"Dead or Alive, you're coming with me." states Robocop, the cyborg policeman
of the future.  This story takes place in a futuristic Detroit, where crime
has run rampart (who would have thought Detroit would have crime?) and a
corporation (OCP) owns and operates the police force.  After an attempt at
robotic police, the giant ED-209, failed, some business savvy junior
executive at OCP decided to push for a cyborg policeman - half man, half
machine.  As luck would have it, a cop was just mutilated and killed by a
group of criminals headed by the guy who played the Dad on "That 70's Show".
So, the cop (Weller) is experimented on, and augmented with bulletproof
armor and robotic reflexes and targeting systems and a gun holster inside
his thigh, and a bunch of other cool things.  He is Robocop, and he means
business.  After cleaning the streets of the normal trash, he finds out that
the bigwigs at OCP are criminals too.  And, he has dreams of his past
(human) life, and now wants revenge on those who killed him.  Will Robocop
get revenge and bring justice?  What do you think?

A formulaic story (maybe it was fresh for 1987, but I doubt it), but still
entertaining.  The "futuristic" world is similar to all the futuristic
worlds in 80's movies - dirty, sleazy, and crime-ridden.  There's some good
action, but overall, this film isn't as good as you remember it.  Most of
the effects are decent, but some are obvious now. There's one quick scene
where the ED-209 shoots a missile, and that missile travels right along a
conveniently placed cord.  But there are some classic scenes (Robocop shoots
a would-be rapist in the crotch through the legs of the victim) and classic
lines ("I'd buy that for a dollar").  Worth the time watching it, but just
be prepared that it's no great movie.
 

Lesson Learned: When building an invincible robot, make sure he can walk
down stairs.
 

Quality: 5.0  Visuals: 4.5  Intensity: 6.5
OVERALL RATING: 5.3