This week, we head to the crime-ridden dystopia of Detroit where corporations rule, criminals laugh like maniacs, and the solution to urban decay is… a heavily armed cyborg cop with excellent posture.

Join Nic, Matthew, Keiko, Nur, and Alex as they revisit RoboCop (1987), Paul Verhoeven’s ultraviolent, razor-sharp satire that somehow convinced an entire generation of kids that this was appropriate viewing. We’re asking the important questions:

Is this actually one of the smartest sci-fi films ever made… or just an excuse for explosive squibs and corporate slimeballs?
Why did we all think ED-209 was just a normal workplace hazard?
Does RoboCop count as a superhero, a horror monster, or the world’s saddest HR case study?
And how did this movie spawn toys, cartoons, and birthday parties?

Along the way, we break down the film’s biting commentary on privatization, media culture, and late-stage capitalism—while also appreciating just how completely unhinged it gets. It’s part Blade Runner, part Die Hard, and part “what if the evening news was written by lunatics?”

Does RoboCop (1987) hold up as a masterpiece of satire, or were our childhood brains just too distracted by explosions to notice the deeper themes?

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How will RoboCop (1987) hold up?

Host: Nic

Panel: Alex, Nur, Keiko

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Starring:
Peter Weller,
Nancy Allen,
Ronny Cox,
Kurtwood Smith,
Miguel Ferrer,
Dan O'Herlihy