The future of law enforcement, heroic cyborg RoboCop has fought crime in four feature films to date, and here's how they stack up, worst to best. RoboCop began life as honest cop Alex Murphy, who made the mistake of being a good man in a dystopian future Detroit that's packed full of terrible people. His partner Anne Lewis has his back at least, but that's not enough to stop him from being brutally massacred by a gang of sadistic criminals.
On the brink of death, Murphy is rebuilt as a part-man, part-machine, all-cop hero. While the memories of his past are initially buried, they eventually resurface, leading Murphy to realize what he's become. It's surprisingly deep for a sci-fi/action flick, although that didn't stop RoboCop from being so blood-soaked that it initially received an X rating. Of course, that's the original movie. The sequels and eventual remake are their own ball of wax, each with a set of distinct pros and cons.
While a direct sequel to the original, RoboCop Returns, was previously in development, the project appears to have stalled as of 2019. In the meantime, fans have four movies starring Alex Murphy to revisit via streaming or Blu-Ray, and here's which ones do Detroit's honest cops proud, and which come up short.
In 1993, three years after the release of RoboCop 2, Orion Pictures set out to make another entry in what by then was seen as a franchise with a solid foundation. Bringing in Fred Dekker, helmer of cult classics Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad, to direct wasn't a bad idea, and having Dekker co-write the film with comic book legend Frank Miller certainly wasn't either, at least on paper. Unfortunately, several decisions were made that proved to be abjectly terrible in hindsight.
First off, Peter Weller, who had imbued Alex Murphy/RoboCop with his humanity in the first two films, was recast, despite Weller wanting to return. He had a scheduling conflict at the time, and for whatever reason, Orion wouldn't wait for him to be free. As if recasting the title character wasn't enough, the makers of RoboCop 3 also decided to abruptly kill off Murphy's partner Lewis, and to add insult to injury, release the film as a sometimes goofy PG-13 action romp targeted at kids, while the first two films handily earned their R-ratings. RoboCop 3 did okay but not great at the box office, was absolutely savaged by critics, and is something many franchise fans choose to ignore.
While remakes have existed since the early days of cinema, it's fair to say that the volume of them has significantly ramped up since the turn of the century, as Hollywood becomes more and more obsessed with relying on existing IPs and not new product. RoboCop got its eventual remake in 2014, and while it doesn't measure up to the first two RoboCop movies by any stretch, it's definitely quite a bit better than RoboCop 3. One thing that again held it back was going the PG-13 route, which prevented the graphic violence most fans of the franchise love. It's at least much less silly in tone than RoboCop 3, which helps.
The biggest thing RoboCop 2014 has going for it is easily its cast. Joel Kinnaman is very good in the leading role, and makes the viewer feel for this Alex Murphy's plight, even if the new RoboCop design is far from stunning. Michael Keaton could play a villain in his sleep, and does fine here, and Gary Oldman does well as RoboCop's creator. Some of the concepts presented are also good, and surprisingly moving, such as when the rebuilt Murphy is shown just how little of his human body remains intact, and asks to be euthanized. Murphy getting to reunite with his family this time is also appreciated. Despite those positives though, RoboCop 2014 just isn't very remarkable, and is sadly easy to forget.
Released three years after the original, RoboCop 2 is an entertaining sequel, but doesn't manage to measure up to its classic predecessor. Unlike RoboCop 3 and RoboCop 2014, it does at least feel like it came from the same mold as the original, even if that mold got twisted and bent into something different. RoboCop 2 thankfully brought back the R-rating alongside Weller as Murphy and Nancy Allen as Lewis, and while not as ultra-violent as RoboCop, it's definitely not shy about being made for adults, as much as kids do tend to love RoboCop.
Directed by The Empire Strikes Back's Irvin Kershner, RoboCop 2 sees Murphy and Lewis up against both the machinations of OCP's scheming leadership and a rising drug lord named Cain, played by the always creepy Tom Noonan (Red Dragon). Cain peddles a drug called Nuke, and not taking Tony Montana's advice, is also hopelessly addicted to it. When OCP attempts to use Cain as the base for a new RoboCop they can hopefully exert more control over, things go about as poorly as anyone logical would expect. RoboCop 2 is definitely not nearly as memorable as the first film, and mostly lacks its subversive satirical edge, but at the same time, those who just want some action and some RoboCop will leave fulfilled.
Directed by the always interesting Paul Verhoeven, RoboCop is one of those movies there really isn't much left to say about, as it's been praised steadily ever since its 1987 release. While its extreme level of violence proved problematic for some - especially when seen in its uncut form on home video - most saw RoboCop for what it was, an extremely intelligent, thoughtful film that also happened to have buckets of gore spilling all over the place and mountains of bullets flying around.
What makes RoboCop great is not just its creative sci-fi elements or exciting action trappings, it's the playful, sardonic spirit Verhoeven brings to the movie, which also shows itself in movies like Total Recall and Starship Troopers. RoboCop doesn't take itself too seriously, yet also pulls off telling a story with real human drama involved, mostly surrounding Murphy himself. It's a difficult tightrope to walk, but Verhoeven pulls it off splendidly. RoboCop deserves all the love it gets, and holds up just as well nearly 35 years later.
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