Never gets old. One of my favorites. The social satire, with the ultraviolence and cool sci-fi story is just the perfect mix of fun. Plus all the great character actors and kick ass designs... I love this movie.

It's been a while since I have sat down to watch Verhoevens masterpiece, but when Arrow released a 4K release, I had no excuse not to upgrade my copy and get watching again. RoboCop is one of the absolute best action movies from the 80s, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to watch it in 4K. Great good guys, great bad guys, and some very brutal action. RoboCop has it all!! One of my absolute favourites from my childhood, and required watching for any action fan.

9/10 really enjoyable movie and well made.

I wasn't expecting it to be this good! In fact, I fell into the same trap as studio executives and Paul Verhoeven himself back when _RoboCop_ was in pre-production. I knew the title, I knew the rough outline of the concept, and was expecting some prime 1980s cookie-cutter action sleaze at best. I do enjoy that kind of stuff, so I expected that I might end up liking it, but not as a genuinely good film, without any nostalgia or trashiness bonus. There are a lot of 80s and 90s action and thriller movies I'm only now catching up on. It hasn't been long that I finally managed to see _Total Recall_ and _Blade Runner_, and I think _RoboCop_ fits nicely in the middle between the two. It's satirical and darkly funny, but not as over-the-top, ridiculous, haha-funny as _Total Recall_. And it does contain some serious commentary, but is more about overt social criticism than _Blade Runner_'s sombre, existential and philosophical questions. It works on both levels. It's a really entertaining action film and, because it's from the 1980s, you can expect some seriously impressive pyrotechnics and stunts, in contrast to today's bland, fake-looking, boring, tiring CGI effects. It also works as a dystopian warning that, if anything, has only become more relevant over the past roughly 40 years, without feeling forced or tacked-on. Unlike _Blade Runner_, and despite what the theme of a man being turned into a cyborg and having his personality erased might strongly suggest, _RoboCop_ doesn't really go into questions of identity and humanity, although some people who see a "deeper conversation" in everything claim it does. RoboCop's human past is an important element driving the plot forward, but the story doesn't go into the philosophical aspects of it. _RoboCop_'s story is all about a crushing condemnation of Reagonomics, right-libertarianism, and the privatisation of essential services. It also doesn't have a romantic subplot, which I strongly appreciate. It keeps the movie so much more consistent and immersive, compared to all those other ones which had an implausible and inane love story shoddily tacked on for… well, for what reason, actually? It worked in _Blade Runner_ (despite one very disturbing scene) because it was a part of the story and had something to say, but that's the exception to confirm the rule. _RoboCop_ is also one more piece of evidence that there really is such a thing as too many cooks in filmmaking. With a relatively small crew and a budget that was modest even for the time, they managed to produce something that looks so much better and more convincing than most blockbuster movies released today, which swallow budgets that are larger by an order of magnitude and then some. Especially noteworthy is the RoboCop suit and the makeup for Peter Weller. It took me a moment to see how they did it. It looks so convincing that they were not afraid of showing long, steady close-ups of Weller's half-human, half-machine head, and it works. Also, the locations are excellent. How much better does a properly scouted real-world location like the old steel mill look than some flat soundstage set, or a rendered CGI backdrop behind ill-fitting greenscreened actors? This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is proper filmmaking, and anyone not seeing how much better it looks needs to get their eyes checked out. The only thing that hasn't aged as well is the stop-motion. The great visuals continue with the photography, with some fantastic shots and angles throughout. It never feels as if it's just trying to be different and special for its own sake, but always has a purpose in setting a mood or anticipating an event (the toilet stall shot comes to mind). Another very iconic highlight are the shots from RoboCop's point of view. The entire act of RoboCop's creation should have a place in any list of greatest film sequences of all time. The soundtrack is another thing I want to mention. The epic main motif is enough to make me want to also look for a copy of the soundtrack CD. It didn't strike me as a potential classic, must-have score while watching the film, but streaming it a day later, I have to admit that it's very fitting and supports the atmosphere well. Hearing it instantly took my mind back into the story. If you need a sample to jog your memory, look for the track "Rock Shop". I'm ambivalent about the violence and gore. Of course, the shock value is necessary to some degree to make the plot work. And yes, the movie is part dark comedy. But the sadism of some of the villains was really overblown and hurt the believability, as did one comically exaggerated, gruesome death during the finale. I didn't think the gore was excessive, though I did only watch the theatrical cut so far, not the uncensored director's cut (the 4K UHD release comes with both). The latter is probably considered the "canonical" cut, but after reading some discussions online, even among fans the majority seem to think that the film is better without the restored and uncut scenes. It's plenty harrowing as it is, and it gets the job done. _RoboCop_ is a really great ride, and if you're like me up until a few days ago and don't really know much about it apart from the title and some promotional images, don't let it fool you and give it a try (if you can stomach some gore). I was surprised to find out that it's held in much higher regard than, say, the average Stallone or Lundgren vehicle, and is in fact considered one of the best action movies of the decade. After finally having seen it, I understand why. I will keep this one in my permanent library.