In the future dystopia, RoboCop demands Oreo cookies while enforcing the law. A new streaming mini-series, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, takes a deep dive behind the making of the action/sci-fi classic, interviewing the stars and makers of the film. The documentary reveals plenty of surprising and exciting new information; one remarkable story is when RoboCop demanded Oreo cookies.
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80’s Classic
RoboCop is one of the most iconic characters in cinema. The 1987 film directed by Paul Verhoeven is an 80s classic that foretold much of the financial and socio-political problems of our day. RoboCop takes place in Detroit, a city on the brink of financial and social collapse, a dystopian nightmare where lawlessness is rampant and criminals run wild.
Alex Murphy is a cop with the Metro West precinct. Pursuing a gang of criminals, Murphy is ambushed, tortured and shot to death. A megacorporation, Omni Consumer Products, controls the police force. The company transforms Murphy’s corpse into RoboCop, a heavily armoured cyborg with no memory of his former life. RoboCop is programmed with three prime directives: serve the public trust, protect the innocent and uphold the law. A fourth prime directive, Directive 4, is classified.
Techno Dystopia
RoboCop’s portrayal of a techno-fascist dystopia was prophetic. It has secured a rich legacy and is a groundbreaking film in the science-fiction genre.
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Reflecting on the film in Far Out Magazine, Swapnil Dhruv Bose writes, “Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi experiments are routinely revisited by fans all over the world, with films such as Total Recall and Hollow Man maintaining a steady cult following over the years. However, none of Verhoeven’s subsequent projects have surpassed the brilliance and the sociopolitical scope of his 1987 masterpiece RoboCop.”
RoboCop is a visionary work surpassing science fiction’s breadth and scope to deliver a film that speaks to us as clearly today as it did over 35 years ago when it was released. Bose says that RoboCop offers “a gripping cyborg thriller while also delivering an incisive commentary on the formation of police states.”
Singularity-The Omega Point & Oreo Cookies
The seminal film is not just about guns and violence, of which there are plenty, and is one of the film’s criticisms. For Paul Verhoeven, the film was equally satirical as it was serious, poking fun while offering a sobering commentary on the American obsession with guns, violence and political and corporate fascism, which naturally transforms urban environments into police states.
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Another theme the film explores is the emergence of a singularity, the inevitable integration of humans and machines. Murphy’s transformation into a cyborg represents the first step for humanity and its journey toward an Omega Point, where the digital replaces biology.
These dense themes of the film were masked underneath excess violence and satire, but their presence made the film such a classic. Robodoc: The Creation of RoboCop offers a unique perspective behind the making of the film and remembers to add a sense of humour. The grim themes of the film didn’t affect the creative team’s mood and lightheartedness too much.
In one behind-the-scenes anecdote, weapons master Randy E. Moore shares a story about him and RoboCop star Peter Weller, who suddenly desired Moore’s Oreo cookies during filming at the steel mill location. Randy recounts the story,
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“I’d hand Peter his weapon and I’d say, ‘Peter, safety’s off,’ and he wouldn’t take the pistol. And he says, ‘Robo wants an Oreo.’ And I looked at him and I go, ‘No. It’s just you and I, Peter. Robo doesn’t get an Oreo. If Peter wants an Oreo, Peter can have an Oreo.’ And he clip-clops in the suit over the edge of the railing, and Peter starts bellowing, ‘Robo wants an Oreo!’ And the steel mill just echoes.”
Moore then says he quickly stuffed his mouth with the stack of Oreo cookies before Weller could get any. The end of the clip features a bemused but agitated Paul Weller denying the whole event. Weller gives his recollection saying, “I haven’t got a damn clue about Randy Moore and his f****n’ Oreos.”
The story is hilarious and has gone viral online. The documentary has resurrected people’s love for RoboCop. While the story is trending, it’s time to think about the RoboCop sequel that was never made: RoboCop Returns. Amazon Prime Video holds the franchise’s rights. It is currently developing a TV series, but let’s hope that Paul Verhoeven can be persuaded to return to the director’s chair and tell more satirical tales of techno-fascism and a cyborg lawman.
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TL;DR
- RoboCop is a seminal 1980s action sci-fi film.
- A viral clip from a new documentary titled RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop features the cast telling a funny behind-the-scenes story.
- Weapons Master Randy E. Moore said that RoboCop star Paul Weller playfully stayed in character and demanded Moore’s Oreo cookies.