Country: USA
With a remake in the pipeline for 2013 I decided to return to the dystopian Detroit of Robocop and attempt to discover just exactly why this particular narrative has persisted over the last 23 years. The philistines among us would probably say it is entirely a matter of economics, but romantics such as myself would like to think there is something more going on. With sequels appearing in 1990 and 1993, video games appearing in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 2003, and a television mini series in 2000 Officer Alex Murphy and his Cyborg counterpart have become iconic figures in the science-fiction landscape. From a personal perspective Robocop is an important film in my cinematic education. It was the first 18 certificated film I was permitted to see by my parents, and the resultant video shop nostalgia is strong when I think of this film. But unlike other films I was allowed to see at this time Robocop has stayed with me, and it is always a delight when I screen it every couple of years.
