Robocop V Terminator

[ED-209]

I don't mean who would win in a fight.....

I mean which is the better film? Both are iconic 80s (the golden of age of film) action sci-fi movies. Which one do you think comes out on top??

For me it would have to be Robocop, better story and a lot more "soul" if you know what I mean.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Terminator for me. It’s lean, efficient, tells a brilliant story that worked without sequels yet resulted in one of the best sequels ever, had a great hero, heroine and bad guy, a moving love story and believable supporting characters.

Robocop is of course a fantastic satire, with a great cast of its own, memorable script and performances, so if anyone chooses it, that’s a perfectly valid choice too.

 

[The Wormhole]

It's been done.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I don't mean who would win in a fight.....

I mean which is the better film? Both are iconic 80s (the golden of age of film) action sci-fi movies. Which one do you think comes out on top??

For me it would have to be Robocop, better story and a lot more "soul" if you know what I mean.

Not to mention a simply beautiful last word of dialogue.

 

[ED-209]

Yeah, I mean which movie is best not who would win in a fight.

 

[The Wormhole]

Oh. Yes, that is evident now that I actually pay attention to the thread.

Believe it or not, I've never actually seen the original Robocop, so I'll just turn into Homer Simpson receding into the bushes now.

 

[Oddish]

They're both very good in their own way, but Terminator told the deeper and more emotional story.

 

[ED-209]

Terminator told the deeper and more emotional story.

You think? I get a lump in my throat every time at this:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Tosk]

Love both. Voted for The Terminator.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I love The Terminator, but RoboCop is among my personal Top 3 movies of all time, so my vote went that way.

 

[Oddish]

You think? I get a lump in my throat every time at this:

Oh, I never said "Robocop" wasn't awesome, or that it didn't tell a great story too.

I still say "Buy THAT for a dollar" when Murphy punches out the screen at the end.

Love both. Voted for The Terminator.

Pretty much.

 

[Starkers]

Both amazing films but Terminator shades it for me

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Speaking just for myself I find them both my most favorite films of their respective years.....and 1987 in particular was a very damn good year with much competition.

 

[Tosk]

'84 was no slouch either.

 

[Farscape One]

Both are excellent movies, and both are in my top movies of all time. Both are great cautionary tales. (One about how doomed the human race is once machines fully take over, the other about greedy corporations taking over essential services like the police and fighting against machines taking over our souls. And we clearly did not heed either cautionary tale.) Very hard to choose.

I voted for ROBOCOP. It edges out slightly because of the inner struggle of a man trying to come out of the machine prison that he's trapped in. Watching Murphy essentially trying to regain his soul because a greedy corporation decided dying wasn't enough for him, and violated his human right to die the person he was.

But this was a tough call that I had to think hard about.

 

[Santaman]

Terminator.. I'm old, not obsolete.. the first movie was great of course, very inventive and they did awesome with the resources they had back then, as for the rest of the Terminator universes, I also think The Sarah Connor Chronicles were really great.

 

[Timby]

I still say "Buy THAT for a dollar" when Murphy punches out the screen at the end.

... why? That's not Bixby Snyder selling the house.

 

[HIjol]

Absent a Clarence Boddicker Spin-Off;
“Can you fly, Bobby?”
I gotta give it to the Terminator, by a smidge.
“Go, Robo”!

 

[DarrenTR1970]

That's really tough to decide. I like them both for different reasons.

The Terminator is a lean solid B-movie sci-fi action movie, with James Cameron knowing what to do with limited budget and resources at his disposal. Even though the ending of Terminator is somewhat downbeat, there's a sense of optimism in that Sarah is going to do what's right in raising her son and that mankind will eventually prevail against Skynet and the machines.

Robocop has better acting and effects and more memorable one liners, although it feels more 'eighties' than the Terminator, even though they're only three years apart. I do like the ending line of Robocop, which ends the film on a positive note, with Murphy having regained his humanity.

I do have the Criterion version of Robocop on DVD and I'll watch both whenever they're on TV, no matter at what point the movie is.

 

[Timby]

That's really tough to decide. I like them both for different reasons.

The Terminator is a lean solid B-movie sci-fi action movie, with James Cameron knowing what to do with limited budget and resources at his disposal. Even though the ending of Terminator is somewhat downbeat, there's a sense of optimism in that Sarah is going to do what's right in raising her son and that mankind will eventually prevail against Skynet and the machines.

Robocop has better acting and effects and more memorable one liners, although it feels more 'eighties' than the Terminator, even though they're only three years apart. I do like the ending line of Robocop, which ends the film on a positive note, with Murphy having regained his humanity.

I do have the Criterion version of Robocop on DVD and I'll watch both whenever they're on TV, no matter at what point the movie is.

This is pretty much where I sit, and I don't feel a need to rank one over the other. I feel that The Terminator is, as you said, a very lean and very solid action movie, and James Cameron in his prime was a master at making every single dollar spent show up on the screen. It also tells a complete closed-loop time travel story, which any sci-fi writer can tell you is nearly goddamn impossible.

At the same time, RoboCop doesn't have much of a story (Cop Jesus is tried, executed, resurrected, then takes revenge), but has far better practical effects (there's only one genuinely dodgy shot, and you know what it is), significantly better performances and a brilliant Basil Poledouris score.

I love them both and I will happily watch either when I find them while browsing channels on YouTube TV.