Robocop: 5 Reasons The Original Is Best (& 5 Why The Reboot Is)

Action, blood, and corruption drive the storyline of the cult classic 1987 movie, Robocop. The movie stars Peter Weller in the lead role of Alex Murphy who becomes the first Robocop in the science fiction movie. Audiences watch as an almost apocalyptic Detroit, riddled with crime, gets a new hero created by a corrupt company that privatized the police force.

Like many Hollywood classics, the 1987 movie was rebooted in 2o14. It follows the same story of a diligent police officer getting an unwanted start as a Robocop in a crime-ridden city. While there are some noticeable discrepancies, fans couldn’t help but pick a favorite between the two.

10 Reboot: The Cast

Fans of the reboot gravitate towards it due to the familiar faces seen in its main cast. Actor Joel Kinnaman plays the lead role of Murphy before gaining even more fame in his role in Altered Carbon. But what sold many fans was the character portrayal of Dennett Norton, the scientist who created Robocop, played by Gary Oldman.

The Robocop story needed its villain or bad guy, which happens to be played by Batman alumn, Michael Keaton, as the CEO of OmniCorp. To round out the cast is no other than the famed Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the role of a news host who supports mechanized crime control.

9 Original: The Use Of Commercials As Social Commentary

Back in the day, the inclusion of fictional in-movie TV broadcasts and commercials wasn’t the norm. But it becomes a crucial part of Robocop and the way it tells its dystopian and influential storyline about corruption and control. Audiences see news reports about the crime-ridden city that only foreshadows what’s to come.

The commercials regarding a prosthetic tech-savvy heart only elude to how powerful companies feed on consumers’ fears to make a profit. Analyzing even further, audiences will notice how these commercials take hold of everyday people, as characters even quote commercial tag lines.

8 Reboot: The Updated Robocop

Comparing the old Robocop character to the newest version shows a clear difference in the overall character’s look. Fans quite enjoy the fresher and more futuristic take that the new Robocop has in the reboot. When creating an advanced police officer in 2028, it’s no surprise that he has all the bells and whistles.

The 2014 version was also dynamic in terms of costuming, which portrayed Robocop as a massive figure that towered over others. Not to mention, he had a more sleek and detailed muscular form that allowed for agility and smoother movement. The reboot version also showed the character in all black and with a more haunting look.

7 Original: Robocop Suit & Character Is Still Iconic

While the 2014 reboot upped the ante on the suit, fans can’t help but agree that’s there’s a nostalgic and cool element to the original suit and character. The original Robocop wears a thick and robust silver suit that looks more like tactical gear with futuristic details. It’s what many dreamed a futurist robot/human would look like.

Along with the suit comes the main character, Alex Murphy. This version of Murphy is more memorable, due to his clean-cut, blue-eyed, and blonde hair look. He is the essence of all that is good and proper in a crime-ridden city. Murphy is down to earth but takes his job seriously. His character only gets better when he’s salvaged to become Robocop and has to deal with his new robotic programming and what’s left of his humanity.

6 Reboot: Dazzling Visuals

Fans can agree that the visuals in the reboot movie were a different level of excitement than what was seen in the original. This is simply because of the technological advances in cinema that have happened since that allows for more dynamic and action-packed sequences.

The motorcycle chases, the shoot outs and the way Robocop is visually portrayed are all dazzling. The visuals fit well into the 2028 futuristic vibe. Therefore, it is more exciting to watch the movie for its action than the original.

5 Original: A Story Ahead Of Its Time

Robocop marked a new shift in what people expected of the future. Many even call the movie’s storyline ahead of its time. Set in the near future but still holding on to its more late-80s to ’90s aesthetic, the storyline of a robotic police officer was an eye-opener.

Much how movies portrayed the future as having flying cars, teleportation, and more, Robocop gained attention because it was a concept that wasn’t seen before. OmniCorp was developing high-end technological and weaponized drones to combat crime and take control. All the while, what’s left of Murphy’s human form is salvaged and made to become almost 90 percent robot.

4 Reboot: A Humanized Murphy Story

When comparing both Murphy characters from the original and reboot, many can agree that the reboot humanized the character much more. In the original, fans do see Murphy have a short breakdown as he visits his old home shared with his family. But the reboot took it further, as fans get much more backstory to Murphy as a detective, a father, and husband.

Murphy, in the reboot, struggles with holding on to his morals and humanity as they actively try to rid him of them to become the ultimate weaponized robotic officer. Not to mention, Murphy’s family plays a much bigger role in his story, as his son suffers from PTSD and his wife sees all the corruption taking place.

3 Original: The Bad Guys Are Chillingly Bad

One thing the original movie did incredibly well was making fans hate the bad guys. The original movie has two main antagonists: one set in the corporate world and one in crime-ridden Detroit. Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) was a notorious crime boss who did what he wanted and killed anyone he wanted to.

Boddicker, along with all the other criminals in the movie, gave fans chills. They were maniacal, evil, and downright dark. In one scene, two lowlife criminals chase women with the intent to sexually assault them before Robocop arrives. Fan also can’t forget the corrupt OmniCorp and its Vice President, Dick Jones (Ronny Cox). Boddicker and Jones were in cahoots the entire time.

2 Reboot: The Underlying Betrayal

The twist or betrayal seen in the reboot is a trope seen in many crime/action movies. But the reboot added a small twist to the underlying story that made it slightly better than the original. In the original, it’s revealed that Jones and Boddicker were in cahoots to kill Murphy in order to start the Robocop plan.

The reboot tweaked this story and instead had two police officers as dirty and having ratted out Murphy, leading to his death and subsequent change into Robocop. Unlike the original, the CEO of OmniCorp instead used the Robocop plan to stop the Dreyfus Act, forbidding the deployment of militarized drones in the United States.

1 Original: The Late ’80s & ’90s Exaggerated Gore

The reboot, in comparison to the original, is more audience-friendly. Robocop from 1987 has all the unique and cliché gore that was often seen in movies of the time period. This means a lot of death, gunshots, and blood that make even the toughest of audience members cringe and look away.

In one scene, Robocop shoots between a female victim’s legs to successfully shoot the assailant in the groin. Audiences see the blood and destruction left behind. Fans also remember the scene in OmniCorp when they are demonstrating the ED-209, a law enforcement droid that goes haywire. It ends up machine-gunning an employee to smithereens.

About The Author

Gabriela Silva
(477 Articles Published)

Gabriela Silva is a List writer for Screen Rant with experience in all things television, film and pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University with previous years experience interning for Cliché Magazine.

With her passion for movies, television and entertainment, she’s interviewed some great actors from Cress Williams of ‘Black Lightning’ to Tati Gabrielle from ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.’

Her love for entertainment reaches a broad range of interests from 90s thriller movies, guilty pleasure teen dramas, action-packed MCU movies to popular K-dramas. You’ll most likely find her binge-watching a new television show or movies on Netflix into the early morning.

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