It is 36 years since RoboCop blasted its way onto UK cinema screens and made a splash of epic, gruesome, proportions. With that a cult-like following is born and the film’s influence cannot be overstated.
RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop is an incredibly methodical ‘making of’ documentary that has now set the standard and an exceptionally high one, no less. It comes as no surprise with the success of their recent projects which include Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story and Pennywise: The Story of It.
The documentary oozes passion and is testament to its directors Christopher Griffiths and Eastwood Allen clear love for the film in a project that has been over seven years in the making.
This four part series spans over more than four hours is nothing short of a triumph, it is forensic in its analysis and brings to life the chaos of the RoboCop shoot and does so brilliantly. It is an excruciatingly detailed insight into the gore and satire-laden 1987 Paul Verhoeven classic that breaks down the film scene-by-scene.
With that it features interviews with essentially everyone including writers Ed Neumeier & Michael Miner but also Verhoeven himself, Nancy Allen, Peter Weller, Kurtwood Smith, movement coach Moni Yakim as well as visual effects legend Phil Tippett (you can watch our interview with him here on his film Mad Dog).
You get a look into the dramas of the shoot in Dallas from the initial gruelling 10 hours it took for Peter Weller to get into the RoboCop suit to the issues with Orion Pictures over the film’s budget rising. In amongst all of that there are some wonderful stories that further immerse you into the film’s production especially one from Weapon Master Randy Moore about Oreos.
Much like RoboCop itself, it has not been plain-sailing for RoboDoc either.
Initially despite several attempts over the years Peter Weller passed on the documentary. Early trailers tackled this head-on with the use of historic footage as well as interviews in light of his absence.
Then late in the production in 2021 this changed with Weller now agreeing to be part of the project.
Without his involvement the documentary would still be a compelling, gripping, watch. But with Weller’s participation it is no exaggeration to say this is the ultimate RoboCop documentary.
You quickly see the painstaking efforts that have gone into every aspect, with the level of detail from the graphics and overall aesthetics. The editing is slick with some fantastic VFX touches to bring parts of the story to life where Weller, for example, re-enacts firing Robo’s AUTO-9 complete with muzzle flash.
Even in its soundtrack of synthwave, it’s evident the thought and care for each track as they fit perfectly with the film such as Meteor’s ‘Man in the Machine’ to name but a few.
No stone is left unturned and great care is taken in its creation. This is an absolute must-watch documentary for all fans of the Part Man, Part Machine from Old Detroit.
The docuseries will continue with its dive into RoboCop 2, RoboCop 3, the TV series and more but no release date confirmed as of yet.
You can watch our chat with its directors and producer here.
RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop is now available on Blu-RAY 2-disc Special Edition (with over 60 mins of special features) and DIGITAL on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Sky Store and GooglePlay.
