“Robocop! Who is he? What is he? Where did he come from?” This famous line from 1987’s seminal and beloved sci-fi classic Robocop, is now getting answered in the form of the long anticipated new docu-series, RoboDoc: The Creation of Robocop. Co-directed by Chris Griffiths and Eastwood Allen, RoboDoc is the new 4-part series that immerses you in the world of Old Detroit.
Released in 1987, Robocop tells the story of murdered Detroit Police Officer Alex Murphy. Brutally gunned down in the line of duty, Murphy is reborn as the future of law enforcement, Robocop! Taking to the mean streets, Robocop introduces a new brand of steel-infused justice to the lawless city.
Battling an identity crises of whether he is man or machine, Murphy must restore order and take down the violent gang that originally murdered him. With a criminal enterprise firmly embedded within and taking orders from the corporate world, Robocop must root out the corruption and crime at all costs.
RoboDoc is a fun and exhaustive trip through the film world of Robocop. From original conception to the sequels, RoboDoc leaves nothing behind in the sometimes torrid history of the franchise. One of the great things about the original Robocop is its ability to hold a mirror up to society to show us, in an exaggerated way, what our future could look like.
Corporate greed, crony capitalism, militarization of the police, out of control technology, and rampant artificial intelligence are all very deep themes that are explored beautifully in the original Robocop and also expounded on in RoboDoc. Interestingly enough, a lot of the issues that were satire in the original film have slowly crept their way into our reality. Sometimes, life really does imitate art.
One of the really refreshing things to see in RoboDoc, is the reunion of cast, crew, writers, etc. It was nice to hear directly from them what their inspiration and thought process was during the development and making of the original film. From Kurtwood Smith discussing his gang’s motivation to how Peter Weller trained with a mime coach to move in the Robo suit, no stone is left unturned.
RoboDoc takes off at 100 miles per hour and doesn’t let up during the whole ride. Every aspect from early cast decisions to what was used as the sound of Robocop’s footsteps is discussed. All of the information is presented in an interesting and visually engaging manner. Nothing is dwelled on to the point it gets boring and it keeps chugging along with new little tidbits of info and trivia. I feel like every facet of the film is covered and no aspect is glossed over.
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One of things that makes the original Robocop such a memorable film is the practical effects. This probably shows my age, but I will take practical effects over CGI any day. I miss the days where if a film needed to blow up a gas station, they blew up a gas station! It was fascinating to see interviews with special effects legend Rob Bottin and the rest of the Robo team discussing the making of the suit, ED-209 and how Murphy’s death was pulled off.
Horror fans may be familiar with RoboDoc directors Chris Griffiths and Eastwood Allen. This is the pair’s 4th documentary. Previously Griffiths and Allen, along with producer Gary Smart created the documentaries Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, Pennywise: The Story of it, and You’re So Cool, Brewster: The Story of Fright Night. As a fan of all of these previous documentaries, when I heard they were going to be taking on the behemoth Robocop, I knew they would do it justice. And I was not disappointed.
One of my favorite aspects of RoboDoc is the soundtrack! With a synthwave-laden score, the music fits perfectly into the Old Detroit future dystopian world. Many well known synthwave artists lended their music and talents to the soundtrack including New Arcades, Meteor, Occam’s Laser and friend of Wicked Horror Protector 101.
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Seeing Peter Weller involved in the project wraps the film up in a nice bow. You cannot make a documentary about Robocop without the man who played Robocop. Listening to his firsthand accounts of being on set and just seeing Weller embrace his legacy and appearing happy to do so makes it worth the price of admission. The fans love Peter Weller and hopefully he loves us back.
All in all, RoboDoc: The Creation of Robocop, is a fantastic ride down memory lane of an iconic and timeless film. Interested fans can currently stream RoboDoc on Screambox on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, Philo and Screambox.com.
