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{{work}}
{{Multiple Works Need Separate Pages}}
[[File:robocop_poster_3003.jpg|frame]]
{{quote|
'''''RoboCop''''' (1987) is a [[Sci Fi]]
After Murphy is pronounced dead, OCP takes his remains and effectively resurrects him as the [[Nigh Invulnerable]] cyborg police officer RoboCop. His mind is [[Laser
Directed by [[Paul Verhoeven]], ''RoboCop'' is a gritty, ultra-violent, [[Black Comedy|darkly humorous]] film which features a great deal of social commentary and political satire on such subjects as capitalism, privatization, the environment and public apathy. The film works as pure summer entertainment as well, with taut action sequences, impressive production design, and memorable characters. Its smash success spawned a whole series of sequels and spin-offs while providing a huge shot in the arm for the [[Superhero]] film genre that the
The first sequel, ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), was even [[Darker and Edgier|more violent and edgier]] than the first, going so far as to include a child as one of the primary villains. The plot involves the spread of a new drug called NUKE, considered ''the'' most addictive narcotic in history, as the police department is on strike. RoboCop struggles to stem the flow by going after Cain, a drug kingpin with a messiah complex.
Meanwhile, OCP has failed to replicate their success creating the first RoboCop. After several failed attempts, an unscrupulous executive in OCP hypothesizes that the mind of a criminal with a strong desire for power and immortality could survive the procedure. When RoboCop finally takes Cain down, OCP immediately sticks Cain's brain in "RoboCop 2" and counts on his addiction to NUKE as a [[Restraining Bolt]]. (You get no points on guessing how long he stays loyal.) Now RoboCop must face his [[Evil Counterpart]]
Relying too heavily on raw violence and shock value while having less of the satirical humor that defined its predecessor, the sequel was not as popular as the original film. [[Frank Miller]] wrote the original screenplay; although the script was heavily altered to fit a movie format, his influence in the themes of the film can be identified, including scenes in which a focus group attempts to make RoboCop more family-friendly (rendering him unable to do his job). Miller later turned his original vision of the film into a comic book series (''Frank Miller's RoboCop'').
''RoboCop 3'' substituted the adult violence for something more tame, since the film was rated PG-13. The third film has OCP working to finish what they've been trying to do in the first two
Despite the very adult material, the character of ''RoboCop'' has the general makings of a classic [[Super
* ''Robocop: The Animated Series'': [[Animated Adaptation]], 1988. Like the above. Also introduced a [[Merchandise
* ''Robocop: The Series'': Live action, 1994. Gave Robo a holographic woman partner, a kid sidekick, and a variety of gadgets. On the other hand, it was occasionally hysterical. "I can't believe it! He's a Milken Scholar!"
* ''Robocop: Alpha Commando'': Animated, 1998. Which was less than well received. Filled the world with smartass [[A Is]].
* ''[[Robocop Prime Directives]]'': Live-Action, Miniseries, 2000. Received an ambivalent response.
And then, a [[Remake]] movie was released in 2014, which is a [[Continuity Reboot]] and serves to tell the the story of the eponymous cyborg cop in a new way and style. The work's page is [[RoboCop (2014)|here]].
The title character's design was loosely based on the [[Toku]] [[Metal Heroes]] series, particularly Space Sheriff Gavan, which Paul Verhoven apparently enjoyed watching on his hotel room TV set while visiting Japan.▼
▲The title character's design was loosely based on the [[Toku]] [[Metal Heroes]] series, particularly Space Sheriff Gavan, which Paul Verhoven apparently enjoyed watching on his hotel room TV set while visiting Japan.
One more thing: there was also a series of videogames produced for home consoles and the arcade, mostly adhering to what is now referred to as the "run and gun" format. <ref>The [[ZX Spectrum]] version is recognised as one of the most successful -- and [[Nintendo Hard|hardest]] -- games on that system.</ref> In addition to the RoboCop-only games, there was also a crossover game with another famous film franchise: ''RoboCop versus [[The Terminator]]''.▼
▲One more thing: there was also a series of videogames produced for home consoles and the arcade, mostly adhering to what is now referred to as the "run and gun" format.
RoboCop appeared as a [[Guest Fighter]] in ''[[Mortal Kombat 11]]'' with Peter Weller reprising his role.
{{franchisetropes}}
== Tropes A-I ==
* [[Abandoned Warehouse]]: The site of the first confrontation between Murphy and Boddicker's gang {{spoiler|and the last one}}.
* [[Action Girl]]: Lewis, although she's a [[Faux Action Girl]] for the first part of the movie.
* [[
▲* [[AI Is a Crapshoot]]: ED-209; not because they're evil, but because they're very, very dumb. Subverted with RoboCop himself; he doesn't rebel against OCP because he's a cyborg, but because he regains his human memories.
* [[All Crimes Are Equal]]: ED-209 advanced dangerously on RoboCop for being illegally parked on private property at the end of the first film. ({{spoiler|Not that it worked out that well for him on this occasion.}})
* [[...And Show It to You]]: ''RoboCop 2''
* [[Antagonist Title]]: ''RoboCop 2'' is technically one, as Cain is turned into a cyborg called RoboCop 2 by the OCP.
* [[An Arm and
* [[And I Must Scream]]: Cain experiences an extended version of this, silently and helplessly witnessing not only his own dissection but the fact that he's become a [[Brain In a Jar]].
* [[Artificial Gravity]]: Played for laughs. The gravity on the space station (which is an [[Kill Sat|orbital defense platform]] instead of the peaceful use of the ISS today) malfunctions when the President visits.
* [[Armor Is Useless]]: Averted and also played straight throughout all three films.
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** In the second movie Robocop is fired at with varying degrees of man portable weaponry including a rocket launcher or two and he still keeps on going. However a .50 caliber M2 is enough to take his hand off and a jackhammer is sufficient to disassemble him (eventually).
* [[Asshole Victim]]: {{spoiler|Bob Morton}} in the first movie.
* [[A
** All those assault cannons in the first movie's climax, and RoboCop doesn't take a ''single hit''. In general, Robo takes a heck of a lot of hits to the chest and none to that few inches of face, though there's at least one scene where he shields his face with an arm.
** Averted throughout the movie by other enemies, though. The confrontation with ED-209 and the subsequent arrival of the SWAT teams and police see RoboCop barely survive after being targeted mercilessly with assault cannons, machine guns, shotguns and a couple of rockets.
* [[Attack Drone]]: ED-209.
* [[Attempted Rape]]: One of the first crime victims rescued by Murphy after his transformation into RoboCop is a [[
* [[Back
* [[Barrier
** In ''RoboCop 2'', Robo politely knocks on the (
* [[Bathroom Stall of Overheard Insults]]: Jones insults his boss in the bathroom [[Right Behind Me|only to discover he's been listening in the cubicle all along.]]
* [[Better Than New]]: After Murphy is pronounced dead, OCP takes his remains and resurrects him using cybernetic/robotic technology into the [[Nigh Invulnerable]] RoboCop, though he'll never be human again.
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** Bobby wasn't necessarily killed. We see him get shot in the legs and thrown onto the windshield of a Ford Taurus, but people have survived worse injuries in [[Real Life]].
* [[Bloody Hilarious]]
* [[Blunt Metaphors Trauma]]: Robo in the second film when he stops some kids from playing with an open fire hydrant. He attempts to dispatch some old adages of homespun wisdom, but botches several of the sayings.
* [[Body Horror]]
** A plot point in ''RoboCop 2'' involves the failed attempts to build a [[New and Improved]] cyborg. The minds used would be so horrified by what they had become that they would commit suicide in hilarious ways.
** The first time Robo takes his helmet off, he says to his partner: "You may not like what you are about to see." Murphy's face is the only visible organic part of him, and from the looks of his head, has been ''grafted'' onto a completely synthetic skull.
** RoboCop ends up in a pile of pieces after his first, failed attempt to get Cain.
** Boddicker's goon Emil drives through an industrial-strength tank of [[Hollywood Acid|acidic toxic waste]]. Unfortunately for Emil, ''[[Nausea Fuel|he survives]]'' long enough to get splattered.
** And, of course, Murphy getting shredded apart by shells and bullets in the first part of the first film.
* [[Boom! Headshot!]]: Murphy dies after getting shot in the head (which, after getting several of his limbs blown off and shot multiple times, is almost a [[Mercy Kill]]).
* [[Bowdlerized]]: The TV edit used for a ABC Sunday Night Movie in the early 90s cut half the movie and overdubbed the rest: "Ladies, leave!" and "You finked on the wrong guy."
* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: Nobody in this movie ever seems to reload their guns, even RoboCop and his machine pistol.
* [[
* [[Broken Faceplate]]: RoboCop's visor gets smashed open by ED-209, allowing the audience to see the fear and surprise on his face during a close-up.
* [[Buddy Cop Show]]: Not a show, precisely, but the Murphy & Lewis dynamic held through all three movies. And unlike most [[Buddy Cop Show]] situations, they were good buddies from the start, rather than rubbing each other the wrong way.
* [[Call Back]]: McDagget's death at the end of the third movie is actually quite similar to Bob Morton's in the
* [[California Doubling]]
** Most of the first movie was shot in [[DFW Metroplex|Dallas]].
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** ''RoboCop 3'' was shot in Atlanta, using many of the buildings that would soon be torn down to make room for the facilities for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
* [[The Cameo]]: In ''Robocop 2'', Frank Miller plays a chemist named...[[The Danza|Frank]]
* [[Captain Obvious]]: Lampshaded in the 3rd movie.
{{quote|
'''Lewis:''' "No shit, Sherlock!" }}
* [[Car Chase]]: Robo chasing Daggett in a [[Flashed Badge Hijack|borrowed]] pimpmobile in ''3''.
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** Emil should have known not to play [[Car Fu]] around vats of [[Hollywood Acid|industrial chemicals]]. After getting horribly disfigured by the stuff, he's finished off by getting run over himself and bursts into noxious slime.
** In the second movie, when Lois steals an armored car and rams Cain into a wall.
* [[Character Tics]]: Murphy had several that carried over into his cyborg persona. For example, he learned how to spin his pistol to impersonate ''T.J. Lazer'', the hero of his son's
* [[Character Title]]
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]
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* [[Chicken Walker]]: The ED-209, which proves to be its Achilles Heel.
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: RoboCop in the second movie, after he's saddled with a couple hundred politically-correct directives.
* [[Cluster F
* [[The Commandments]]: RoboCop's four directives.
* [[Continuity Nod]]
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** In the second film, Murphy brings one of the Cobra Rifles used on him from the first to his confrontation with RoboCain, though it does not cause much damage.
* [[Cool Gun]]: RoboCop's heavily modified Beretta 93R, referred to as the "Auto-9".
* [[Corporate
** Robo himself has a few OCP logos on him, along with an OCP-001 serial number. Plus, whenever he gets smashed up it's OCP's money that pays for the rebuild (or not).
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Practically every member of OCP, but notably Johnson (who appears in all three films). In the first film, he's an ambiguous (but generally moral) employee who advises Bob Morton and gives Murphy a "thumbs-up" sign at the end. In the second he's head of the Robocop project and still a generally decent guy, but is willing to throw the far more amoral Dr. Faxx under the bus and participate in forging evidence to do just that. By the third, he's transformed into an unlikable douchebag who threatens to cut Sergeant Reed's pension if he doesn't comply with OCP's order to gentrify the Cadillac Heights district. He also [[Karma Houdini|survives the film and doesn't lose his job]] (unlike the CEO, who's fired at the end).
{{quote| '''Johnson:''' Of course, there won't be any trouble from the dead ones.<br />▼
'''The Old Man:''' They'll have relatives. They ''always do''. }}▼
** Possibly subverted in the third movie. {{spoiler|1=It's implied that Kanemitsu is being lied to about what's really going on in Detroit by both the remnants of OCP and The head of Rehabs. He bows his head to RoboCop at the end of the film}}.
*** Karmically double subverted on Johnsons part, while he didn't make the mistakes his other contemporaries had made which sealed their fates. As of the end of the 3rd movie, OCP has officially gone out of business. Leaving the last man standing without a job nor a back-up plan to fall on in the interrim.
▲'''The Old Man:''' They'll have relatives. They ''always do''. }}
* [[Crapsack World]]
** Detroit. Full of crime and [[Corrupt Corporate Executive
** And it's not just limited to Detroit, either. In the first film, an orbiting defense satellite misfires and causes thousands of acres of forest to burn in California, killing several when it also sweeps through some homes, as well as two former US Presidents. In the second film, ED-209s are deployed in five major cities despite its continuing malfunctions; and a nuclear power plant in the Amazon goes critical, irradiating the entire rainforest.
** Also from the second film, it seems that skin cancer due the lack of ozone layer is a pretty common problem. And, of course, the chemicals you can buy to protect you from that, are also highly carcinogenic!
* [[Crucified Hero Shot]]: Murphy's death. The RoboCop = cyborg!Jesus metaphor is extended throughout the film (see: getting pierced by a spear, walking on water).
* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: RoboCop versus the ED-209 near the end of the first film. Especially satisfying because their earlier fight wasn't concluded.
* [[Cursed
* [[Cyberpunk]]
* [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]]: Averted. At first OCP believes Murphy no longer retains any traces of his humanity, but it turns out he does as he regains his memories of his old self.
* [[Da Chief]]: Sergeant Reed.
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: The hostage negotiator in the first film.
{{quote| '''Miller:''' "How about cruise control? Does it come with cruise control?"<br />▼
'''Negotiatior:''' "Hey, no problem, Miller. You let the Mayor go, we'll even throw in a Blaupunkt." }}▼
** There's also RoboCop to some extent, notably when he is usually damaged in someway or has done some damage.
▲'''Negotiatior:''' "Hey, no problem, Miller. You let the Mayor go, we'll even throw in a Blaupunkt." }}
* [[Defictionalization]]: There is a real life company called Omni Consumer Products. They specialize in... making Defictionalized products. In an nicely full circle manner, the company's owner gave 25,000 dollars to a project seeking to build a statue of RoboCop in Detroit.
* [[Destination Defenestration]]: Jones' death. After holding the president of OCP hostage, he's blown out the window by RoboCop and plummets to the ground.
* [[Determinator]]: After numerous [[Epic Fail
* [[Dirt Forcefield]]: Robo's always squeaky clean until the third act, wherein he gets heavily damaged.
* [[Dirty Cop]]: "You sold us out, Officer Duffy! You're a rotten cop!"
* [[Donut Mess
* [[Dramatic Unmask]]
** Robo removing his helmet in the first movie. "You may not like what you're going to see."
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* [[Enfant Terrible]]: While there are plenty of [[Kids Are Cruel|cruel kids]] in ''RoboCop 2'', Hob, the youngest member of Cain's cult, makes them look innocent in comparison. He's not above killing cops and uses his age to avoid getting gunned down by [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child|RoboCop]]. Later in the film, he almost manages to {{spoiler|1=buy Detroit by making a deal with the mayor. Then RoboCain shows up...}}
* [[Engineered Public Confession]]: "I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake. Now it's time to erase that mistake." This ends up {{spoiler|biting Dick Jones in the ass.}} What makes this particularly stupid on his part is that he knows ''damn well'' RoboCop is capable of recording everything he says (he even bitches out ''Boddicker'' for telling RoboCop about his involvement in the first place), but he didn't expect him to survive his ensuing fight with ED-209, the SWAT team and Boddicker's gang.
** However, the whole Jones/Boddicker/Morton subplot serves a storytelling purpose, specifically the [[Grey and Gray Morality]] question of responsibility for Murphy's death, in a very neat way. Boddicker carries the ultimate blame as the man who did the deed, Dick Jones as Boddicker's paymaster is the [[Big Bad]] behind the crimewave Murphy was responding to at the beginning of the story - but it is heavily implied if not outright stated - that Bob Morton himself carries a significant share of the responsibility, his purposely undermining the DPD by
* [[Epic Fail]]: The ED-209 attempts to descend a set of stairs in the OCP building, despite the fact that its feet are too big to go down the steps.
* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]: The Old Man, Chairman of OCP. He does have a real name, it's just that people insist on calling him that behind his back.
* [[Evil Gloating]]: Boddicker's gang loves this.
* [[Evilly Affable]]: Clarence Boddicker.
* [[Exact Words]]: In the sequel, when the criminals are cutting the corrupt cop open.
{{quote|
'''Cain''': "[[Cold
* [[Executive Meddling]]: In-universe examples.
** Directive 4 in ''RoboCop 1'', which Dick Jones describes as his "own little contribution."
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* [[Fantastic Drug]]: NUKE in the second movie. Although in this case, the viewer is ''supposed'' to treat the made-up NUKE as being every bit as egregious as real-life heroin or PCP.
* [[Fatal Family Photo]]: Played with in first film, as a Murphy family photo is shown long after Murphy had become RoboCop. In ''RoboCop 2'', Murphy asks if Anne has a family, with her reminding him she has a brother but survives. However, {{spoiler|1=she dies in ''RoboCop 3''}}.
* [[Finger
* [[Fingore]]: Among the many mutilations inflicted on him before his death, Boddicker's crew starts out by blowing off Murphy's right hand with a shotgun.
* [[Firing One
* [[Flaw Exploitation]]: Hob uses Angie's addiction to Nuke to keep her in line after Cain's absence. Dr. Faxx uses Cain's addiction to Nuke to control him once he's revived...but not for long.
* [[Flipping the Bird]]: RoboCop does this to a computer tech with his data probe before accessing the files on his death and Boddicker's gang.
* [[Forgot I Could Change the Rules]]: Averted. When the vice president of OCP takes the president hostage, Robocop cannot intervene against an OCP employee. Instead of changing Robo's directive, the president just fires the VP, making him fair game.
* [[Gangsta Style]]: One of Boddicker's mooks holds up a gas station by holding a SMG this way.
* [[Gatling Good]]: RoboCain.
* [[Gone Horribly Wrong]]: The ED-209's first demonstration.
* [[Good Is Not Soft]]: Alex Murphy is portrayed as a [[Nice Guy]]. Since that murderous robot blowing away criminals is still him...
* [[Goodnight, Sweet Prince]]: Painfully parodied by one of Boddicker's goons.
* [[Gorn]]: A notorious example.
* [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: More often than not the violence was shown, but several times in the second movie, we simply got strong hints as to how awful the violence being done was, such as {{spoiler|a doctor showing us Cain's agonized face after the skull holding it was sliced away}}. Used to ''great'' effect when {{spoiler|Murphy is stripped down by Cain and his goons;}} we don't see what it looks like until they're done, but we see the process involving jackhammers, sledgehammers, and their own casual view of the process ''all from Murphy's perspective.'' It is a dark inversion of his "rebirth" in the first movie, and references the visuals of that scene.
* [[The Great Politics Mess
* [[Groin Attack]]
** You're trying to take down a would-be rapist who's holding his victim hostage. He's using her as a human shield. What do you do? Shoot between the ''hostage's'' legs and neuter the guy.
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* [[Hand Cannon]]: Robo, natch, as well as many of the bad guys. Murphy's gun is a Beretta 93R fully automatic pistol, modified to look even bigger and spit foot-long flames with every three-round burst. Note that the real Beretta 93R cannot fire in full-automatic; only single and three-round burst.
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: In the second movie, when Robo encounters the kid villain, he has a full BSOD with flashbacks to his son.
* [[High
* [[Hollywood Acid]]: The toxic waste Emil takes a bath in.
* [[Hollywood Silencer]]: When Boddicker shoots Morton, he fits a silencer first so his pistol is barely audible.
* [[Hoist
** Dick Jones and his Directive 4.
** Dr. Faxx used a deadly criminal as a test subject for Robocain (he ended up acting like the criminal he used to be); then she tried to keep him in check with Nuke (may have worked if he was fully human and his body, not just his mind, actually craved it); then tried to use feminine wiles to avoid responsibility (she was the most likely OCP scapegoat anyway, as she authorized the use of Cain's brain).
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Oddly enough, Otomo {{spoiler|the android}} seems to adhere to this. He could have killed Robocop effortlessly several times, but the first time waits until Robo turns to face him, and the second time waits until he's on his feet again.
* [[Hookers and Blow]]: Plenty of both.
* [[Idiot Ball]]: We don't see the actual decision on screen, only its consequences. Still, whoever it was who [[I Just Shot Marvin in
** Unless it was Donald Johnson, in which case he qualifies as a [[Magnificent Bastard]] instead.
* [[I'm a Doctor, Not
{{quote|
* [[I'm Melting]]: Emil. And very messily at that.
* [[Immune to Bullets]]: Not the villains, but [https://web.archive.org/web/20160305060113/http://qdb.us/28294 the hero].
* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: In the climax of the first film, none of the criminals can hit RoboCop with their [[BFG
** That kind of makes sense in context,
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Justified in that Robo's are all software. The human Murphy empties four magazines at a speeding panel truck and only manages to hit with one round. When the software craps out after Robo's run-in with Directive 4, he's right back to being unable to hit the broad side of a barn, and Lewis has to help him reprogram himself.
** Murphy was firing with two small
* [[Improvised Weapon]]: Most notably the data jack.
* [[Infant Immortality]]: {{spoiler|1=Averted with Hob, the youngest member of Cain's cult, who gets gunned down behind a truck door while trying to hide from RoboCain.}}
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* [[Inferred Holocaust]]: At the end of the third film, a '''thermo'''-failsafe explosive is set off, which destroys the OCP building in an explosion that also consumes much of the downtown Detroit area. None of the characters remark on this (as it's the end of the film), and the viewer is supposed to be happy that Robo and his friends stopped the corporation from bulldozing Old Detroit, while ignoring that dozens (if not hundreds) of people were just murdered in a massive explosion that took out the biggest and tallest building in the city.
** Possibly mitigated by the earlier parts of the movie. The scenes of walking through the OCP building show it as half-deserted from layoffs, departures, and suicides. It's implied by the end that the building may have cleared out completely, and if the neighborhood was one that was also going to be rehabbed, it may have been emptied as well.
* [[Infrared X
* [[Instant Death Bullet]]: Typically about as thoroughly averted as humanly possible. Murphy gets shot dozens of times by Boddicker in the first film. At the end, he puts a couple dozen bullets in Dick Jones, but Jones is killed when he gets knocked back through a window and falls around 100 stories to his death.
* [["It" Is Dehumanizing]]: Murphy is referred to by OCP as "it" after his transformation.
* [[
== Tropes J-R ==
* [[Japan Takes Over the World]]: In the third film OCP is in the process of being bought out by Japanese investors who are just as ruthless as their American counterparts.
* [[Just a Machine]]: What OCP believes until Murphy proves them wrong.
* [[Katanas Are Just Better]]: Otomo's [[Weapon of Choice]] in the third film, complete with [[Clean Cut]].
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** It may very well be Murphy's conscience, not the programing (at least before he's filled with [[Restraining Bolt|stupid directives]]).
* [[Kill Sat]]
* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]: Kevlar/Titanium laminated
* [[Law Enforcement, Inc.]]: The Detroit police force has been privatized, [[Mega Corp|which is why OCP wields such an incredible degree of control over them.]]
* [[Licensed Game]]: Many, including a [[Crossover]]: ''[[Robocop vs. Terminator]]''. The original DataEast arcade game is considered to be an exception to [[The Problem
* [[Lock and Load Montage]]: Murphy does this a few times, including before the climactic fight with Boddicker's gang.
* [[Ludicrous Gibs]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrXfh4hENKs ED-209 vs Kenny in the Boardroom]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKklmovf0Js Emil vs. HollywoodAcid.] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VclFEwUGdY0 Murphy vs. giggling thugs with shotguns.] Warning: the videos are graphic.
* [[Lull Destruction]]: According to [[Word of God]] the creative team wanted a full 10 seconds of silence and blank screen between the moment of Murphy's death and the first flash of static marking the start of his resurrection. The executive team had other ideas.
* [[Made of Plasticine]]: Emil splats reeeaaal good.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Otomo means "attendant" or "companion". This makes sense, since one of the reasons Japan wants to {{spoiler|develop robots is to care for their growing population of elderly}}. On the other hand, it could also be a [[Stealth Pun]], {{spoiler|"Otomo-tan"... automaton}}.
* [[Mega Corp]]: Omni Consumer
* [[Messianic Archetype]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131114175428/http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2010/04/paul-verhoeven-robocop-was-a-jesus-metaphor Robo's the American Jesus.]
* [[Mexican Standoff]]
* [[Mighty Glacier]]: Robocop.
* [[More Dakka]]: The ED-209 series in general. Autocannon and anti-tank rockets on a police robot: seemingly excessive, until we get to know this future Detroit.
* [[Motor City]]
* [[Motorcycle Jousting]]: Alex Murphy has a joust with Cain in ''[RoboCop 2'': Murphy on a motorcycle, Cain in an armored car.
* [[Named After Somebody Famous]]: The scientific staff are all named after politicians, the cops are all named after serial killers.
* [[Nerd Glasses]]: Many of OCP's staff, as well as the gas station attendant RoboCop saves from a criminal.
* [[No
* [[No OSHA Compliance]]. In general the many factories where fights occur are perilous places. In particular: the big tank of acid placed right alongside a narrow service road, no barriers, nothing.
** Also, why the ''hell'' would ED-209 be fully armed for a demo in a company board room?
* [[Not Himself]]: In the second movie, when Robo starts showing off his new Politically Correct programming:
{{quote|
'''Robo:''' "The posted limit is 35. We should set an example, Ann. Your hair looks lovely that way."
'''Lewis:''' ''(frowns)'' "It's OCP, they did something to you."
'''Robo:''' "I'm fine. Isn't the moon wonderful tonight?"
'''Lewis:''' "It's still daytime."
'''Robo:''' "It's the thought that counts."
'''Lewis:''' ''(rolls her eyes)'' "Oh, Jesus, we're heading back to the station, that's all there is to it." }}
* [[Numbered Sequels]]
* [[Obstructive Code of Conduct]]: The first three play it straight, the others are more of a [[Restraining Bolt]]. The first film's {{spoiler|initially unknown fourth directive is a plot point.}}
* [[Oh Crap]]
** Involving ED-209, which is a heavily armed [[Mini
{{quote|
'''Dick Jones:''' "I think you'd better do what he says, Mr. Kenny."
(Kenny drops the Desert Eagle.)"
'''ED-209:''' "[[Unwinnable|You now have fifteen seconds to comply]]."
(Kenny, understandably, freaks out.) }}
** The final fight between Boddicker and RoboCop:
{{quote|
''(drops his gun)''
'''RoboCop:''' "[[
** Dick Jones' face when he's fired. {{spoiler|Then fired upon.}}
** The man who attempted to hold up the
* [[Ominous Multiple Screens]]: In OCP's board room.
* [[Only Known
* [[Only Sane Man]]: OCP Executive Johnson in the second movie. He's the only one who realizes that loading Robocop down with a senselessly complex command program will cripple him and he's one of two men who '''does''' see the problem with giving a mass-murdering drug lord an indestructible robot body.
* [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping]]: Dr. Faxx. She manages to sound broadly American only a handful of times. The rest she swings between vaguely English, Irish, even German and French on a few occasions. What nationality is the actress? Australian.
* [[Orphaned Punchline]]: "I'd buy ''that'' for a dollar!" We only hear it in isolation, but the characters are familiar with the show: to them it's hilarious.
* [[The Other Darrin]]: Because of the costume and general similarity between [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000693/ Peter Weller] and [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121559/ Robert John Burke], it isn't too noticeable, aside from the voice.
* [[Out of the Inferno]]: RoboCop walking out of the exploded gas station in the first movie.
* [[Our Graphics Will Suck in
* [[Phony Newscast]]: The film has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion. For example, when a police officer is brutally gunned down, the reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live.
* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: Clarence's henchmen.
* [[Parody Commercial]]: Piles of them, throughout all of the movies.
* [[
* [[Pin
* [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]: The multitudinous additional directives they added to RoboCop in the second movie.
▲* [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]: The multitudinous additional directives they added to RoboCop in the second movie. <ref>DIRECTIVE 233: Restrain hostile feelings. - DIRECTIVE 234: Promote positive attitude. - DIRECTIVE 235: Suppress aggressiveness. - DIRECTIVE 236: Promote pro-social values. - DIRECTIVE 238: Avoid destructive behavior. - DIRECTIVE 239: Be accessible. - DIRECTIVE 240: Participate in group activities. - DIRECTIVE 241: Avoid interpersonal conflicts. - DIRECTIVE 242: Avoid premature value judgments. - DIRECTIVE 243: Pool opinions before expressing yourself. - DIRECTIVE 244: Discourage feelings of negativity and hostility. - DIRECTIVE 245: If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't talk. - DIRECTIVE 246: Don't rush traffic lights. - DIRECTIVE 247: Don't run through puddles and splash pedestrians or other cars. - DIRECTIVE 248: Don't say that you are always prompt when you are not. - DIRECTIVE 249: Don't be oversensitive to the hostility and negativity of others. - DIRECTIVE 250: Don't walk across a ballroom floor swinging your arms. - DIRECTIVE 254: Encourage awareness. - DIRECTIVE 256: Discourage harsh language. - DIRECTIVE 258: Commend sincere efforts. - DIRECTIVE 261: Talk things out. - DIRECTIVE 262: [[Take That|Avoid Orion meetings]]. - DIRECTIVE 266: Smile. - DIRECTIVE 267: Keep an open mind. - DIRECTIVE 268: Encourage participation. - DIRECTIVE 273: Avoid stereotyping. - DIRECTIVE 278: Seek non-violent solutions.</ref>
▲* [[Pre Ass Kicking One Liner]]:
** "Your move, creep!" <ref>Actually a post-ass kicking one liner</ref>
** "Dead or alive, you're coming with me!"
** "Cain, let's step outside!"
* [[Privately
* [[Putting
** The whole thing is taken further with the Rehab troops in the third film.
* [[Railing Kill]]: Several when RoboCop shoots up Boddicker's drug lab.
* [[Reading Your Rights]]
** First film. RoboCop catches Boddicker, and reads him his rights while repeatedly [[Window Pain|tossing him through windows]]. In the commentary, the crew confess that they were terrified that real-world cops would react badly to that scene. They did a test screening and it was a roaring success. Boddicker being an [[Asshole Victim]] probably helped.
** In the second film, RoboCop reads the Miranda warning to a dead body, and is astonished when Lewis points it out. He was reading him his [[Stealth Pun|last rights]].
* [[Real Place Allusion]]: "Delta City" is intended to be a fictional placeholder for a Detroit of a dystopian future – although the film itself was shot elsewhere.
* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: The Old Man in the first movie, just about the only OCP bigwig with [[Even Evil Has Standards|any sort of moral standard]], especially if compared to young upstarts. In the sequels, he inexplicably becomes a [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|typical corporate douchebag]].
* [[Reckless Gun Usage]]: All over the place. It's not surprising that the ED-209 malfunctioned and killed an unarmed civilian if it's built by a corporation that's stupid enough to a) do a demonstration with its cannons fully loaded and b) give a loaded handgun to a guy who doesn't know how to use it, who then c) throws it on the floor, which could easily make it misfire and kill someone.
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** First movie: RoboCop's classified 4th directive.
** Second movie: RoboCop's politically-correct directives. Cain's addiction to NUKE.
* [[Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves]]: A couple times throughout the film franchise.
* [[Ridiculously Human Robots]]: Otomo in the third film. In the first, people are lead to believe Robocop is completely robotic.▼
** In the first movie; [[Word of God]] stated that the SWAT captain Lt. Hedgecock got kicked off the team for selling out to [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Dick Jones]]; his actions inadvertently leading up to the city wide police strike.
*** And again when Richard Jones was made as the murderous scumbag he is after ultimate plans involving the undermining the Delta City reconstruction project by his partnership with [[Mob Ties|Boddiker]] had been broight up. Taking the Old Man hostage when it'd been revealed he had Bob Morton killed. needless to say? [[Destination Defenestration|Things didn't end well for ol' Dickie]].
** Two counts in Robocop 2; first is when officer Duffy gets beaten senseless by Murphy when he's revealed to be a Nuke addict selling out to the drug baron's cult. And again when he's flensed and flayed alive in front of Cain's two lieutenants by a black market surgeon for his part in the cops busting his business.
*** The mayor's portly assistant Poulos brings up how a transaction to preempt ownership of Old Detroit to the [[Bad Boss|Old Man]]. Only to be gunned down with the rest of the rabble when the CEO unleashes his new Robopsycho upon the meeting.
** [[Fat Bastard|Coontz]] undermined both Robocop's attempts to bring [[Sociopathic Soldier|Paul Macdaggat]] to justice for killing his partner Ann Lewis with an anonymous phone call. As well as the resistance he was apart of for a quick & easy payday. He is summarily [[Boom! Headshot!|gunned down]] when the Rehabs he sold out too invade their hideout, just so they can void paying him.
▲* [[Ridiculously
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Main plot of the first movie.
* [[Robo Cam]]: Numerous scenes are shown from RoboCop's POV, complete with scanlines, subtle pixelation, HUD messages and when Robo is hurt, interference. The HUD is justified, since RoboCop is technically still human and would need some information displayed to help him make decisions. Mecha-Cain appears to run on an early version of MacOS, complete with skull logo in the upper left.
* [[Rule of Cool]]: Quite a lot.
== Tropes S-Z ==
* [[Save the Day Turn Away]]: The second film features a corporately enforced example.
* [[Scale
* [[The Scapegoat]]: After the battle royale at the end of the second movie, the Old Man is well-aware that OCP is going to be on the hook for all the carnage. To save the company, Johnson suggests scapegoating {{spoiler|Faxx}} and making it appear they had been kept completely out of the loop on the project.
* [[Shooting Superman]]: RoboCop gets this a ''lot.'' The bad guys eventually wise up in the first film and take him on with anti-tank rifles, but that doesn't stop every other dumb crook in the franchise from unloading their tiny pistols at him.
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* [[Shown Their Work]]
** Many setting details are correct despite the films being shot elsewhere. The first was filmed in Dallas, the second was filmed in Houston, and the third was filmed in Atlanta.
*** The DPD precinct
*** The local hospitals. There really is a Henry Ford Hospital that's a Level 1 trauma center.
*** The neighborhoods: "Cadillac Heights" from the third movie is apparently somewhere in the old Black Bottom, across Woodward from the university district and just south of Hamtramck.
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* [[Something They Would Never Say]]: How Lewis and Robocop's primary technician promptly realize something is very wrong after Robocop is rebuilt in the second film; Robocop says he's "touched" remarks on it being "a beautiful day" and he calls the captain by his first name; all things Murphy would never do.
* [[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome]]: {{spoiler|Anne Lewis}} in ''RoboCop 3''.
* [[Superhero]]: RoboCop is a superhero in all [[Not Using the Z Word|but name]]. He can get up moments after a fifteen-storey fall when his organics should be shmooshed.
* [[Supercop]]: Chances are, if you mention the phrase to anyone, and they know of RoboCop, he's the first thing that they'll think of.
** In fact, RoboCop is called exactly that in the first film, when he first shows off his computer-enhanced aiming skills at the firing range.
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* [[There Are No Good Executives]]: The president is the [[Only Sane Man]] at OCP.
* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]
** Kenney's death at the opening of ''RoboCop''. Poor guy was more lead than flesh by the time they shut ED-209 down.
*** Especially in the Director's cut, where ED continually blasts Kenney's lifeless corpse as it lies on the table.
** Murphy's death.
* [[They Call Me Mister Tibbs]]: The first film ends with
{{quote|
* [[This Is What the Building Will Look Like]]: Delta City.
* [[Tin Man]]: In the second movie, there's a scene where Robo has to convince Mrs. Murphy that he is just a machine, and has none of her husband's memories. However, saying this to her is too much for him: he can't even make eye contact upon telling her, "I don't know you".
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* [[Trashcan Bonfire]]: In the street of Detroit as RoboCop approaches Cain's drug factory.
* [[Trench Coat Warfare]]: One of the criminals in the first film pulls an assault rifle out of his coat before holding up a convenience store. When RoboCop shows up, he bends the barrel in half.
* [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]]: A good chunk of which they got right [[Motor City|at least as far as the setting was concerned:]]
** Bankrupt industries.
** The criminally corrupt city government and the flat broke police department.
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** The PDA/GPS that Jones and Boddicker use to track Robo's movements through the city. It even looks like a Palm V-series.
** Rampagingly sensationalistic "news entertainment".
** Increasing privatization in "hospitals, prisons, space exploration".
* [[Tech Marches On]]: Played straight and averted. The DPD Records Department apparently still stores everything on reel-to-reel tape, and the one human-usable computer not sitting in a rack features a painfully slow and kludgy GUI. Over at OCP, we have the giant wall o' monitors in the board room, all of which are CRTs; the media center sports a VHS player. On the other hand, as shown by the playing of Dick's final taunts to Rob as he died, CDs (or similarly designed DVDs) do seem to have become the norm of visual media.
* [[TV Head Robot]]: Cain
* [[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]]: One of the greatest of debates, ''[[Robocop vs. Terminator]]''
* [[Unorthodox Reload]]: Murphy's cool spinning trick, which he later refines as RoboCop (he can store his pistol in his leg armor).
* [[Unusual User Interface]]: RoboCop's computer input jack that's built into his glove. Also see [[Robo Cam]].
* [[Used Future]]: Future!Detroit is (even more) crime-ridden, dirty, polluted and desolate.
* [[Was Once a Man]]
* [[What You Are in
* [[We Can Rebuild Him]]: Murphy's return from [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]. Also in ''RoboCop 2'' after Cain's gang is done with him.
* [[What Measure Is a Non
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: ED-209's is ''{{spoiler|stairs}}.'' For a ''law-enforcement robot? Really???''
** Possibly a case of in world [[They Just Didn't Care]]. The thing was made to be maintained by OCP throughout its product life. As Dick Jones said:
{{quote|
* [[Welcome to Hell]]: Murphy gets this as a welcome to the precinct.
* [[Window Pain]]: See [[Extreme Melee Revenge]].
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* [[Everythings Funkier With Disco]]: In one episode of the '94 series, Diana is corrupted by a virus that causes her to transform herself and her workstation into a full Disco club.
* [[Exact Words]]: In one episode, an escaping villain has his car computer guide him out of the city, avoiding all traffic jams and tollbooths. Diana has the computer guide him to a police roadblock.
{{quote|
* [[Family
* [[Frame-
* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: At least with ''RoboCop: Alpha Commando''. It had a few [[Body Horror]] moments, such as the scene in "Doppleganger" where the clones melt. Also, in "H-2-Uh-Oh", two of the characters had a literal moment of scenery nudity (namely because of a chemical that turned them into living puddles, and obviously their clothes can't be worn by living puddles). And this was all in what was supposed to be [[What Do You Mean
* [[Hologram]]/VirtualGhost: OCP secretary Diana, whose memory was uploaded to the OCP supercomputer after her death in the pilot episode.
* [[Hyperspace Arsenal]]: ''Alpha Commando'' makes RoboCop look a lot like [[Inspector Gadget]].
** The '94 series does this as well: aside from extra ammunition (as referred to in the episode "Provision 22"), Robo carries several types of both non-lethal and lethal ordinance (mines, airbags), coolant and other devices/gadgets that would be used in any given episode, all stored in his left leg.
* [[I Have Your Wife]]: A villain kidnaps Robo's wife from his old life. The item he is to steal is a ray gun that causes heart attacks, called the Heartbreaker. Initially, his built-in [[Restraining Bolt]] stops him, using [[Obstructive Code of Conduct]] three, "uphold the law". Of course, as soon as Robo pictures his wife in danger, directive two -- "protect the innocent"
* [[Law Enforcement, Inc.]]: Inverted; in the 1994 series, Robo often works ''against'' his employers to protect average citizens (including his wife and son).
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: Following up on ''RoboCop 3'', the '94 series was dulled down to appear to family audiences (and, indeed, it was shown in syndication in Canada on weekends at pre-watershed timeslots). RoboCop didn't kill (he used gadgets to incapacitate them), the humor was dulled down and the plots became cartoonish.
* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Robo gains the ability to discern whether a person is lying or not through their vocal inflections. Unfortunately it is not
* [[Magic Countdown]]: The [[Sci Fi]] Channel once ran a marathon of the series with a humorous voiceover. One episode had a bomb set for five minutes. The running commentary points out that it takes 7:04 for the bomb to eventually be shut off.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Recurring villain Dr. Cray Z. Mallardo. Or, as he appears in personnel files: Mallardo, Cray Z., Dr. He's a [[Mad Scientist]].
* [[Mind Control Device]]: One episode of the live-action series has a formula that renders people vulnerable to mind control if the formula is mixed with a simple calcium base (i.e. milk). It's added to a breakfast cereal.
* [[Nine Out of Ten Doctors Agree]]: In ''RoboCop The Series'', nine out of ten doctors employed by a [[Mega Corp]] recommend a drug produced by the very same company.
* [[No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup]]: Averted, when Robo is on the run after being accused of murder, since the bullet in question could only have come from his one-of-a-kind gun, coded to his grip, and the targeting system used to aim the shot would be the one from his helmet. Later when Robo is critically damaged, and the kid sidekick shows him his prototype circuit board, letting him use it to make repairs. {{spoiler|Then the scientist who designs the board realizes the prototypes of Murphy's ''gun'' and ''helmet'' are out there...}}
* [[Projected Man]]: Diana, also a brain-in-a-box connected to a [[Magical Computer]].
* [[Rule Number One]]: Happens to Murphy's former partner in the '94 series.
* [[Show Within a Show]]: ''Commander Cash'' from [[Recycled: the Series|the series]].
* [[Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome]]: In the first movie, the CEO of Omni Consumer Products is merely an amoral old man who really doesn't do anything outright villainous, but shows little empathy for others. In the sequel, he's a flat-out [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]].
* [[There Was a Door]]: Used in the opening credits of the 1994 television series.
* [[They Call Me Mister Tibbs]]: Inverted in ''Alpha Commando'' - Diana almost always calls Robocop "Murphy", and only once refers to him as "Robocop."
* [[Time Bomb]]: An episode of ''RoboCop: The Series'' involved Robo having to dispose a nuclear bomb in the OCP building. To defuse it, he had to align two triangle-shaped switches into an hourglass. This is accomplished with (you guessed it) one second to spare.
* [[Title: the Adaptation]]
* [[The Walls Are Closing In]]: RoboCop once ended up in a trash compactor in one episode of the '94 TV series. [[You Fail Physics Forever|When the air pressure reached 2000 PSI]], a flashback gave him inspiration, [[Back From the Brink|allowing him to push back the walls]].
* [[What Happened to
* [[X Meets Y]]: ''RoboCop: Alpha Commando'' is ''RoboCop'' meets ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'' in both premise (RoboCop going around the world, fighting an international criminal organization) and literally (Robo having a lot more gadgets built into him than normal, including some nonsensical ones for a cyborg designed to enforce the law to have).
* [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]: Inverted. When RoboCop is critically damaged in the pilot episode of the '94 series, OCP refuses to pay his massive repair
{{reflist}}
[[Category:The Criterion Collection]]
[[Category:The Criterion Collection (LaserDisc)]]
[[Category:Tippett Studio]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Western Animation]]
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[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:Hugo Award]]
▲[[Category:Robocop]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Films With Recuts]]
[[Category:Memetic Works]]
[[Category:TV Series]]
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