It’s 1988. Your parents won’t let you rent the latest blockbuster action film, RoboCop, but you’re lucky enough to have a best friend whose parents are a little more relaxed about content. You find yourself in a musty basement surrounded by wood paneling and that familiar shag carpeting prevalent in households at the time. The excitement builds as the VHS is fed the movie, and it whines as it prepares to play. The movie finishes, as do the laughs, excited squeals from the action, as well as one epic popcorn fight. When you bike home later that night, your brain is still fired up from what you just witnessed. The movie remains a favorite, and as you get older, the deeper satirical element of the movie starts to reveal itself. RoboCop is a film that transcends genre, acting as an action film and socio-political satire sprinkled with dark humor. From toys, games, cartoons, spin-off series, and sequels, it has cemented itself in pop culture.
If you’ve ever wanted to know the full history behind this landmark film, you’re in luck. RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop has you covered. Eastwood Allen and Christopher Griffiths provide one of the most comprehensive documentaries for a single film ever produced. Spanning four parts with a runtime of over four hours, every aspect of the film is covered in amazing detail. It is a treasure trove of rarely seen material, such as artwork, behind-the-scenes stills, and footage, which helps paint a picture of a production that was extremely difficult, yet everybody knew they were making something groundbreaking.
The documentary is presented in an easy-to-digest chronological format, going from every major story beat and set piece. Of course, it also gives first-hand accounts from every key player. The interviews are candid and lively, and as a fan, it’s incredibly fun to have the actors reciting their characters’ famous lines of dialogue. The highlight is of course Peter Weller who offers a lot of interesting insights into not only how he played Robo, but how he viewed the more complex nature of his character and the film at large. Nancy Allen is also great at sharing her process and feelings on the character and its impact on her career and life. Other major players like Paul Verhoeven, Phil Tippett, and, of course, a slew of actors and crew all make appearances.
The interview subjects don’t hold back on sharing some piping hot tea. This includes basically everyone fighting with Verhoeven, Weller’s demanding everyone call him Robo, and some on-set injuries. Thankfully, while nobody is shy about recounting the difficulties behind the scenes, it’s done so with lightheartedness, and it never feels like anyone is bitter. The overall fun vibe of the documentary is consistent. As for the sequels, they are only mentioned quickly in the fourth and final part. Whether or not you feel like the sequels should have been explored at all might vary. However, streamlining this to just the first film is the better route to take.
Whilst the interviews and archival material make for a damn good documentary series, the filmmakers provide a look and feel that truly elevates this further. Thanks to a pulse-pounding synth score, animation, title cards, and transitions that leap off your screen, Eastwood Allen and Christopher Griffiths capture the spirit of RoboCop in all its gritty comic-book-style glory. Clearly, both filmmakers have been working in this arena for a long time, and the quality shows. RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop is the gold standard in terms of film documentaries. For both fans and film scholars, this should be considered a must-watch.
RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop is currently available to stream on ScreamBox. The documentary series will premiere on the Icon Film Channel in the UK on October 2, 2023.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyBL9eINHO8]
RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop is the gold standard in terms of film documentaries. For both fans and film scholars, this should be considered a must-watch.
Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
