RoboCop: Prime Directives
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| RoboCop: Prime Directives | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Directed by | Julian Grant |
| Starring | Page Fletcher |
| Country of origin |  Canada |
| Original channel | Space |
| Original run | January 4, 2001 – January 25, 2001 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
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.
There were inside references to previous Robocop movies and TV series.
- One OCP employee makes reference to the previous failed attempts to recreate Robocop, Cain in Robocop 2.
- Another character makes reference to Robocop cleaning up Cadilliac Heights, Robocop 3.
- In "Dark Justice" and "Resurrection", Robocop has flashblacks, which contain footage from the original film.
[edit] Plot
Prime Directives takes place ten years after the first RoboCop movie and does not directly refer to the sequels or anything that followed.
RoboCop is outdated, tired, and has become quasi-suicidal.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. "RoboCable" 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 an 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.
[edit] Reception
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The return to a dark, violent atmosphere (unlike the family-friendly approach taken as of 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.
With virtually no commercial promotion, PD premiered in the US on the cable channel Sci Fi to lackluster ratings. Yet it easily recouped its production costs through foreign sales, turning a substantial profit before broadcast and remains a regular fixture on Canada's Space to this day.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The character of Bone Machine was named after a song by The Pixies.
- Footage from ROBOCOP: THE SERIES is used in various parts of PD. The MediaNet segments use footage from the TV show, which often features Richard Eden in the suit.
- PD was not permitted to use clips from the feature films. However, MGM had licensed shots of Murphy's death scene from the original ROBOCOP for the television show to use. The creators of PD took the footage that the TV show used, recoloured the shots blue, and used them in RESURRECTION.
- Page Fletcher hasn't seen the RoboCop movies and no effort was made to mimic Peter Weller's RoboCop movements. Page Fletcher instead worked out a RoboCop movement system for himself that he felt was appropriate for where the character was, physically and emotionally.
- RoboCable's holster shots started out as RoboCop's holster shots. They were later colored black on computer and flipped for the other leg. Some RoboCop leg holster shots were in front of a greenscreen, and some were lifted from the TV series.
- During one take, 'RoboCable' slipped and dropped an Auto9 gun out of a window. They had to fly to Texas overnight and back to repair it. The gunhandler himself got on the plane and got there and back to the set for the next day.
- Fireworks wanted Playboy Playmates (and triplets) Erica Dahm, Jaclyn Dahm, and Nicole Dahm to be in PD. The creators did not have control over the matter, and writer Brad Abraham came up with a sick joke for the mini-series that would require the use of triplets. His joke was the Mandys. "Now available in ethnic!" was Julian Grant's idea.
- The Japanese animated cartoon appearing on the OCP TV network in the second episode, "Cyborg Police Officer", is a mixture of RoboCop and classic anime/manga character Gigantor (known in Japan as Tetsujin №28). The animation was created by Marcus R. Moore and can be seen on his website.
- The "Otomo" brand of teddy bears which is advertised in the second episode, and plays a significant role in the third, is certainly a reference to the nefarious "Otomo" cyborg ninja appearing in Robocop 3, which was itself a reference to manga author Katsuhiro Otomo. "Otomo" teddy bears all have video screens in lieu of a face, a detail that might refer either to the titular villain character in Robocop 2 (who had a similar feature).
- The dvd release of the series was packaged wrong and many copies had copies of Robocop 3 rather than Prime Directives.
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