youth. If you want to dissect music or poetry, I'm all for it. But I don't have the same critical eye for movies. I just like what I like. And I love Robocop 3!


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HOB888

Fri Dec 09, 2016 3:45 am



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I watched R3 for the first time in cinema, I had the chance to watch the original in vhs then R2 in a cinema
when I was ten.Back in the day I hated it because I didn't get why it was so familly friendly, I didn't know the whole
story behind it.I was just a 13 yo kid.

Several years later I purchased the trilogy dvd box and rewatched it and  there are small bits that I like , throughout the movie.
The commercials, the media breaks, the rehabs, the suicide joke, or when Fleck says he's not gonna die like
a show off and kill himself with dignity with his gun  :lol: , it was cool to see Bixby again of course, I also liked the car chase.
It was also cool to see Johnson or Reed again or ED 209.Lot of details.

I'd say due to its tone ,it's not as good as the first two movies, but if you're a sucker for the Robocop universe
it's always good to see more of it.


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RoboWags

Fri Dec 09, 2016 4:07 am



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I'm a lifetime Robo fan - starting out with the first movie when I was only 4 (my older brother is 7 years my senior so I got to watch a lot of that kind of stuff at an early age).  I am a fan of the '88 animated series, the comics, the toys, and the live-action series.  That being said, I give R3 a 7/10.  Even after growing up, I see much good in R3 (as I previously stated above).  Being a kid at the time, I got the toys and comics associated with Robo 3 and I'm sure that plays a factor in me liking it as much as I do.  The flight pack and gunarm added more play ability to the figures.  Beyond that, while I do agree with Stan that it is very much a movie with RoboCop in it as apposed to a RoboCop movie, the same argument could be made about RoboCop 2 (if you think about it, the movie was centered more on OCP's dealing with Detroit and Faxx trying to create a superior RoboCop then on RoboCop himself - even Cain's story was more prominent then Robo's dealings with his wife).  This is the way sequels are, though.  We already got Murphy's story in the first movie.  There was some continuation of his struggle with his humanity in the second one, but it was pale in comparison to the first and was not the center piece on the story in RoboCop 2.  In fact, his humanity struggle was dropped altogether after his encounter with Ellen in the second act and was not brought up again for the rest of the movie.

I have to give Dekker credit for trying to correct the distance Kershner put between the first and second movie.  The second was made to be more of a super hero movie than an action movie with the blue suit, new heroic score, etc.  Dekker brought back the elements (even though they might be minor ones) that made the first recognizable like the silver suit, Poledouris' score, ED-209, Delta City, etc.  He gets a lot of crap about Robo 3 but I commend him for bringing the franchise back to where it belongs.  It was the studio's choice to rate the movie PG-13 so I don't hold him accountable for that.

For reference, here's how I rate the entire franchise:

RoboCop - 10/10
RoboCop 2 - 9/10
RoboCop 3 - 7/10
RoboCop (Animated) - 6/10
RoboCop: Alpha Commando - 0/10
RoboCop: The Series - 6/10
RoboCop: The Prime Directives - 2/10
RoboCop (Reboot) - 4/10


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Edd 209

Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:34 am



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how I rate the entire franchise:

RoboCop - 10/10
RoboCop 2 - 9/10
RoboCop 3 - 7/10
RoboCop (Animated) - 6/10
RoboCop: Alpha Commando - 0/10
RoboCop: The Series - 6/10
RoboCop: The Prime Directives - 2/10
RoboCop (Reboot) - 4/10

For me (very similar!):
R1 - 11/10
R2 - 9/10
R3 - 7/10
Animated - never seen :-(
Alpha Commando - never seen :-(
The Series - 6.5/10
PD - 1.5/10
Reboot - 6.5/10

If Weller was in R3 do you reckon he'd have tried to bring back the violence?


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Stan The Man

Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:55 am



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I think there was a topic before where we did rankings.. not sure. But since we're doing it now - 

RoboCop - 10/10 (Perfect score for a perfect film)
RoboCop 2 - 8/10 (Probably as low as I'll go there)
RoboCop 3 - 6.5/10 (Probably as high as I'll go there :b)
RoboCop: The Series - 7/10 (Overall yes I would give it an edge over R3)
RoboCop: Prime Directives - 1.5/10 (I want to give it a 0 but spots of Dark Justice and me wanting to be nice save it a bit :roll:)
RoboCop 2014 - 5.5/10 (Pretty much where its settled)

Haven't seen Alpha Commando, and what I remember of the animated cartoon ain't much and ain't all that good (I'd probably call midrange on it at this point). In the event we'll just skip those for me.

I mostly agree with HOB and Edd's bottom line remarks for R3 - It's good light Robo fix with some other nice aspects but not too much more than that. At least to me. The mucking with the tone and atmosphere is really what makes it lack in regards to its source - R2 retained much more of that which is mostly why I consider it a "RoboCop film" as opposed to R3. But R3 has its good spots, that I have learned to grant it over the years. But it's not quite enough. Bah.


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RoboBrand87

Fri Dec 09, 2016 4:37 pm



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Now my question is, those of you who still like it, how would you rate it out of 10?

An 8, easily. I was never allowed to watch 18 rated movies as a kid/early teen so Robocop 3 (which was a 15 in the UK) was the only one I could watch for the longest time.  It was my introduction to the series and I'll always have a soft spot for it. I still enjoy it now, even more than I enjoy "Robocop 2." 

We all see movies differently. To most, "Robocop 3" is garbage, but to me, it's a fun adventure movie. Not as good as the original, but a perfectly satisfying Robocop film.


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KidGoesWild

Sat Dec 10, 2016 8:37 pm



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Well, like I said in another thread recently, R3, for what it was, still had some grim feel to it. 

It has a lot of bleak imagery. Lost homes, separation from parents, dead parents, dying friends (bertha) 

_____________________________ 

http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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ChAnOoD

Sun Dec 11, 2016 6:58 pm



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Funny thing, I think Robo3 has a "heart", unlike the previous movie. On the contrary, RoboCop in 2 still has some range and emotion on him. But in RoboCop 3 Murphy roots for the people, and leaves OCP. Thatīs an interesting take of the character: he was build to serve his company, and while he stills "upholds the law", but he doesnīt obey orders and tries to do the best for the citizens. We can comply about the tone, the rating or the foolish things in the flick, but the plot makes more sense than builiding a bigger robot with the brain of a drug dealer  :b


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Stan The Man

Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:32 pm



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We can comply about the tone, the rating or the foolish things in the flick, but the plot makes more sense than builiding a bigger robot with the brain of a drug dealer  :b

It does, but does that necessarily make it better? I mean I've seen several films that had plots that made a lot of sense and were as entertaining and engaging as watching a cow shit. :roll: Not that R3 isn't entertaining at all mind you, just saying. I think R2 despite having a arguably more ridiculous and cobbled story still felt more reverent than R3. Perhaps not as much as I used to think, but still, more.

I do agree that R3 did bring back a warmth that R2 definitely lacked, and that is a good thing, even though it did so more in a cheesy and corny manner than the original. However it only added to the contradictory tone in R3, I feel. The balance still wasn't there.


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ChAnOoD

Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:42 pm



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It does, but does that necessarily make it better? I mean I've seen several films that had plots that made a lot of sense and were as entertaining and engaging as watching a cow shit.

Wanna fight?  :lol: Donīt get me wrong, I like absurd things as well, but I think Robo 2 lacks on the story and structure. Also, to me, the story itīs more appealing in the third one.

I do agree that R3 did bring back a warmth that R2 definitely lacked 

I think having Poledouris back helps a bunch to get that "spirit" on it. And I think we talked ages about how difficult to get the same tone over and over. I think yes, "warmth" is a good word for it. I watched RoboCop some days ago and man, ever the bad guys, who are a vile piece of shit, had these "warmth". I mentioned here before, you donīt want to screw with Clarence, but if you want some laughs you can have a party with him.

 It did so more in a cheesy and corny manner than the original. However it only added to the contradictory tone in R3, I feel. The balance still wasn't there. 

I read some talk on Facebook about R3 and Roboīs entrances in the film. When he first shows and breaks the car, or when he does his own figure on a door. I think itīd fit on a super-over-the-top film or a parody, but with this character it falls into cheesy levels. Again, very hard to find the balance. If you tried too much, you could make an ugly flick (R2), if you misunderstand the humour, if goes into chessiness (R3).


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Edd 209

Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:04 am



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Great points you are both making Stan and ChAnOoD


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RoboBrand87

Mon Dec 12, 2016 3:37 pm



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I rate the franchise like this:

Robocop 10/10 (Simply the best movie of all time) 
Robocop 2  6/10 (Decent, but not my favourite) 
Robocop 3 8/10 (Perfectly satisfying end to the Robocop trilogy) 
Robocop TV series 8/10 (I'm not going to be very popular around here) 
Robocop PD 1/10 (Worse than the remake. Pure garbage) 
RoboCop Remake 2.5/10 (Dreadful, but I like the title card music)
Animated series 5/10 (From what I've seen it's average) 
Never seen the Alpha Commando series.


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ChAnOoD

Mon Dec 12, 2016 6:31 pm



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Robocop 3 8/10 (Perfectly satisfying end to the Robocop trilogy) 

Thatīs something that I liked about the film: Orion went bankruptcy and "killed" RoboCop. They could make a different kind of ending for the movie, more open to new adventures, but they close the whole thing. OCP is gone, people got the power on their lives, RoboCop is (kinda) free.


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artuditu

Mon Dec 12, 2016 7:41 pm



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I'm impressed to see how much opinions have swung :shock: 

I took for granted the consensus among fans from some years ago, and how different things are now! So, despite getting older we now give R3 more praise than R2? I'm speechless :lol:

I think fans we can sometimes become isolationists in our own bubble, I know it because I indulge in that from time to time, we stop listening or caring about non-fans opinions and we claim how the subjective and individualistic nostalgia of childhood is the emotion than wins it all. Yet getting older and a bit wiser sometimes gives perspective to leave behind that childhood fanaticism (which I insist, I've been guilty of it many times, I'm more talking to myself than to others).  

I think R3 having a few aesthetic elements more reminiscent of R1, such as music, suit color, police department,... is no more than makeup, while the story, tone and soul of the movie is nothing like R1, it's just a few superficial elements we found pleasing when we were kids, but nothing more. I mean I like Poledouris soundtrack for Conan the Destroyer, but that doesn't make it a good film, and even the soundtracks in both cases are much less inspired than the originals for R1 and Barbarian.

For the story, I've always liked the Delta City arc, but the resolution in R3 is not satisfying if you are not an early teenager. I mean, homeless rebels joining forces with cops to have an open battle against rehabs, tanks and punks in the streets? Not the definition of subtle or smart... More like a teenage fantasy, so far from the adult thinking behind R1. 

I'm not saying the idea of making Robo a kind of socialist warrior against corporations is bad in itself, it has some potential, he sees injustice and acts defending the weaker against the powerful and the authority, I can see the dilemma and moral implications, but the ultimate execution of that conflict in the movie is just like a fairy tale on steroids, not a coincidence that Robo ends up flying like Superman to save the people. 

Was I moved being 9-10 years old? Yes, it was exciting to see Robo being the superhero, and the good cops like Reed joining the abused people, and I even feel now some nostalgia of those past emotions, but I'm no more a kid, I can compare R3 with so many other movies, and saying it is an 7 or 8 out of 10 I think is not doing a favor to R1, which is genuinely a good movie that attracts praise and attention, with a good IMDB rating of 7.5, while R3 has a 3.9... We're not talking about a 6 or 5-something film we claim is better than it's given credit for, we're talking about a 3.9... 

Yes, R1 we liked it when we were kids because it was the coolest thing on earth, not because of social satire, american christ or the odyssey of the human soul (even if at an unconscious level I think we were getting the odd messages more than we realize), but that is why I think is the film of a lifetime for me, because it has the ability to pass the test of time and adulthood, and my favorite movies today include those that I have been able to enjoy both being a kid, teenager and adult, which are not all the ones I loved in the past, many have been left behind, because they were just "exploitation" films for immature and underdeveloped minds (aka children & teens) avid of action, violence, cool looking robots, guns, aliens, monsters, martial arts... While some were smarter and very well crafted, like Robocop, Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Total Recall, First Blood etc. many others were cheesy, dumb and lazy as hell, and then yes there is a grey area of movies in between, but can't see how R3 belongs there at all. At least this is how I've ended up seeing things, I can always change my mind in the future.

Getting back strictly to R3, I think Burke is a good helmetless Robo/Murphy, but he is terrible with the helmet on when talking opening the mouth so widely, he moves painfully slow, like retarded slow, and the screenplay makes Robo useless in every crucial action scene, he gets his ass kicked instead of protecting Lewis, he gets his ass kicked by the first otomo, who's playing with him, it's just luck he can reach the gunarm to win; and finally the 90's child has to save his ass at the end of the movie with some computer magic...


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Edd 209

Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:55 pm



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Yes, R1 we liked it when we were kids because it was the coolest thing on earth, not because of social satire, american christ or the odyssey of the human soul (even if at an unconscious level I think we were getting the odd messages more than we realize), but that is why I think is the film of a lifetime for me, because it has the ability to pass the test of time and adulthood, and my favorite movies today include those that I have been able to enjoy both being a kid, teenager and adult, which are not all the ones I loved in the past, many have been left behind, because they were just "exploitation" films for immature and underdeveloped minds (aka children & teens) avid of action, violence, cool looking robots, guns, aliens, monsters, martial arts... While some were smarter and very well crafted, like Robocop, Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Total Recall, First Blood etc. many others were cheesy, dumb and lazy as hell, and then yes there is a grey area of movies in between, but can't see how R3 belongs there at all. At least this is how I've ended up seeing things, I can always change my mind in the future.

^ This.
when I first watched R1 it was the movie of all movies.  Always will be.  Had every element of a movie I need.  And since the first viewing then you begin to keep learning more and more things about it and is why it makes it great - so much going on under the surface.

Getting back strictly to R3, I think Burke is a good helmetless Robo/Murphy, but he is terrible with the helmet on when talking opening the mouth so widely, he moves painfully slow, like retarded slow, and the screenplay makes Robo useless in every crucial action scene, he gets his ass kicked instead of protecting Lewis, he gets his ass kicked by the first otomo, who's playing with him, it's just luck he can reach the gunarm to win; and finally the 90's child has to save his ass at the end of the movie with some computer magic...

Oh c'mon he did catch a bullet!  :lol:  :ohdear:  :robo1:


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RoboWags

Tue Dec 13, 2016 5:17 am



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Never seen the Alpha Commando series.
You aren't missing much.  :roll:


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Stan The Man

Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:45 am



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I took for granted the consensus among fans from some years ago, and how different things are now! So, despite getting older we now give R3 more praise than R2? I'm speechless :lol: 

More praise.. yes perhaps. More than R2? Fat chance man. At least from me. I may dislike R3 less nowadays but that ain't at the expense of R2 and it's muddied awesomeness, I assure you. End of the day, you can still count on me there! ;)

I think R3 having a few aesthetic elements more reminiscent of R1, such as music, suit color, police department,... is no more than makeup, while the story, tone and soul of the movie is nothing like R1, it's just a few superficial elements we found pleasing when we were kids, but nothing more. I mean I like Poledouris soundtrack for Conan the Destroyer, but that doesn't make it a good film, and even the soundtracks in both cases are much less inspired than the originals for R1 and Barbarian.

For the story, I've always liked the Delta City arc, but the resolution in R3 is not satisfying if you are not an early teenager. I mean, homeless rebels joining forces with cops to have an open battle against rehabs, tanks and punks in the streets? Not the definition of subtle or smart... More like a teenage fantasy, so far from the adult thinking behind R1. 

I'm not saying the idea of making Robo a kind of socialist warrior against corporations is bad in itself, it has some potential, he sees injustice and acts defending the weaker against the powerful and the authority, I can see the dilemma and moral implications, but the ultimate execution of that conflict in the movie is just like a fairy tale on steroids, not a coincidence that Robo ends up flying like Superman to save the people. 

Was I moved being 9-10 years old? Yes, it was exciting to see Robo being the superhero, and the good cops like Reed joining the abused people, and I even feel now some nostalgia of those past emotions, but I'm no more a kid, I can compare R3 with so many other movies, and saying it is an 7 or 8 out of 10 I think is not doing a favor to R1, which is genuinely a good movie that attracts praise and attention, with a good IMDB rating of 7.5, while R3 has a 3.9... We're not talking about a 6 or 5-something film we claim is better than it's given credit for, we're talking about a 3.9... 

Well I gave a 6.5 and that was most generous for sure. Of course that is with a perfect 10 for Robo (would equate to 4.8 or so if you wanna put R1 as 7.5 - again, still rather generous by comparison but not quite as high to meet your point, though barely, admittedly) That said, I wonder what criteria those people have for a perfect 10 anyway.. Actually I don't, I don't care. :b 

I do feel at this point it doesn't deserve to be quite as hated as it once was, yes. But I have always said the same for R2 which many consider just as terrible a film. Like, opinions, man.

That said, you have superbly elaborated more-or-less my own main view of R3, which I had condensed earlier in saying it's not as reverent. It takes a safe route and imitates what worked rather than try different things as R2 did and which I give it more credit for. Sure younger it seems cool but even then it wasn't anywhere NEAR the level of R1 for me then, and still isn't now. I give it the 6.5 as saying it's mostly average, maybe with some above spots because that's how I view it now. As you noted though, that view can and likely will be subject to change. But again, rest assured it will still always be lower than R2 and never near R1 for me. The gap has perhaps narrowed a bit, but still.

Yes, R1 we liked it when we were kids because it was the coolest thing on earth, not because of social satire, american christ or the odyssey of the human soul (even if at an unconscious level I think we were getting the odd messages more than we realize), but that is why I think is the film of a lifetime for me, because it has the ability to pass the test of time and adulthood, and my favorite movies today include those that I have been able to enjoy both being a kid, teenager and adult, which are not all the ones I loved in the past, many have been left behind, because they were just "exploitation" films for immature and underdeveloped minds (aka children & teens) avid of action, violence, cool looking robots, guns, aliens, monsters, martial arts... While some were smarter and very well crafted, like Robocop, Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Total Recall, First Blood etc. many others were cheesy, dumb and lazy as hell, and then yes there is a grey area of movies in between, but can't see how R3 belongs there at all. At least this is how I've ended up seeing things, I can always change my mind in the future.

Beautifully stated. I'm with Edd, RoboCop was and remains for me a perfect film, it has only gotten better and stronger with time, very few movies can even make that claim, let alone actually rate it. I loved it when I first saw it, and still love it today. 

Otherwise, again, at the end of the day, I have to agree. I wouldn't put R3 in either of those two categories either. It might be closer to 'grey area' than it once was, but still, not quite there. R2 fits closer to the 'grey area' for me. Always did. Still does.

Getting back strictly to R3, I think Burke is a good helmetless Robo/Murphy, but he is terrible with the helmet on when talking opening the mouth so widely, he moves painfully slow, like retarded slow, and the screenplay makes Robo useless in every crucial action scene, he gets his ass kicked instead of protecting Lewis, he gets his ass kicked by the first otomo, who's playing with him, it's just luck he can reach the gunarm to win; and finally the 90's child has to save his ass at the end of the movie with some computer magic...

Pretty much concur, as I said already. I also agree Robo was a real pussy in R3, not like the original or R2 at all. Hell in the Series I think Robo maybe wasn't quite as useless even, bah.


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KidGoesWild

Thu Dec 15, 2016 11:50 pm



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Its not even that he was useless, as that he was completely characterless which was the script's fault and Dekker's direction. That was and still is my biggest gripe with R3, the complete lack of emotions and humanity in robo in R3


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http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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RoboPimp

Sat Dec 17, 2016 12:54 am



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Its not even that he was useless, as that he was completely characterless which was the script's fault and Dekker's direction. That was and still is my biggest gripe with R3, the complete lack of emotions and humanity in robo in R3

It seems most people expect every version of Robocop to have more humanity and emotion than the last. However, if you watch or read anything beyond the first movie you will see that is not truly his character's arc. I have posed this theory before, but to briefly reiterate, it is my belief that Robocop actually becomes less human as time goes on. The ending of Robocop is a brief glimpse of what he could have been, not what he was truly becoming. I pose that as time goes on and his organics deteriorate more and more, the robotic side of him takes over, until it is basically a computer programs simulating Murphy's conscience. This would explain how he grows less serious and human over time and becomes more silly and detached. This is the only way I can see fitting some of his later adventures into the canon. Of course, I am probably the only one who is trying to get Alpha Commando and RvT Kill Human into a canonical timeline, but still. I think Muprhy's humanity peaked at the end of the first Robocop and what we see in Robocop 2 and 3 is the deterioration of that humanity. By the time of Robocop 3 he still has a shred of Murphy in him for sure, but a lot of his behavior is erratic and uncharacteristic of both the original Robocop and Murphy as a human officer. Was the real reason for these changes because of the PG-13 rating and a writer/director not suitable for the character? Probably, but I prefer to think its all intentional. And since the vast majority of Robocop stories feature a PG or PG-13 version of the character, you must ask yourself who is the real Robocop?


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KidGoesWild

Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:22 am



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Well pimp, youre theory is good and quite frankly, its the only theory that makes sense of the whole situation and in universe explains why in R3 Murphys no more. As far as R2, I see him more as cold and full of boiling anger, along with depression (most of the movie he speaks very softly and quietly), which novelization makes clearer, rather than being less human, but most people see it the other way from what I read


Im gearing up to watch R3 again, I havent seen it in at least two years. Its just everytime I do see it, it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, its so childish I literally feel embarrassed Im watching it as an adult, Im not trying to be mean, thats the truth. I really did try to like it many times, but...

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http://robocopmovies.blogspot.com/


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TODD-209

Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:40 am



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I've been contemplating the devolution of the character of RoboCop, as it were, over the course of the two film sequels, and it just occurred to me how meta the scene is in RoboCop 2 where OCP is meeting with the panel of state and local representatives and what-have-you, and they start discussing how RoboCop can be more family-oriented or kid-friendly and not so violent...in retrospect it's like watching a studio think-tank discussing how to proceed with a PG-version of the next RoboCop sequel...which is what we actually got with RoboCop 3. I had never considered how self-fulfilling or predictive that scene was until just now...


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Edd 209

Sun Jan 15, 2017 11:46 pm



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I've been contemplating the devolution of the character of RoboCop, as it were, over the course of the two film sequels, and it just occurred to me how meta the scene is in RoboCop 2 where OCP is meeting with the panel of state and local representatives and what-have-you, and they start discussing how RoboCop can be more family-oriented or kid-friendly and not so violent...in retrospect it's like watching a studio think-tank discussing how to proceed with a PG-version of the next RoboCop sequel...which is what we actually got with RoboCop 3. I had never considered how self-fulfilling or predictive that scene was until just now...

Definitely.  And then Robocop carries out certain things - turning off the water, stopping a smoker smoking...  It didn't work and he had to electrocute himself!  Murphy saw then how the future was to turn bleak haha!


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NOF

Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:50 am



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It's not the worst film in the world, but it could have been much more.

I've always really liked the story of Robocop 3 (Murphy becomes a freedom fighter against the corporation that created him) and I think that, if the script had been more carefully written and the direction more specific, it would have been the perfect way to end the trilogy. It would have been (to me) a natural progression for Murphy:

R1 - Comes into being.
R2 - Struggles to adjust to his self
R3 - Accepts who he is and uses it to fight for good

The one scene that should have tied these strands together is the shootout at the church. With him looking back and forth between the rebels and McDaggatt while his prime directives are going crazy, it could have been a moment where he realises that this was his chance to finally take on OCP. Instead, the final film portrays it in a rather simplistic fashion.

Admittedly, this doesn't quite tie in with the previously mentioned notion of him losing his humanity, which is something that could have been explored in another film, where his detective skills are focused on to make up for the lack of internal wrangling.


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RoboDemise

Tue Apr 25, 2017 4:00 am



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What is your problem sucka?! Uhhh, I mean officer...


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RoboBabylonAD

Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:07 am



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There actually isn't a devolution to RoboCop's character over the course of the trilogy at all.

The thing to understand is that when Murphy becomes RoboCop, he becomes an entity unto himself. He's no longer a man but he's not just a machine either. He's something more. He's unique.

And this struggle between the two manifests itself in quite a few fascinating ways throughout the trilogy.

This is how I break it down, personally:

----

"RoboCop"

In the first film, Alex Murphy is human, certainly. Once he's gunned down and integrated into the RoboCop program by Security Concepts, the intention is to create an automated police officer under corporate control...but unlike ED-209, RoboCop utilizes a police officer's skill set, sense of judgment and commitment to duty.

So naturally, this combination begins to work with RoboCop, cleaning up Old Detroit to make way for Delta City's construction.

But over the course of the film, remnants of Murphy's previous life interfere as he breaks through the programming and eventually by the end of the film, Murphy has reemerged...albeit he still abides by the Prime Directives, meaning he's still bound to the programming.

"RoboCop 2"

While Murphy's humanity has been reclaimed to some extent, RoboCop is still the dominant personality.

This is where we begin to see the reality of the spine of this trilogy: The conflict between man and machine internalized in the same being.

While OCP has made efforts to force the Police to strike in order to step up the timetable on Delta City, RoboCop's still operating under the Prime Directives and that combined with Murphy's sense of duty keeps him on the streets. He has no choice where the strike is concerned and has to proceed accordingly, while others like Lewis continue to work out of responsibility.

In reclaiming his humanity from the first film, this leads Murphy to stalk his family...a yearning to reconnect with them and try and get them back. But he's convinced and coerced into thinking it's for the best that they be left to move on with their lives so RoboCop severs any attachment to Murphy's wife.

But this isn't enough for OCP, who sees Murphy's situation as a liability they can't afford. First, it's him spying on his family...but then who knows what he's prone to do, including standing in the way of their own plans should he find out their involvement in the strike and the resulting spike in crime. So that begins the RoboCop 2 program to find a suitable replacement that can be more easily controlled than Murphy...and that control obviously manifests in the form of Cain and his drug addiction.

With RoboCop's attempt to kill Cain thwarted and his disassembly, OCP recognizes that with RoboCop out of the way, their chances of Detroit defaulting on their payments so they can seize the city uncontested through foreclosure are better.

Dr. Faxx is then tasked with inhibiting Murphy's humanity by feeding him so many directives that he becomes little more than an ineffective PR slave for OCP.

So this is an example of OCP recognizing Murphy's humanity and his willingness for that humanity to compel his actions as something to suppress. We get that great scene where Faxx questions RoboCop as to what he thinks he is...and like the scene with his wife, he's once again manipulated into disavowing his humanity...disavowing Murphy...in favor of being RoboCop.

"RoboCop 2" is the story of Murphy being constantly buried in favor of RoboCop...but despite all of OCP's efforts, they fail...with his assurance to Lewis at the end that "we're only human."

One element of the story that I feel could've been made clearer is that when RoboCop fries himself to wipe out Faxx's Directives, he wipes out EVERYTHING...meaning that from that point on when he convinces the cops to go after Cain, Murphy is in 100% control.

Because that's the thru-line of the trilogy is how much of this being is the RoboCop programming and how much of it is Alex Murphy...and the films go back and forth as to which is the case.

But this brings us to a realization in the final film.

"RoboCop 3"

As the film opens, RoboCop's Prime Directives have been reestablished along with Directive 4. Even so, Murphy is very much still present as RoboCop is shown making judgment calls such as abandoning the pursuit of Bertha and the Rebels to save Lewis.

Again, this is an issue for OCP. They have a product created by them that's meant to suit their needs and yet Murphy's humanity is a factor inhibiting that from happening.

When the CEO determines he wants RoboCop to be implemented into the Rehabs, Mr. Fleck takes the extreme measure of demanding Murphy's humanity be erased once and for all so that RoboCop can be utilized accordingly to eliminate the rebel threat, clear Cadillac Heights for demolition and save OCP from bankruptcy...which the buy out by Kanemitsu hasn't managed to do...by allowing Delta City to be constructed.

Of course Dr. Lazarus doesn't carry this out and Murphy's allowed to retain his humanity...and this leads OCP to perpetuate a smear campaign once Murphy sides with the Rebels given Lewis's death at the hands of the Rehabs.

The one scene that to me really hits home the idea that RoboCop actually grows as a character is the scene between he and Nikko once Lazarus has fixed his heart and repaired him.

From the very first film and in distinct flashbacks, we're shown that Murphy can recall his family...his pain, his loss, his suffering.

We're shown in scenes that he mourns what was taken from him and the fact that he can never go back. So he differentiates between Murphy and RoboCop. In the first film when he takes his helmet off, he refers to Murphy in the third person...in the second film, he's asked if he's Alex Murphy and is coerced on tape to admit that he's not...and in the third film, Nikko asks RoboCop if Murphy is his name, to which he replies "it was before."

But in this scene between him and Nikko, he discovers in his files that her parents are dead. Then we get this exchange:

"Your parents. You miss them?"
"Yeah."
"But you remember them. Because...if you remember them...they're never really gone."

This is the moment where Murphy learns from his own recollections of his family...and uses that idea of remembering NOT to pity himself or for HIS sake...but to comfort ANOTHER...to recognize someone ELSE's pain and loss and empathize with them, connect with them.

Now this next part is somewhat lost in translation but can be seen more clearly in the Avatar Comics adaptation of Frank Miller's screenplay:

At a certain turning point, RoboCop is disassembled and it's explained to him by the spirit or whatever of Dr. Marie Lacasse this very important epiphany...

That he is neither Alex Murphy OR RoboCop...but that he is BOTH simultaneously. He is no longer a man but not simply a machine.

This entire trilogy has been about Murphy either mourning what he's lost (Man) or being burdened and consumed by what OCP thinks he is (Machine).

In the comic, as this is laid out, RoboCop is rebuilt and given the ability to fly, hence the flight pack in the film version.

It's truncated in the movie, but it becomes this great symbol in the comics of evolution. Of the caterpillar becoming the butterfly.

Over the course of the trilogy, RoboCop transcends his lost human side and his oppressive machine side by embracing BOTH sides. No longer plagued with internal conflict over his own existence, he finds peace in assuming his rightful mantle as both man AND machine.

That, to me, is why the final line in "RoboCop 3" is "My friends call me Murphy. You call me RoboCop."

He's no longer tortured by what he's lost and he's no longer conflicted about what he's become.

This is a declaration to both his friends and allies AND to his enemies and anyone who would stand up to challenge him.

It's a way of saying "I'll never forget who I was, but this is who I am now" and it behaves like a cathartic, psychological reckoning.

----

So the spine of the series is really this back and forth between man and machine and ultimately realizing it's for naught because RoboCop is both...and the trilogy is about him coming to terms with that.

This is also interestingly paralleled in his main villains from movie to movie.

While ED-209 is still an antagonist, it's little more than a tool...so that said, the first film has main villains that are purely human (Clarence Boddicker and Dick Jones).

"RoboCop 2" has a main villain that starts as a man (Cain) who then becomes a machine (RoboCop 2).

"RoboCop 3" has a main villain that's a machine but bears the appearance of a man (Otomo).

So the entire trilogy is populated with characters that are either men or machines or men who become machines or machines disguised as men and these two sides of the coin all culminate in one character...the title character...and his journey to becoming one with those two sides.

That's how I see it personally.


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RoboJOF

Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:44 pm



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Now this next part is somewhat lost in translation but can be seen more clearly in the Avatar Comics adaptation of Frank Miller's screenplay:

At a certain turning point, RoboCop is disassembled and it's explained to him by the spirit or whatever of Dr. Marie Lacasse this very important epiphany...

That he is neither Alex Murphy OR RoboCop...but that he is BOTH simultaneously. He is no longer a man but not simply a machine.

This entire trilogy has been about Murphy either mourning what he's lost (Man) or being burdened and consumed by what OCP thinks he is (Machine).



This comment made me think of something in a different way. All this time I have thought about Robocop as a character who was resurrected and had to get his identity back, but maybe its not quite that way. Maybe Robocop is neither Murphy or a machine, but a machine that has awareness of his programming and interference of the memories and remnants of Murphy's soul that somehow got stuck in the machine's technology. As a result, Robocop is trying to make sense of the programming and human feelings that get in the way. It may be similar to someone with amnesia, not being able to remember his past. Even in that pivotal scene at the end of the first movie, where Robocop refers to himself as "Murphy" when he saves the old man, may have been a sophisticated machine faking it because it seems right in some way. It would be consistent with the scene in Robocop 2 when he convinces his wife that "they made this to honor him," which I always thought was his way of turning her away, but in this case could be evidence that Robocop is admitting that he is not Murphy despite having his face and tells her what he truly thinks of it all.
I am still of the mind that Murphy is still alive in the machine, and as interesting as this line of thinking is, I think that it is a more compelling story (to have him reclaim his humanity despite being made into a machine). I also think that it humanizes the character and allows him to develop over time (as he has in all three movies). I am just still wondering: is it real?


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RoboBabylonAD

Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:17 am



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This comment made me think of something in a different way. All this time I have thought about Robocop as a character who was resurrected and had to get his identity back, but maybe its not quite that way. Maybe Robocop is neither Murphy or a machine, but a machine that has awareness of his programming and interference of the memories and remnants of Murphy's soul that somehow got stuck in the machine's technology. As a result, Robocop is trying to make sense of the programming and human feelings that get in the way. It may be similar to someone with amnesia, not being able to remember his past. Even in that pivotal scene at the end of the first movie, where Robocop refers to himself as "Murphy" when he saves the old man, may have been a sophisticated machine faking it because it seems right in some way. It would be consistent with the scene in Robocop 2 when he convinces his wife that "they made this to honor him," which I always thought was his way of turning her away, but in this case could be evidence that Robocop is admitting that he is not Murphy despite having his face and tells her what he truly thinks of it all.
I am still of the mind that Murphy is still alive in the machine, and as interesting as this line of thinking is, I think that it is a more compelling story (to have him reclaim his humanity despite being made into a machine). I also think that it humanizes the character and allows him to develop over time (as he has in all three movies). I am just still wondering: is it real?

I think Murphy is still alive in the machine too. I just feel like once that tinge of humanity comes back at the end of the first film, it starts to be not as black and white as the other characters around him make it out to be.

In the first film it's Bob Morton and Dick Jones who insist RoboCop is merely product. In "2," it's Holzgang and Dr. Faxx that say as much in the beginning with RoboCop's taped testimony and the scene when Faxx has RoboCop reprogrammed with all the Directives. And in "3," you have that distinction made by Mr. Fleck when he orders Dr. Lazarus to wipe his memories.

All the corporate suits refer to RoboCop as a machine...a product..."nothing more."

Then on the flip side, all the good guys refer to him by name. He's Murphy. And they act as if he's still the Murphy they all knew.

But I think ultimately neither is the whole truth. He's a hybrid of the two. And it just gets really fascinating to consider that possibility.


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OcpCommunications

Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:48 am



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My impressions after watching RoboCop 3? Well that was fucking lame. Short and succint but to the point and true to how I feel about the film. I know there are people who like it. And to each their own, but to me it is a mistake. Just like the PG-13 rating. Instead of putting the franchise on life support, they should have pulled the plug or started work on The Series a year early. 

Because to me personally, RoboCop: The Series is the family friendly RoboCop that RoboCop 3 tried to be and failed. It takes the lack of ultra violence and uses creativity to lessen the blow of its absence dramatically something that R3 sorely lacked. Plus Richard Eden was genuinely great in the role as Murphy/RoboCop and the scripts allowed Murphy to have more character development than ever before as the series would unfold. 

That jet pack scene is still pretty cool though. And I like Basil's score.

