Stamp: Robocop

"Murphy, it's you..."

Did you know that DA doesn't have a single stamp dedicated to the Robocop franchise — not a single one? This is the first (and, hopefully, not the last)! The original Robocop (1987) blew me away as a child and I have since devoured practically everything on it, from the mediocre sequels to the horrible TV spinoffs to the notorious animated series to the obscure comics and games to the loved fan-films and fan-edits. A remake is planned for 2013 in 3D, ugh! But, to this day, the original 1987 film remains one of my all-time favourite films.

Taking place in the not-so-distant future of a grim, ultra-violent, dystopian Detroit, the giant mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) owns and runs practically every aspect of life, from the government to the military to the domestic. The idealistic Police Officer Alex J. Murphy, in one of the most horrific executions done on film, is killed during his first day of the job and OCP takes his remains to build a mechanical law enforcement prototype unit known as "Robocop" to cut down on the crime and eliminate human error (as the police force is ready to go on strike) in order to construct "Delta City," a domed district reserved for the rich and influential to be built over the Old Detroit slums and push the poor and undesirable out of their sights. As Robocop makes a name for himself around the city, he unexpectedly starts regaining the memories of his lost life and lost humanity, avenging his "death" by bring in the street thugs who killed him to justice, which soon lead him to the capitalistic corporate execs of OCP's boardroom.

The film with a silly name juggles genres, as it's an action film, a sci-fi film, a war film, a horror, a thriller, a crime drama, a tragedy, a social satire, a black comedy, a miracle play, and a morality play, packed with layers of depth, emotions, heart, intelligence, and a bit of camp. It's a social commentary against American culture and values, consumerism and materialism, the rise of right-wing conservatism, Reaganomics, corporate takeovers, militarization of the police force, over-dependency on technology, psychology, religion, existentialism, class conflicts, socio-politics, war, terrorism, Nazism, Vietnam, Cold War, crime, drugs, avarice, greed, and ultra-violence. The film, even by today's standards, has definitely indulged in ultra-violence and has no qualms about showing it; there are still scenes of this film that are still difficult to watch. In fact, although the film was released in theatres with barely an R-rating; VHS released the film in the original uncensored NC-17 edition. Recently, a Director's Cut DVD was released with a few extra seconds that didn't make it into the NC-17 edition. Filmed in my hometown of Dallas, Texas, the production also utilized fantastic practical effects and stunning stop-motion animation — fuck CGI! This was back when films were an art form!

If you haven't seen the first Robocop, watch it! And if you haven't seen it for a long time, watch it again! You won't regret it, my friend!

Clips from the Film:
          - Murphy's Death (uncensored)
          - ED-209's Glitch (uncensored)
          - The Drug Factory Scene
          - ED-209 vs. Robocop
          - Basil Poledouris' epic theme song for the film

Behind-the-Scenes:
          - Making Of, Part I
          - Making Of, Part II
          - Making Of, Part III
          - Peter Weller is Robocop
          - RoboSuit and Auto-9 Gun
          - Making ED-209
          - (Practical) Special Effects
          - Villains of Old Detroit, Part I
          - Villains of Old Detroit, Part II

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Medium - Photoshop, Jasc Animation Shop.

Robocop © MGM/Orion.