Movies - RoboCop: Prime Directives

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	Movies - RoboCop: Prime Directives

RoboCop: Prime Directives (PD) is a TV miniseries released in 2000. It is based on the movie, RoboCop. The series consisted of four feature length movies: Dark Justice, Meltdown, Resurrection, and Crash and Burn. All four episodes have since been released on DVD. Fireworks Entertainment stated that they wanted to make use of the TV rights to RoboCop before they expired and thus ordered that Prime Directive be made, selecting Julian Grant to direct. Grant had a reputation for finishing projects ahead of schedule and under budget. He, in turn, picked Joseph O'Brien and Brad Abraham to write the series and Page Fletcher to star as RoboCop.

The previous incarnation of RoboCop was the family-friendly “Robocop: The Series” TV show. Grant had no interest in perpetuating this approach, however, and would return Robocop to his dark, violent roots.

Plot

Prime Directives takes place ten years after the first RoboCop and ignores the sequels or anything that followed.

The story is set ten years after the first RoboCop movie. RoboCop is outdated, tired, and has become quasi-suicidal. Delta City (formerly Detroit) is now considered the safest place on Earth, and he is no longer viewed as particularly necessary.

The first half of the series focuses on his former partner, John T. Cable, who is slain by a scheming OCP executive (his own ex-wife, Sara Cable) and resurrected as a cyborg identical to Robocop, save for color and the addition of a second sidearm. Cable is sent to destroy RoboCop, but after several battles, Cable is convinced to join Murphy (RoboCop's original identity).

Meanwhile, OCP (on the verge of bankruptcy) is taken over by a scheming executive, Damian Lowe, who manages to murder the entire board of directors. To bring OCP back, he plans to use a computer artificial intelligence called SAINT to automate the entire city.

The second half of the series introduces Dr. David Kaydick, who plans to introduce a “bio-tech” virus (Legion) to wipe out not only Delta City but all life on the planet, infecting computers and people alike.

He is able to take control of RoboCable by planting a chip in him that causes him pain if Kaydick activates it and can even kill him if set high enough. RoboCop finds aid from a group of tech thieves that are determined to stop Kaydick and RoboCop's own son, now fully grown and aware of the fate of his father.

RoboCop and his rag-tag band race to stop Kaydick from infiltrating OCP tower and activating SAINT, which would, presumably, kill almost all humans.

Reception

Although the RoboCop fan community was at first very excited, reaction to Prime Directives became overwhelmingly negative. Fans complained that the series felt "cheap" (it was made on a tiny 8 million dollar budget), was poorly directed, poorly acted, and had a confused, meandering, and ultimately over the top plot.

Fletcher, who is considerably shorter than Peter Weller, was particularly criticized for changing the way Robocop moved. He admitted that he has never seen Robocop and that he wanted to make the character his own. As a result, Robocop keeps his hands balled into fists through the entire series and his arms swing in an exaggerated and robot like manner, completely unlike any previous Robocop actor.

However, not all fans were entirely disappointed. The return to a dark, violent atmosphere (unlike the family-friendly approach taken after RoboCop 3) was welcomed. Further, the writing, particularly the dialogue, is frequently praised. PD also focused largely on the humanity of Murphy, part of what made the first movie so powerful and something other RoboCop reincarnations were lacking.

Regardless, PD was doomed to total obscurity. With virtually no commercial promotion, PD premiered in the US on the Sci-Fi channel to very poor ratings.

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