Here's an overview of all the RoboCop movies from the 1987 original to the current remake.
RoboCop (1987) - Beat cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is killed in the line of duty and brought back as a crime-fighting cyborg. This, the original movie, is a smart satire of corporate America wrapped up in a slam-bang action movie. It's directed with verve by Paul Verhoeven and has a very cool Robo suit created by Rob Bottin, some inventive stop-motion animation by Phil Tippett, and a powerhouse music score by the late, great Basil Poledouris. Because of it's absurd comic book ultra-violence, the film was slapped with an "X" rating. It was trimmed for an "R" for it's theatrical run, but the original intended cut is now widely available on home video.
RoboCop 2 (1990) - Robo battles an upgraded model in this bigger but certainly not better sequel. The forced humor and violence come off as mean and nasty, and the screenplay lacks focus.
RoboCop 3 (1993) - Robo (now played by Robert John Burke) quits the police force and joins a rebellion in this dull death rattle to the series. The film was completed in 1991 but wasn't released until 1993 due to Orion Pictures going into bankruptcy. RoboCop (2014)- It was going to happen sooner or later, but this re-invention of RoboCop is a complete misfire. A car bomb leads to Detective Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) being transformed into RoboCop.Director Jose Padiha's film washes away all the satire and comic book action that made the original a classic. This lackluster remake is destined for obscurity.
