I still remember the day I first saw director Paul Verhoeven’s ultra-violent “Robocop.” Not really expecting much based on the trailers, I walked out of the theatre more fulfilled than I had been by any other Sci Fi film at the time. What made it so good was it’s perfect blend of action, humor, violence and pathos. Each component delivered to the extreme. We were introduced to Alex Murphy, a man who wanted no more than to be a good cop, a loving father and devoted husband.

Because of his desire for the first, the rest were brutally stripped away. Thanks to corporate greed, what was left of his ‘life’ was turned into a hellish nightmare. Trapped inside a robotic body, Murphy became the ultimate defender of justice. His mind bound to this existence, with the knowledge he would never be with his family again.

“Robocop” spawned two movie sequels, neither living up to the original, each getting progressively worse. This was followed by a television series that was more pastiche than parody. Then, the once uber-cool hero continued it’s downward spiral into the world of cheap animation and action figures. For all intents and purposes “Robocop” as a franchise was dead.

But then, something odd happened. Two studios, Rigel Entertainment and Fireworks Entertainment joined forces on 2000 to resurrect the series and attempt to recapture the style that made the original such a success. The team-up created “Prime Directives” in the form of 4 two-hour made-for-TV movies. Originally meant for Canadian broadcast, they eventually made it to the U.S., premiering on the Sci Fi channel in 2001.

The first, “Robocop: Dark Justice,” takes place ten years after the original movie, and though Robocop is still popular with the people of Delta City, many were starting to consider him outdated. He’s also beginning to have problems with some of his systems, and as many of the parts are now obsolete, he has a hard time getting ahold of them.

The once mighty OCP (Robo’s creators) is starting to crumble, and thanks to attacks on the city by the terrorist, Bone Machine, they are losing more money by the day. In an attempt to revitalize the company, OCP decides to move forward with a new experimental artificial intelligence project called SAINT. When Robocop learns that Bone Machine has ties back to OCP, he teams up with ex-partner John Cable to bring the truth to light.

I have to a lot of credit to the creator’s of this new Robocop series. It still doesn’t quite live up to the extremes of the original, and I suppose it really can’t when stifled by the confines of broadcast TV. But it does succeed in bringing back what was once so cool about Robocop, and sets up a fitting wrap-up to the franchise. Page Fletcher (HBO’s “The Hitchhiker” Series) does a fine job of stepping into the metal shoes originally worn by Peter Weller.

I was lucky enough to have caught all four movies when they originally aired, and enjoyed all of them. Lion’s Gate released the first film on DVD in February of this year, and was quickly followed up by the second film, “Meltdown.” Now we are fortunate to have the final two films available on DVD.

The third film, “Resurrection” continues the story and takes place after an epic battle between Robocop and John Cable (Maurice Dean Wint), whom OCP has turned into RoboCable. Both are near dead, but Anne Key (Leslie Hope), a cybernetic mercenary whom we met in “Meltdown”, rescues and repairs Robocop. RoboCable on the other hand, is picked up by Dr. Kaydick (Geraint Wyn Davies). Unfortunately, the good Doctor is not so good and has villainous plans for Delta City. Then in the climactic “Crash and Burn”, Robocop faces all odds to find a way to stop Kaydick and must once again face his old friend and ally John Cable in a final battle to save Delta City.

None of these DVDs have any extras to speak of, which is a shame. I really would have liked to have seen some good behind the scenes footage, or perhaps learned more about the difficulties the filmmakers had in creating these films.

It is obvious that a lot of work went into this attempt to revive the Robocop franchise. And it was good work, indeed. If there are to be no more movies, at least “Prime Directives” allows Robocop to go out in style.

Directed by: Julian Grant
Starring: Page Fletcher, Maurice Dean Wint, Geraint Wyn Davies, Maria Del Mar, Anthony Lemke, Kevin Jubinville, Leslie Hope
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Surround
Studio: Lion’s Gate home Entertainment
Release Date: Available
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Violence)
Website

We'll give Robocop Prime Directives: Resurrection / Crash and Burn a B.