Barry Norman reviews Robocop

From Film 88, 2nd February 1988

[@truthseeker3503]

It would be easy to discount this movie for being a violent bloodbath but it’s actually far smarter than that, it’s a masterpiece!

[@commandingjudgedredd1841]

He rarely appreciated modern action films. That said, I always loved his dry and somewhat sarcastic approach.

[@DDaSilva1980]

He did like Blue Thunder and Lethal Weapon.

[@commandingjudgedredd1841]

@@DDaSilva1980 Great stuff. So did I

[@maratonlegendelenemirei3352]

"and why not?"

[@djpeekay25]

One of the best films of all time!

[@jezwotton2126]

This film never gets stale/boring. Has it all : story,humour, bad guys , good guys,ultra violence, moralistic social comment.

[@davidoftheglen3447]

No shagging in it ???

[@mikiex]

I recorded this episode back in the day and took the VHS into school and we all watched the ED209 scene on the school TVs many times :)

[@vhsvideovault]

Back in the old days when you had to watch programmes like this to see trailers and clips. The internet has rather spoiled us for access to that stuff.

[@Wallyworld30]

Was your ED209 Scene the Censored version like the one shown in this clip or the real deal we see him get blown into swiss cheese as in the movie?

[@73fug]

Barry Norman completely misses the point that the movie is a satire and takes the violence at face value.

[@trentduvalladiesmansexmach5883]

Yup he didn't get it

[@davidjames579]

Verhoeven said when they edited the film, to meet certain market's requirements the violence was more disturbing when their was less, that is your mind made it worse. When you saw it laid out, it was so ridiculous it was hilarious, because it was so unrealistic.

[@user-qf4zs6qj4c]

@tiberiusfunk He actually says a lot of the (implied) 'appalling violence' is amusing, so I don't know how folks are concluding he didn't get the satire. He obviously just didn't like watching the non-implied extreme violence. Robocop was pushing the boundaries of the time in that respect and I think he just didn't enjoy it, which is different from 'not getting it'.

[@CaminoAir]

Okay, but the violence was also horrifying in the Murphy murder scene. While that humanises the rest of the film in terms of the appalling suffering Murphy endured, it is still shocking. Also, Barry does comment "That's amusing stuff!" after the boardroom/ED-209 bloodbath.

[@TimChump]

4:41 , so you’ll like robocop…

[@danielwilliamson6180]

A shame Barry Norman didn't like Robocop. It's a classic.

[@MasterMayhem78]

I'm going to watch RoboCop tonight.

[@mroctober3657]

How did it go?

[@David.L291]

@@mroctober3657 He's stuck in the future, He reply in 4 years LOL

[@mroctober3657]

@@David.L291 If he can find 1.21 Jiggawatts for his Flux Capacitor.

[@David.L291]

@@mroctober3657 Haha 😂

[@mrandrew1243]

No your not

[@ravensthorne4631]

I remember watching this episode with my Dad (RIP). It's still one of my top 20 movies.

[@David.L291]

Great movie

[@dazzla84_ssfc]

“It’s rather a distasteful picture which won’t do much good apart from the bank balances of those who made it” How wrong he was. This film went on to win an Oscar and become a cult classic. It’s director Paul Verhoven also went on to direct some great sci-fi classics like Total Recall and Starship Troopers

[@simonjones7315]

People forget that this is 1987 and Verhoeven was quite literally depicting the US and exagerrated general attitudes 20 years into the future... news and media is almost exactly like this now! cops wear body armour now, the value of human life is borderline worthless to criminals and fully automatic weapons can be bought over the counter... This film is one of the greatest science fiction satires ever made! The censorship standards for violence, language and brutality back in 1987 were much higher than they are now... this film came along and blew everyone's mind, it needed to be ultra violent in order to maintain consistency of style, performance and design throughout... I'm really surprised that Barry Norman missed the point of this film entirely! it's 2020 now and I'm still waiting for a film maker to come along and completely blow our minds like this film did in 1987! it managed to completely shock, awe, excite, entertain and thrill us/audiences like we'd never experienced before... a tight film, wonderfully crafted and with a brilliant score!!! one of my favourite movies to this day!

[@gmann6269]

Yes, but Barry didn't have that hindsight at the time, did he?

[@simonjones7315]

He would review this completely differently in 2019 than in 1987... we would have applauded this absolute work of art of a movie!

[@brewt1mer]

Robocop is a stone cold classic..

[@PrinceZappa]

Remember when action films used to be good, thought provoking and psychological?

[@broken1394]

Lol Film Critic can't tell a classic when he sees one.

[@colinr0380]

The tonal shift those newscasters do from lighthearted fluff piece to serious news report is fantastically funny, and really anticipates the handbrake swerves The One Show presenters are regularly called upon to have to do these days! That's the terrifying thing about satire. At first its too broad to be taken seriously, and then a couple of decades later its the stuff of primetime TV!

[@johnsmith-wx5fb]

Huh?

[@m1sterrattles764]

I love Robocop and I love Barry Norman. I think he’s overly swayed by the excessive violence (and it is excessive) as the satire itself is top notch , acting is great and the pacing and effects are brilliant. Barry , did like a lot of good genre stuff to be fair to him. I can remember him being ecstatic about Back to the Future.

[@ps5stuffguy]

At the time it would have been alot to take in this film lol. Amazing film

[@kyokusanagi616]

I think Barry still appreciated the movie - he’s already gone on record as saying it’s only downfall was the violence. Although I’ve always respected his reviews, we are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum here. Side note - it’s weird because after the Robocop review, it became part of the opening montage for the same programme (but this could be due to how successful the film eventually became).

[@CaminoAir]

I agree. Barry Norman did say that it was the violence that sabotaged the 'admirable' aspects of the film. He's a human being. He's not 'RoboReviewer'. He responded to the movie on a personal level. Personally, (at age 18 back at the time of its release) once the graphic murder of Murphy is finished, I don't think the violence is that excessive and it does have a comic book type quality. I have never though re-watched that murder scene. First viewing it accomplished it's purpose. To create enormous empathy for Murphy and to make us understand the nature of his existence as Robocop. But I cannot bear to see that again, because there are humans and creatures on this planet that have experienced that level of suffering.....so it is more than just a movie scene for me.

[@Ah-ed6ie]

He sounded a bit sarcastic compared to usual I think reviewing it. How I miss the signature theme to Film 80 upto whenever😒

[@sonicr360]

Ok it’s 2019 & I absolutely loved this film when it came out & ironically I am watching it right now! Still bloody good! Maybe Barry missed a trick here? Or was watching a different film.

[@MarkChapeau]

Liked him as a critic but he often missed the point, and definitely did with this one. Christ it’s one of the best pieces of sci fi of the last 40 years

[@Ah-ed6ie]

This is my go to place even after a few decades.

[@PurushaDesa]

My favourite film about the 1980s. Verhoeven is a genius.

[@markant9534]

Showgirls was dire.

[@PurushaDesa]

@@markant9534 Can’t win ‘em all. (You’d be surprised how many people have cum around on that film.)

[@spiderneil]

I took every word Barry Norman said as law when I was a kid but after this review I took every review he made afterwards with a pinch of salt because when I saw Robocop for the first time I thought it was one of the best movies I'd seen in my entire life.

[@mistermatix8241]

"Flakiest gang of nutters" ! Clarence Boddicker, Emil, Leon, Joe, Dick Jones,.......these are CLASSIC characters! Barry Norman just didn't get it, he really loved high brow "arthouse" type films, but if he didn't get a film, he'd just say it was crap, don't bother, etc. He just wasn't open to genres, something, I feel would be VITAL to be a film critic. He then states "they shoot off both arms and a leg, then put a bullet through his forehead" and apparently Miguel Ferrer plays a"whizzkid scientist"! Eh? Bob Norton was a suit, an executive! Did he actually watch the film? "half baked subplot"......what is Barry Norman on about? The violence.....he obviously doesn't get satire. What did he expect? Well obviously Barry Norman's word meant shit, because Robocop was a massive hit, and has gone on to be a cult classic of the highest order. I wouldn't buy this review for a dollar!

[@JONACAN]

Distastfle, however, still one of the most entertaining films ever. It's like going to the theme park for a couple of hours.

[@johnmclaughlin9731]

At the time of its release, the late great Ken Russell called Robocop "the greatest science fiction film since Metropolis." And he wasn't wrong. The late, not so great Mr Norman obviously disagreed. Like most of the commentators here have observed, he totally just didn't get it. The whole point of the film was to show how human life has been cheapened by the modern world, and the cruelty and extremity of the violence only helped to ram that point home. In fact, scarily enough, the film is even more relevant today than it was in 1987.

[@starwarsroo2448]

I don't think because he didn't like Robocop means he wasn't great

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@starwarsroo2448 He was a great reviewer - but he would ultimately give a thumbs down to any film he thought presented gratuitous violence.

[@starwarsroo2448]

@@LPCLASSICAL yeah and? The original post said the " not so great Barry Norman" where the man is regarded as a very good critic, whatever his criticisms he is still that

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@starwarsroo2448 just Ken Russell was greater. right? But Russell was not film critic so not really relevant to compare them in greatness. They were both probably equally great at what they did.

[@starwarsroo2448]

@@LPCLASSICAL apples and oranges

[@michaelwoods3462]

It isn't Shakespeare but I like it.

[@plipogamez3173]

I disagree. The film has many similarities to Shakespeare's works. A complicated and tragic hero, fighting for justice, but he is forever antagonised by others who are interested in selfish gains only.

[@edcampion3998]

Sorry barry you're wrong there Its a classic

[@inactiveuser1981]

Shoot off both his arms and a leg? Did he even watch the movie? LoL, now that is real fine work done by a serious reporter! :D

[@GreyHulk2156]

And he misses the point that he's actually DEAD, so OCP decide they can do what they want with his body. "... but, astonishingly, he's still alive."

[@slacker20012]

Well that one went right over his head didn't it

[@roninja6929]

When he wrong about a movie he was really wrong.

[@charlesleeiii]

Even Emil Antonowski (played by Paul McCrane) said that Officer Alex Murphy (played by Dr. Peter Weller) is still alive.

[@TheOshman4]

Barry, Barry ,Barry ,Barry. You must of been given the narrative.

[@Neil1977]

Back when James Ferman at the BBFC chopped all the good movies to bits.

[@djpeekay25]

Neil Morgan but at least then film production companies wanted to make 18s, now it’s all 12s and 15s to rake in the cash. Cinema is dying!

[@bendavies9157]

Funnily enough RoboCop was always uncut.

[@stephenmclaughlin3328]

Barry obviously didnt watch it.

[@gregor5423]

The first 18 I ever watched .

[@russellford5597]

Spot on, Barry. Vile film.

[@wutang6020]

Watching this just transported me back to my bedroom aged 15 lol I'm pretty sure it's Thursday night again lol

[@MARCHHARE900]

"They shoot of both his arms and one leg" Wow Barry Norman must have had access to a super directors cut years before the directors cut. Or more likely he didn't even watch the film.

[@happyapple4269]

He ended up putting Robocop in his top 100 movies.

[@thepublichousebrandcom]

He actually sat through everything he watched. Classy guy.

[@amandeepv]

I also remember that the version you showing here is the repeat shown in the daytime in the UK which showed the second sequence of kids around Robocop the evening edition showed Robocop punch a man out of a multi-storey building

[@SpeccyHorace]

Oh Bazza

[@andypitchless5515]

How we ever gave Barry's opinions any credence I'll never know.

[@darreng4248]

this film is a masterpiece, they certainly dont make em like this anymore, Bazza couldnt appreciate it of course!

[@cherryade99]

Barry Norman actually looks like Dick Jones in this!

[@marksteele3876]

Well someone tickled his bum hole and he clearly didn’t like it, oh well the movie was a hit and is iconic and I LOVED IT!

[@fatfreddyscoat7564]

ED 209 has the best and most menacing sound design of any on screen protagonist. If real cops sounded like this crime would vanish overnight.

[@darania1]

Unless they had a cobra assault cannon...to make ED209 go boom..! 😊

[@jmcallion2071]

Barry was brilliant and his pun putdowns were legendary

[@Brascofarian]

Unfortunately his erudition was matched by his prudishness.

[@janfranszuidema8512]

These are the kind of reviews that make people want to go see a film.

[@dogtanion9124]

Wow I so called vet of the critique industry as hot this movie so wrong. Robocop was and is a master piece top 100 of all time classics

[@Dead-Ball-Situation]

Robocop is one of the best movies I have ever seen. When I told that to people, they looked at me funny but I'm never sure why.

[@plipogamez3173]

I am astonished by Barry Norman, he is often an insightful and witty reviewer, however, it appears he completely missed the social and political satire of this. Robocop is an exceptional piece of work. I cannot think of any other subsequent action film which is as astute with sociopolitical commentary.

[@matthewlee8725]

I dread to think what he thought of Starship Troopers.

[@kailashpatel1706]

Its a masterclass, cleverly but not in a preachy way pointing out the dangers of Corporate power in areas where it has no earthly busniess all against the backdrop of a dysfunctional US society

[@mrbee4life182]

@@matthewlee8725 He was still doing this in 97 there must be footage of him reviewing Starship Troopers which followed along the lines of Robocop with all the satire news stuff and again incredibly violent and gory but still an awesome movie 👍🏻

[@BAKEDPOTATOLARDYASS]

@@mrbee4life182 it was shit

[@fatfreddyscoat7564]

But it’s only something “he missed” due to our understanding of what’s happening today.

[@dazzspazz9363]

Does anyone know what he thought of Starship Troopers?

[@gaspanda]

I don't think Barry fully understood the satire. These days it would be classed as high concept!

[@richardbritain7435]

Barry was fantastic, but on this occasion he was wrong.

[@sovaine]

Didn't Barry ever watch A Clockwork Orange?....full of satire..wit...and copious amounts of ultraviolence.

[@floppyfairy99]

God I miss Barry Norman's dry wit

[@trentduvalladiesmansexmach5883]

I remember this episode

[@Buggin__Out__]

Does anyone know what he thought of Starship Troopers??

[@Gaur1983]

Eh, Barry didn't have to like Robocop. Besides he gave credit where it's due and said the film and Verhoeven's direction were admirable in many ways. You also have to remember he would've been tailoring his opinions to the middle-brow tastes and expectations of his viewing audience. Still, I recall the British film critic Leslie Halliwell (who infamously had a blind spot for modern films) giving Robocop a surprisingly nice review in his Film Guide.

[@sundareshvenugopal6575]

The reason so many people find it hard to accept his reviews is probably because they are spot on target. But then again this very scene shows the difference between a thinking and a feeling person with free-will and a conscience and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and an automaton ,a piece of machinery which cannot do so, but blindly follows instructions, without question or concern.

[@DannyTheWildBoy]

Hello did you have a video review of Hellraiser , Hellbound Hellraiser II , and Hellraiser III Hell on Earth from Barry Norman

[@vhsvideovault]

Haven't found reviews of the sequels, but here's his review of the original: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2itnKN8d5V6mLs

[@DannyTheWildBoy]

@@vhsvideovault thank you let me know when track down sequel reviews for Hellraiser. Did he review total recall (1990) aswell

[@Dezzasheep]

I remember watching this exact review with my dad when I was 10... Only to be gutted when I found out it was classified 18.

[@David.L291]

I watched this film way before I was even 18 and loved it! And I didn't even turn out to be a sadistic cop killer neither LOL But seriously this is way better than the lame remake

[@BAKEDPOTATOLARDYASS]

Barry got it he just didn’t like it

[@kentallard8852]

The reason why he found the violence verging on sadism is because of the MPAA cuts. In the original film the violence went on for so long it became cartoonish, but in cutting it short it is made horrific.

[@michaelmyers3709]

Yeah we know Verhoeven said something like this, but the film is far more disturbing in its unrated version, especially the death of Murphy which definitely isn’t cartoonish.

[@InYourHeadChangedMan]

I wonder what he would he would have felt about the Saw movies

[@timothysisneros]

It's like a media break, but in reverse lol I'd buy that for a dollar 😏

[@stevenr6397]

talk about totally missing the mark, a modern jesus allagory set to a satire of comercialisation, consumerism, privatisation and corperatism all hidden in an action scifi bloodbath. God I love this movie!

[@noellecox3952]

Good film to watch Ronny cox was very good in this movie he was great as the bad guy

[@bioshock6935]

LOL he wouldn't get away from saying this today about this film when we have more blood gore and violence in today's film

[@FutureBoy.]

One of the many times Barry Norman got it completely wrong. Oh, and Miguel Ferrer was absolutely NOT playing a "whizkid scientist."

[@amandeepv]

I remember tHis review Barry is a snob who did not realise the appeal of this movie

[@stephenkissane4268]

I am now authorised to use physical force barry

[@mrb7094]

He was right. I'm a Vehoeven fan, but it's disgustingly violent. I've only watched it a handful of times and that's why. Starship Troopers does everything this film did, but, in my opinion, does it better.

[@Mundane05]

As close to perfect as a movie can be, easily dismissed by reviewers like this.

[@regdwight235]

Dang!How disappointing.I think I liked these Barry Norman shows more for their comfort value and slightly melancholic memories of being young watching then Norman's actual views.Its quite jarring watching vintage reviewers being disparaging about what come to be modern classics.Lord knows what Norman would make of the sausage factory climate now.But yeah unfortunately Norman does seem to wide off the mark here .Thanks for posting these vids.

[@davidjames579]

He actually quit being a critic because he said there were too many Superhero movies being released, and he could see it becoming more and more!

[@simonpenum]

Exactly my view. I never really paid attention to Barry's actual reviews as a kid I just liked finding out about recent films. This show made Monday nights a bit more tolerable

[@PrinceZappa]

@@davidjames579 Prescient!

[@davidjames579]

@@PrinceZappa This was in about 2007! He just said he'd be talking about films he had no interest in.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

Good editing at 2:04.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

what's SO IRONIC is that this is the scene (on film 88) that got my curiosity about this film. I knew of it, but thought it sounded very silly, but was I wrong, when youv'e allready seen asv many violent films as I have, you become hardened to them, but this suprised me for it's shock value & gore Barry Norman wasnt exaggerating, BUT it was all necessary & justifyed. Paul Verhoeven introduced us all to a knew kind of Sci Fi with this just as James Cameron had with TERMINATOR Political science fiction for adults the best since let's say...WEST WORLD from 1973 with its social comment about gun violence

[@AlexDeLarge77]

Barry was viewing without the benefit of hindsight.

[@stephenkissane4268]

So he almost likes it

[@steviekeane]

Talk about spoilers!!

[@Foebane72]

I DISAGREE, Barry Norman! THERE, I said it!

[@robrn1975]

I like Norman but he doesn't get the big calls right

[@drumfiend3160]

I think Barry missed the point of the Movie. It's satire. The violence may be distasteful, but it always is. Paul Verhoven experienced the horrors of war as child in Holland during WW2 and he wanted to recreate this on the screen. This is what he does with Robocop and Total Recall to a lesser extent.

[@mattinfullvision9598]

He was a great film reviewer, much better than Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, although they are not too bad, as I listen to them sometimes on A Friday afternoon to see what they think. I don’t always agree with their opinions on movies. But it is hard to find a well crafted movie with a good script and story mower days. The market is all fast paced action movies that are CGI and in your face with no story.Give me the old movies any day 👌😃👍

[@jamesbattersby9454]

Barry was wrong about this film it is a masterpiece. I think given the era of its release it was too vulgar/not British enough/not very bbc for Barry. He was also incorect about Murphy still being alive. He clearly dies in this movie(unlike the 2000's version) and is reborn as Robocop. Paul Verhoeven states that he is an American Jesus in the commentary on the blue ray in the scrapyard scene where he kills clarence bodicker

[@m1sterrattles764]

He wasn’t a fan of film violence so that coloured his view here and he was wrong. But he wasn’t a snob...I remember him giving great reviews to Superman and Back to the Future. I liked him.

[@WELCOME2PATSPLACE]

If he thinks RoboCop 1 is "distasteful" he must have died of a heart attack when he saw RoboCop 2 three years later. haha!

[@XZeroOneArmour]

Barry I respect you ...but Robocop dissen ..hmmmm.

[@filmdirt]

Barry never got it!

[@RAGING_MIRAGE]

He got that review soo wrong.

[@trifoliumrepens3981]

ok silent generation

[@pug-man6861]

Hi guy just does not get it !

[@DCHurlford1]

I think Norman missed the black humour in this classic sci-fi thriller.

[@danielpindell1267]

They didn't shoot off both his arms, only one of them. They were able to save his left arm but OCP decided to get rid of it when they were building him as Robocop.

[@mroctober3657]

"Lose the arm."

[@mikebelbin]

Robocop - replace humans with machines and you will get a blood thirsty world. Isn't what what we have now? With grinning TV personalities presenting distractions (as war and law enforcement spill the blood), some of those shows being about the humiliation of 'losers'. Barry, can't you see the satire?

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

You just know it's going to be a cult hit when met with such snooty disapproval from a BBC suit.

[@scotty2ridge929]

You just know a "BBC suit" was one of the most renowned & respected movie critics of his time when he's still upsetting KZbin comment cry-babies from a 35 year old review.

[@thegrandmuftiofwakanda]

@@scotty2ridge929 1. This is Barry Norman not Siskel & Ebert. 2. You have not understood the comment, probably because you misunderstand the film, and the BBC.

[@scotty2ridge929]

@@thegrandmuftiofwakanda Do you think Sex and the City 2 is a "cult"?. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3nIgph-qNmlqcU

[@davidmurphy7332]

I loved Bazzer on Film Whatever The Year Was, but he missed his true calling in life which was to become a knife throwers assistant since he was so good at missing the point

[@Weirduniverse2]

Most people didn't get Robocop in 1987 - it was written off as just another pointless, overly-violent actioner. Barry really should have known better though.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

I saw it at the cinema in 87 and we saw it for the satire it was - the nukem board game for example - was so obviously satire - the exec threatening suicide unless he could have a fuel guzzling car. we laughed our heads off throughout the film.

[@marcoglara2012]

Siskel and Ebert definitely understood this movie. This guy didn’t