Dr. K's Waiting Room

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To celebrate the release of the dismal RoboCop (Padilha, 2014) on home media, June 3^rd was declared “RoboCop Day” in the city of Detroit. While that movie wasn’t too impressive and had nothing on the original RoboCop (Verhoeven, 1987), this does give us the perfect excuse to talk, and celebrate, all things RoboCop on a specific day each year.

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Released: 5 November 1993
Director: Fred Dekker
Distributor: Orion Pictures / Columbia Pictures
Budget: $22 million
Stars: Robert Burke, John Castle, Remy Ryan, Bruce Locke, CCH Pounder, Jill Hennessy, and Nancy Allen

The Plot:
Cyborg law enforcer RoboCop (Burke) is torn between upholding his pre-programmed directives and assisting desperate civilians when Paul McDaggett (Castle) and his violent militia aggressively evict people on behalf of Omni Consumer Products (OCP) to begin construction of Delta City.

The Background:
In 1987, director Paul Verhoeven turned Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s satirical take on 1980s commercialisation and media into RoboCop. A modest critical and commercial hit, RoboCop was followed by a sequel in 1990. Unfortunately, not only was Frank Miller’s script judged “unfilmable” (though many aspects were later repurposed into a comic book and this third entry), but Irvin Kershner’s RoboCop 2 was met with mixed reviews and a reduced box office. Miller returned to write the third film and was again frustrated by the lack of influence he had on the production; he concluded that the only way to circumvent this was to become a director. Although RoboCop’s supporting cast returned for the third film (despite some reservations), star Peter Weller declined to appear in favour of joining the cast of Naked Lunch (Cronenberg, 1991). He was replaced by Robert Burke, who struggled with the impressive Robo-Suit since he was taller than his predecessor and the costume wasn’t altered to accommodate this. Although RoboCop 3 was completed by 1992, the film’s release was delayed almost an entire year due to Orion Pictures going bankrupt and to increase its odds at the box office. Consequently, not only was the plot revealed by the tie-in videogame ahead of schedule, RoboCop 3 also failed to reach $50 million at the box office. RoboCop 3 was also subjected to scathing reviews; critics targeted the film’s tone, derivative plot, and mindless narrative, and very few have anything positive to say about this toned-down entry in the series. Ironically, RoboCop continued to be marketed as a family-friendly franchise going forward and it would take over five years for anything even remotely resembling the violent satire of the original to be evoked in a new production.

The Review:
It goes without saying that RoboCop has earned its place as a classic sci-fi action flick; it’s perfect blend of social satire, gory violence, and endlessly entertaining action was expertly balanced with some top-notch special effects and a poignant message about humanity and identity. I might be alone in thinking this, but RoboCop 2 remains an under-rated entry in the franchise for me; sure, it regresses RoboCop’s character a bit and retreads some of the same narrative beats, but it’s still got that same tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and some impressive practical effects make it well worth a re-evaluation. Since both films were such a big part of my childhood, I remember being excited for a third entry and things get off to a decent enough start in RoboCop 3. Detroit is worse than ever now that OCP has finally started breaking ground on Delta City, with eviction notices being served to the poorest and most destitute areas of the city like Cadillac Heights, demolition crews flooding the streets with the homeless, and fascist ex-military Urban Rehabilitators (or “Rehabs”) forcing people from the city or simply out-right executing them.

When we’re first introduced to RoboCop, we’re once again back to square one. While RoboCop still retains some aspects of his former personality and exhibits human compulsions such as loyalty and independence, he’s still bound by his four Prime Directives and subject to the whims of his creators. He’s packing some new toys this time around, most prominently his new arm cannon that lets him blast perps with a machine gun, fire rockets, and blast out a flamethrower, but he later also makes use of a prototype flight pack that also doubles as a recharge point for him. All these bells and whistles are great, but they don’t make up for the fact that Peter Weller has been replaced by the far less capable Robert Burke. Burke does a decent job emulating Weller’s performance but it’s just not the same, especially in his stilted delivery. While RoboCop is tended to by newcomer Doctor Marie Lazarus (Hennessy), his independence riles up the OCP’s newest representative, Jeffrey Fleck (Bradley Whitford), a leering, slimy corporate stooge who’s so frustrated by RoboCop’s humanity that he orders his emotions be circumvented with a special chip. Luckily, Dr. Lazarus recognises that RoboCop’s instincts and Murphy’s lingering personality are essential to the cyborg’s humanity and destroys the chip, allowing RoboCop to continue his duties. This does, however, bring him into further conflict with OCP’s more totalitarian methods; the Rehabs conflict with RoboCop’s Prime Directives but, in the end, his morals and humanity win out and he chooses to defend the helpless and homeless from McDaggett, a choice that leaves him severely damaged and branded a murderous fugitive by OCP’s PR team. RoboCop ends up in a hell of a state; a single blast from McDaggett’s grenade launcher is enough to almost do him in and leaves him in the struggling hands of the city’s destitute, who are led by feisty and outspoken Bertha (Pounder).

Things don’t go so well for Robo’s long-time friend and partner, Anne Lewis (Allen). Both Dr. Lazarus and Lewis care for RoboCop; they’re the closest things he has to friends and can tell that he’s clearly conflicted regarding OCP’s “urban rehabilitation” project, which brings up painful memories of his former wife and child. Although she’s able to hold her own against the “splatter punks” at the start of the film, Lewis makes the rookie mistake of forgetting her body armour when she rushes to help RoboCop track down the resistance. Out of loyalty to her partner and seeing the state of the displaced residents of Cadillac Heights, Lewis joins RoboCop in opposing McDaggett and is summarily gunned down for her troubles, dying in RoboCop’s arms. Though he inexplicably forgets this promise to avenge her, RoboCop immediately storms the Rehab base after being repaired by Dr. Lazarus, unopposed by Sergeant Warren Reed (Robert DoQui) and his fellow officers despite the warrant for his arrest, to confront McDaggett, only to learn that Coontz (Stephen Root), a disgruntled member of Bertha’s resistance, has sold them out to McDaggett. RoboCop arrives too late to help, leaving Bertha and most of her followers dead, and both Dr. Lazarus and young orphan girl Nikko Halloran (Ryan) taken as hostages. Yes, inexplicably RoboCop, the all-action cyborg who made his name blasting would-be rapists in the dick, is saddled with a bright-eyed kid who’s conveniently a genius hacker capable of reprogramming an Enforcement Droid-209 (ED-209) and who helps RoboCop rekindle his paternal instincts. After being separated from her parents, who are subsequently executed, Nikko is taken in by Bertha and the resistance and encourages them to shelter RoboCop after he’s damaged defending them. Although they’re woefully under-equipped, outgunned, and forced to hide out in the sewers, the resistance is surprisingly capable; they boobytrap manholes to keep out unwanted visitors, use gadgets to change traffic lights and cover their escape, and it only takes about four of them to carry RoboCop into their hidden base whereas it took a dozen or so men in the last film. Although Nikko is a tech-savvy Robo fan and Moreno (Daniel von Bargen) repairs RoboCop’s body work, the resistance have no hope of repairing the cyborg so Nikko goes to Dr. Lazarus for help.

Although OCP are making major progress preparing Detroit for aggressive renovation, the malevolent company is deep in the red; close to bankruptcy and being bought out by the Japan-based Kanemitsu Corporation, the new OCP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (Rip Torn) and returning aide Donald Johnson (Felton Perry) have no choice but to rely on McDaggett and his Rehabs. Thanks to OCP controlling the media, the Rehabs are sold as a gentle, peacekeeping force who have people’s best interest at heart but the truth couldn’t be more different. McDaggett and his mercenaries are cruel and violent and tear through Cadillac Heights like a bull in a China shop. McDaggett is easily the best part of the film, chewing the scenery at every opportunity, calling everybody “chum” with a snarky sneer, ruthlessly waging war against the destitute civilians, and exhibiting an open prejudice against RoboCop and the idea of him being assigned to the Rehabs. When Nikko broadcasts the truth about McDaggett to the world, OCP’s stock plunges and, unwilling to shoulder the blame or listen to the CEO’s blustering threats, McDaggett plots to recruit the city’s police force in stamping out the resistance once and for all. However, when Reed and the other cops give up their badges and pensions rather than compromise their moral integrity, McDaggett is just as happy to arm the splatter punks, leading to an all-out war on the streets pitting the cops and the resistance against McDaggett’s forces. Unable to make good on their debts and promises, OCP lose all favour with the Kanemitsu Corporation, who send their unnervingly human “Otomo” androids (Locke) to make up for the CEO’s blunders. As you might expect from Japanese-manufactured product, the Otomos are far more versatile and capable than RoboCop, who looks like a tinker toy in comparison. Although silent and stoic, the Otomos are not only more outwardly human (one even smokes!) but they’re more agile, adaptable, and mobile, meaning they’re easily able to best RoboCop in combat and re-endanger his life with just a few blows and only losing out to him due to Robo packing superior firepower.

The Nitty-Gritty:
RoboCop 3 once again retreads the same ground as the last two movies when it comes to RoboCop’s story arc. Still lacking the fully human personality he fought so hard to regain at the end of the first film, RoboCop is again portrayed as struggling to discover and showcase his humanity due to his stringent programming and directives. Although it’s been very well established that he’s just as human as he is a machine, and everyone in the precinct openly and affectionately refers to him as “Murphy”, RoboCop’s emotions are again questioned by OCP, who seek to suppress them to make him a cold, calculating machine. More than ever before, RoboCop openly defies his creators despite the conflict this causes his system; perhaps it’s his defiance of Directive Four (“Never oppose an OCP officer”) which explains why RoboCop is so damn weak in this film. It seems he’s constantly on the brink of death and is easily disabled by shots he would previously shrug off, though this frustrating element does add to his vulnerability as a character. This is further emphasised in his empathy for the resistance, particularly Nikko, who forms a fast bond with RoboCop out of sheer awe (she is a proper techno-geek, after all) and he awkwardly rediscovers his former paternal instincts through his relationship with her. Again, it ties into an exploration of RoboCop’s vulnerable humanity (and is certainly less questionable that the weird sequence where Dr Lazarus purges RoboCop’s Prime Directives…again…and it seems to imply he has romantic feelings for the women in his life) but it just doesn’t fit the tone of the franchise. Maybe the filmmakers wanted to appeal to the little kids who had inexplicably latched onto the character, maybe they wanted to emulate Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Cameron, 1991) but, whatever their reasons, all they ended up doing was subjecting audiences to an annoying little brat who’s too smart for her own good.

And it’s a shame as RoboCop 3 has a few redeemable elements to it. Basil Poledouris returns with his rousing score and the suit looks better than ever, especially RoboCop’s fancy new arm attachment that he sadly doesn’t use often enough (probably because it’s ridiculously overpowered and that doesn’t fit the theme of the movie for fragile old RoboCop). The city is even more dangerous and depressing as ever; described as a “warzone”, riots and violence run rampant from all sides, leading to the police department and oppressed citizens joining forces to fight back against the tyrannical OCP. While the film definitely veers more towards family friendly content, RoboCop 3 continues to be violent and full of social satire; in this case, it’s a commentary on how big corporations can control the media to twist the narrative in their favour and the juxtaposition of the Rehabs’ squeaky-clean public face with the brutal reality of their actions. This is best evidenced not just in the returning Media Break sections but also in the amusing animated advertisement for “Johnny Rehab” apparel that seems to be a commentary on R-rated movies like RoboCop being sold to children as toys. Although ED-209 makes a reappearance here, it’s little more than a cameo that further demeans the unreliable ‘droid and we’re denied a rematch between it and RoboCop. Thanks to spending most of the movie close to death, RoboCop can’t simply gun down his enemies like usual, meaning anticipation is high for his battle against Otomo. Unfortunately, as great and under-rated as Bruce Locke is, this fight is hampered by the slow, sluggish RoboCop, who lacks the reflexes and range of movement necessary to match his faster, more competent rival. Luckily for RoboCop, the Otomos prove as weak as he is in this movie and are easily dispatched, but these fights are definitely a far cry from the cyborg-on-cyborg action from the aforementioned Terminator 2. RoboCop 3 tries to make up for it with RoboCop’s new jet-pack attachment, which allows him to swoop in and save the day in the final act, but sadly this only appears very briefly and the composite effect used to bring it to the screen is pretty poor, which is a shame considering how cool the idea of a flying RoboCop is and how good the fire stunt on RoboCop was in the opening scenes.

After being slandered in the media, RoboCop is branded a fugitive, allowing McDaggett to fulfil his ambition of destroying the cyborg officer, which both he and the CEO believes will dishearten the resistance and allow them to sweep through Cadillac Heights and salvage their reputation. When Johnson suggests recruiting the city’s cops to join the effort, Reed and the others walk out and add their numbers to the resistance, co-ordinating the rag-tag rebels in standing against the Rehabs and the crazed splatter punks. Although RoboCop loses his chance at nailing McDaggett following a comical car chase in a pimped out lowrider, McDaggatt gets the last laugh by massacring the resistance base and even betrays the CEO after colluding with Kanemitsu (Mako) to level Cadillac Heights to make room for their own designs for the city. After barely besting Otomo and levelling the playing field for the cops and resistance, RoboCop storms into the OCP tower to confront McDaggett. Though two Otomos attack him, Nikko is able to reprogram the two androids into targeting each other using her magic laptop. Despite him having gone “war wacky” and craving all-out conflict, McDaggett is incensed by this as the Otomos are rigged to self-destruct, spelling doom for everyone in the tower. Luckily, RoboCop latches onto his jet-pack and flies Dr. Lazarus and Nikko to safety, leaving McDaggett and everyone in the building to perish in the blast. In the aftermath, a humbled Kanemitsu bows to RoboCop out of respect and summarily fires the CEO for his incompetence since OCP’s stock is in the toilet and RoboCop resolves to return to duty policing the streets, now once again free from his restrictive Prime Directives and able to think for himself.

The Summary:
How the mighty have fallen! RoboCop 3 is such a massive disappointment because it comes so close to being a halfway decent entry in the franchise but fumbles its execution in almost every way possible. The score is back, the suit still looks amazing, and I really enjoy RoboCop’s new toys and gadgets, but the man in the suit is an uninspiring void who tries far too hard to emulate Peter Weller’s incomparable performance rather than putting his own stamp on the iconic cyborg. I enjoy the central premise of the film, which sees a desperate OCP using all their resources (and brutal violence) to speed up their development plans for Detroit, but any intrigue this plot may have is quashed by some strange attempts at humour. RoboCop 3 feels like a pale imitation of the previous films; it tries to be comparably violent but it’s a toothless execution, and any attempts at satire and social commentary land flat as it feels like everyone’s just phoning it in. It’s a shame as Lewis’s death is actually quite emotional, but the new cast just isn’t as inspiring or memorable; Nikko, especially, stands out as a particularly grating inclusion, one that showed just how far the franchise had fallen into impotency since the uncompromising first film. There is some decent action and special effects sequences, but they’re juxtaposed with RoboCop’s clunky ineffectiveness in a straight-up fight and some awful composite effects that really have me longing for the stop-motion techniques of the last two films. One saving grace is John Castle, who really hams it up as the despicable McDaggett, but even his performance can’t excuse Rip Torn’s bombastic turn as the CEO, which lacks any of the subtlety we saw from previous OCP executives. Ultimately, RoboCop 3 is a film geared more towards kids and young teenagers, those who aren’t quite old enough to watch the first two films but want to dip their toe in the franchise. Even so, I’d recommend simply waiting until they’re old enough to watch the first movie, or bite the bullet and show them that film ahead of time, and just skip this one completely as there’s very little on offer here beyond RoboCop’s new toys.

My Rating:

Terrible

Did you enjoy RoboCop 3? Were you disappointed by the more toothless approach the film took? What did you think to RoboCop opposing his creators to defend the city’s oppressed citizens? Were you also annoyed to see him partner with a child? What did you think to the Otomos and RoboCop’s new toys? Which RoboCop movie is your favourite? How are you celebrating RoboCop Day today? Whatever you think about RoboCop 3, feel free to drop your thoughts below or leave a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other RoboCop content!