There exists a phenomenon called "sequelitis," a condition that's plagued many long-running media franchises over the years. Franchises stricken with sequelitis often find the quality of each installment drops as it goes along. It can be due to one of a dozen reasons, from casting issues to a lack of creativity to excessive studio interference. Quite a few franchises have been plagued by sequelitis, but I can't think of many that have suffered quite as badly as the RoboCop saga. Paul Verhoeven's original movie from 1987 is a bona fide classic entry into both the sci-fi and action genres, a benchmark of awesome '80s cinema. But as time passed, it became apparent that Verhoeven had managed to catch lightning in a bottle with that first movie. Attempts to duplicate its success have never really been successful, but the one follow-up that gets the most flak is RoboCop 3. And honestly, it's for good reason. Gone was much of what made Verhoeven's original so great, replaced with a PG-13 mess made for teen audiences but accepted by none. Do you want to know why the RoboCop character all but vanished between 1993 and the recent remake? RoboCop 3 is why.
As the film begins, we learn that while OCP's stock has fallen so far into the toilet that a controlling stake of the company has been sold to the Japanese zaibatsu Kanemitsu Corporation. Their idea for "Delta City" still lives, however, and to accomplish this, OCP has created an armed paramilitary force they call the Urban Rehabilitators. While OCP-created propaganda promotes the "Rehabs," as they're called, as an extension of the Detroit Police Department created to help combat the ever-worsening amount of violent crime that plagues the city, their primary function is to forcibly evict people in the ghetto from their homes by any means necessary in order to make way for Delta City's construction.
But there exists an underground rebellion against OCP and the Rehabs, an ersatz militia opposing the violent relocation efforts. RoboCop (Robert John Burke) and Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) find themselves attempting to protect civilians caught in the crossfire of a shootout between the Rehabs and the anti-OCP resistance, but Lewis is fatally shot in cold blood by Rehab commander Paul McDaggett (John Castle). His programming rendering him unable to retaliate against OCP employees, a heavily damaged RoboCop is forced to retreat, only managing to actually escape when he's rescued by members of the militia. But RoboCop's programming also drives him to protect the innocent first and foremost, and he quickly joins the resistance fighters in their fight against the Rehabs and OCP.
While it had its strengths, few as they may have been, RoboCop 2 was a disappointment largely because it felt like an inferior copy of the first movie that simply couldn't escape its progenitor's shadow. RoboCop 3, on the other hand, is a disappointment because it's simply a bad movie all the way around. Everything about it will have unsuspecting viewers rolling their eyes at just how goofy everything is. Everything that made the first movie a classic is gone. Hell, even the stuff that made the second movie even remotely watchable is gone too. All we're left with is just a watered-down action movie that is more goofy than fun.
RoboCop 3 was the third (and thus far, final) movie directed by Fred Dekker, who had previously helmed the horror-comedies The Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps during the '80s. But while those two movies have deservedly built reputations as cult classics over the years, this one has similarly built its own reputation as being so bad that it practically killed Dekker's career. His first two movies were creative and unique, but none of what made them special is to be found here. RoboCop 3 looks and feels like a typical, dime-a-dozen PG-13 action movie from the first half of the '90s. It's like watching Double Dragon all over again, only with RoboCop instead of karate. It's a weak mess that is often more dull than exciting, more disappointing than entertaining.
But I could have at least gotten over that had the movie at least boasted a solid script. But nope, we don't even get that. Much like RoboCop 2 the script was originally written by Frank Miller, but was drastically rewritten before production began. The final product, credited to Miller and Dekker, is an absolute mess. For starters, the original's social nature is turned into a "rich vs. poor" class warfare angle that has all the subtlety of a flashing neon sign. There's no subtext here; everything is laid out on the table for all to see. It's just so weak that it really makes me bother why anybody bothered at all.
And because the movie had to be tone down to get a PG-13, the humor isn't quite as witty or outrageously over the top. It's all dumb gags and watered-down flotsam meant to keep teenagers out of their parents' hair for 105 minutes. The whole thing comes off like they wanted to make it kid-friendly because they knew they had an audience younger than an R-rating would allow. But doing that robs the franchise of everything that made it cool to begin with. I mean, did we need the precocious kid? Was this Dekker's way of making up for the vile and repellent kid from RoboCop 2? And giving Robocop a jetpack and interchangeable attachments for his arm? Why not make it more obvious you're trying to sell toys, guys?
The cast, meanwhile, is hit or miss. Among the misses is John Castle, who plays his role like he was a cut-rate Malcolm McDowell. Much like the movie itself, Castle's character is the weakest villain in the trilogy, and Castle just seems kinda there. I also wasn't too fond of Remy Ryan, who plays a little girl who's adopted by the anti-OCP militia after her parents are killed during the Rehabs' initial relocation effort. Ryan isn't really bad, but the character is so poor that it hinders her performance.
But there is some good among the cast, though. I liked CCH Pounder as the militia's leader and Rip Torn as OCP's new chairman, while Bruce Locke was really cool in his role. Locke plays an android ninja sent by the Kanemitsu Corporation to assist the Rehabs in eliminating RoboCop, and he uses the opportunity to give off a serious "samurai Terminator" vibe. The whole idea's kinda goofy, but Locke pulls it off well.
And last but not least is Robert John Burke, who replaces Peter Weller in the title role. Burke's no Peter Weller, but he still does a fine job regardless. He brings a warmth and humanity that balances RoboCop's robotic side, letting him actually be Murphy for a change. Burke is good in the role, and while Weller will forever be the man behind the character in the eyes of many, myself included, Burke's contributions are worth noting.
When it comes to so-called "franchise killers," RoboCop 3 is particularly bad. The series had already been on a slippery slope after the train wreck that was the second movie, but this one sealed the deal. It completely jettisoned everything that made the original movie great and dumbs it down in an effort to make a few more dollars. RoboCop 3 is one of those sequels that makes you resent the original for having spawned it. And say what you will about the RoboCop remake, but at least it's better than this.
Final Rating: *½
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