"Dick, you're fired!"
RoboCop (1987)
Now streaming on Criterion Channel.
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of Paul Verhoeven's film, which makes its relevance even more unsettling.
Our own Jim Tudor wrote a fine appreciation of the film back in 2017: "RoboCop is never afraid to be awesome. The shootouts, car chases, and raw caliber of the whole affair is never not visceral. In the action movie golden age that also gave us Die Hard, The Untouchables and The Terminator, it was easy to take RoboCop for granted. Yet, a mindful look at the pure pacing, staging and impact of it all reveal a top flight blockbuster, deserving of its lofty reputation." (Jim's article also reveals the existence of his own, basement-made, sequel/remake RoboCop 2: For the People Who Missed it Last Time.)
The original film spawned two sequels, and a Blu-ray set including all three, which Charles Webb reviewed for us. Arrow Video released the original film on 4K UHD in 2021, which our own J Hurtado detailed.
Meanwhile, The Criterion Collection released the film on DVD in 2000, which I eagerly purchased, since I missed the original theatrical release. What I loved most about that disc, which has long passed out of my hands, was the audio commentary, recorded in 1995, which cobbled together separately-recorded comments from Paul Verhoevan, producer Jon Davison, and co-writer Edward Neumeir. I was new to the world of DVDs and audio commentaries, and I found their frank talk to be fascinating.
At the beginning of April 2026, The Criterion Channel introduced its Out-of-Print Criterion Collection Editions section, which collects material from seven of their out-of-print discs, including RoboCop.
Since the film is now available in much-better, much-higher resolution editions, the primary attraction here is the audio commentary. Listening to Paul Verhoeven explain why he initially rejected the script, Jon Davison talk about the many directors and actors who rejected the script, and Ed Neumeier explain his original inspiration and reasons why he wrote the script are only the beginning of the joys to be found in the audio commentary.
Highly recommended. And, as a Dallas resident, I found the stories about filming in my current hometown to be enlightening and highly entertaining, supplementing my fond memories of seeing the film at a repertory screening in town, followed by a Q&A with Peter Weller, Jon Davison, and Ed Neumeier, a few years ago. (Was Michael Miner there too? My memory fades.)
Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.