10 Movies To Watch if You Love ‘RoboCop’

February 21, 20259 Mins Read

RoboCop is an iconic 80s action/sci-fi franchise. Paul Verhoeven’s violent, satirical original left a steel-plated footprint in genre cinema so distinct that many imitators, and an awful remake, tried to replicate it, often with very little success.

Fans of RoboCop are not without other viewing options, however. Beyond films that inspired, or were inspired by, cinema’s most famous cybernetic police officer, there are also those that come from the same creative minds. For those who are (Dick) Jonesing for some more mechanically enhanced mayhem like that proferred by the metallically reincarnated officer Murphy, these ten movies are the perfect fix.

‘Escape from New York’ (1981)

Directed by John Carpenter

Kurt Russell As Snake Plissken looking intently off-camera with his head tilted to the left In 'Escape From New York' — Image via AVCO Embassy Pictures

Urban decay was certainly on the brain of sci-fi filmmakers in the 80s. Before RoboCop presented near-future Detroit as the most wretched hive of scum and villainy, John Carpenter went one further by turning 1997 New York City into a full-blown prison in action B-movie Escape From New York. Kurt Russell plays man of few words (and eyes) Snake Plissken, a mercenary turned prisoner who is offered his freedom when the President of the United States crash lands on Manhattan island and is taken hostage by dangerous prisoners.

With a literal time-bomb in his neck, Plissken shoots his way through the Big Apple to save the leader of the “free world.” Despite its reputation as a gritty sci-fi movie, Carpenter’s actioner has a decent amount of dark humor and satire woven into it. It may not be as blunt or over-the-top as Verhoeven’s movie, but Escape from New York is still a wicked good time.

Escape From New York

Release Date: July 10, 1981
Runtime: 99 minutes

‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Directed by Ridley Scott

A cop in a futuristic setting aims his gun as he turns a corner in a dimly lit hallway. — Image via Warner Bros.

Aside from being another sci-fi movie that features a cop in the lead role, Blade Runner has a deeper connection to RoboCop. Screenwriter Ed Neumeier was inspired during a set visit to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece to begin developing the story that would become RoboCop, inverting the film’s premise of a cop that retires androids to that of an android cop. Beyond just surface similarities, Blade Runner also shares the same pessimistic view of the future as RoboCop, albeit with wildly different tones.

The esthetics are certainly different, with Scott’s rain-soaked sets distinct from the brighter Dallas, Texas filming locations of Verhoeven’s film. Both do share a preference towards industrialized locations, and even more than that, both films share a theme of innate humanity. Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard hunts down replicants who merely want to exist, all while questioning the nature of his own existence. Peter Weller plays RoboCop as a man turned machine who wonders whether his humanity is still there deep within his circuitry.

‘The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension’ (1984)

Directed by W.D. Richter

The cast of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension — Image via 20th Century Studios

For fans of Peter Weller’s performance, there is another 80s cult classic that demands some attention. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is not a film that can be easily summarized or categorized. Weller plays the titular Banzai, a brain surgeon/rock musician whose development of a device that can access the 8th dimension brings conflict from an alien nemesis. It’s an insane premise that feels quintessentially 80s in its approach and Weller is just as good as this sci-fi renaissance man as he is a cybernetic cop.

With a supporting cast that includes Clancy Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, and John Lithgow, Banzai is stacked with talent, but with its whacky premise yet completely earnest approach, it was practically predetermined to become a cult film. It’s the kind of genre-bending movie that fits right alongside movies like RoboCop or Big Trouble in Little China, which director W.D. Richter helped write.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Release Date: August 15, 1984
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Director: W.D. Richter

‘The Terminator’ (1984)

Directed by James Cameron

The Terminator riding a bike at night in The Terminator — Image via Orion Pictures

RoboCop and The Terminator are often mentioned in the same breath together due to simple proximity. By featuring two of the most iconic cyborgs in classic 80s action movies released only a few years apart, the films were all but guaranteed to be the subject of pop culture collaboration. Unlike the Aliens and Predators though, these two metal men never officially met on screen, but were featured prominently together in other mediums such as comics and video games.

While the approaches of Verhoeven and director James Cameron are vastly different, there is something satisfying about the dichotomy between their characters, one a force for good and the other, at least in his initial film, a force for evil. The original Terminator film is a grungy, action thriller with horror undertones that isn’t concerned with the heart of its time-traveling killer machine. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the heroic RoboCop, especially considering that Arnold Schwarzenegger was once considered for the role.

‘Total Recall’ (1990)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Closeup of Doug Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the memory implant machine screaming in Total Recall — Image via TriStar Pictures

Schwarzenegger may have missed out on the title role in RoboCop, but he would get the chance to work with Verhoeven on his follow-up film, the wild sci-fi actioner Total Recall. Based on Philip K. Dick’s cerebral short story about the uncertain nature of memory, the muscular film adaptation tailors its planet-trotting adventure to Schwarzenegger’s strengths and Verhoeven adds his signature satire, this time taking on colonialism. It’s an essential film in both men’s filmographies.

The film is also an excellent relic of an era in sci-fi cinema where effects were still a clever mix between digital and practical. Rob Bottin, who had designed and created the RoboCop suit, was brought on by Verhoeven to help create a bevy of eye-popping effects, sometimes literally. Total Recall takes the violence and political satire of RoboCop and grafts it on to an epic adventure.

‘Darkman’ (1990)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Peyton Westlake Darkman covered in bandages in Sam Raimi's 1990 superhero movie, Darkman — Image via Universal Pictures

RoboCop has sometimes been categorized as a superhero thanks to its sharing of some of the subgenre’s tropes and a clear comic book inspiration in its visuals. That puts it in good company among other R-rated superhero movies, especially Sam Raimi’s Darkman. Like Robo, Darkman begins as an altruistic individual, in this case a scientist studying skin grafts, who is brutally attacked by a gang of thugs, only to return as a super-powered vigilante with a thirst for vengeance.

Liam Neeson plays Darkman (aka Peyton Westlake) as a dark and twisted combination of superhero and classic Universal Monster, with his visage a direct homage to The Invisible Man. Raimi’s visual style is a perfect match for a comic-book style adventure, as would be even more evident in his later Spider-Man trilogy, and his career in horror helps Darkman walk a genre tightrope with ease. Hollywood needs more big creative swings like this to shake up their stale superhero output.

Darkman

Release Date: August 24, 1990
Runtime: 96 minutes

‘Demolition Man’ (1993)

Directed by Marco Brambilla

Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock as police officers John Spartan and Lenina Huxley in the futuristic Demolition Man — Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Sylvester Stallone is no stranger to absurd action movies, but Demolition Man may be the most absurdly fun. Stallone plays a typical 90s movie cop, who shoots, stabs and blows things up first and never even thinks about asking questions. He’s after a bleach-haired psychopath named Simon Phoenix, played with unhinged glee by Wesley Snipes, but when his actions gets innocents killed, both men are cryogenically frozen in a high-tech prison.

Waking up decades later Stallone finds himself in a crime-free future where political correctness has run rampant and Phoenix is back up to his old tricks. The movie’s politics are bluntly apparent, even though writer Daniel Waters has stated they were completely unintentional. It certainly isn’t trying to be subtle and has some legitimately funny jokes, such as Taco Bell being considered fine dining, but also makes for an interesting contrast to RoboCop’s depiction of a dystopia by approaching it from the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Demolition Man

Release Date: October 8, 1993
Runtime: 115 minutes
Director: Marco Brambilla

‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

The Mobile Infantry attacks in 'Starship Troopers' — Image via TriStar Pictures

Verhoeven’s final film in his unofficial sci-fi satire trilogy was also his most misunderstood. Starship Troopers adapts Robert Heinlein’s militaristic novel into an anti-fascism sci-fi soap opera. It’s arguably even more bluntly political than Verhoeven’s prior movies, but the message seemed to evade movie audiences at the time of its release, perhaps because they were expecting a far more straightforward action movie.

Verhoeven fills his war epic of humanity vs bugs with ridiculous action, hilarious propaganda and the kind of cheesy romantic entanglements commonly found in wartime melodramas. More and more fans have come around to the film’s charms over the years, and it makes for a killer triple feature alongside RoboCop and Total Recall.

Starship Troopers

Release Date: November 7, 1997

‘Dredd’ (2012)

Directed by Pete Travis

The influences of the 2000 AD comic book Judge Dredd on RoboCop are plainly obvious upon even a cursory glance. The satirical comic features a half-faced law enforcement officer in a dystopian future who acts as judge, jury and executioner. The similarities are enough that some fans consider RoboCop an unofficial Judge Dredd movie, and they mean that as a compliment.

The first official attempt at an adaptation of the comic resulted in the interminable Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider, which managed to adapt just about everything from the comic wrong. Much better was the gritty reboot Dredd starring genre king Karl Urban as the titular character, which doesn’t have as sharp a satrical edge but nails the character and bloody action. It’s an underrated sci-fi movie that deserves a lot more attention.

Dredd

Release Date: September 21, 2012
Runtime: 95 minutes

‘Upgrade’ (2018)

Directed by Leigh Whannell

Grey Trace screaming in pain in Upgrade — Image via OTL Releasing

From director Leigh Whannell, Upgrade is an ultra-violent, ultra-fun cyberpunk thriller that’s a high-tech update on RoboCop’s premise of man melded with a machine. Logan Marshall-Green plays a technophobic mechanic who is paralyzed in a seemingly random attack that also leaves his wife dead. After being offered a chance to regain control of his body through an experimental A.I., he accepts and sets off on a course for revenge.

Despite the futuristic premise and setting, Whannell keeps the action and violence grounded, and Green’s physical performance is a marvel to watch as his A.I. companion begins to take more and more control. While the TV sequel to the film seems to be confirmed as dead, there are still plenty of high-concept thrills combined with old-school gore to be enjoyed here by any RoboCop fan.