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RoboCop: The Definitive History: The Story of a Sci-Fi Icon
In 1987 a science fiction blockbuster arrived and a pop culture legend was born. RoboCop is the story of a hero police officer in near-future Detroit who is gunned down and reborn as justice-seeking cyborg. The groundbreaking visual effects, thrilling set pieces, and biting satire entertained audiences the world over.
The film spawned two sequels, TV versions, swathes of gorgeous merchandise, and, in 2014, was reimagined for the new millennium.
For the first time ever, here is the whole story of RoboCop .
the Definitive History details the journey from the original script and early concept designs, all the way to the art and stunning effects work on the 2014 reimagining. Rare and exclusive images, script pages, storyboards, and much more have been discovered in the archives and are presented here for the first time, alongside brand new interviews with key creatives such as Ed Neumeier, Michael Miner, Jose Padilha, Joel Kinnaman, and Nancy Allen.
This is a landmark book for a science milestone. And for RoboCop fans this books fulfills all prime directives.
The film spawned two sequels, TV versions, swathes of gorgeous merchandise, and, in 2014, was reimagined for the new millennium.
For the first time ever, here is the whole story of RoboCop .
the Definitive History details the journey from the original script and early concept designs, all the way to the art and stunning effects work on the 2014 reimagining. Rare and exclusive images, script pages, storyboards, and much more have been discovered in the archives and are presented here for the first time, alongside brand new interviews with key creatives such as Ed Neumeier, Michael Miner, Jose Padilha, Joel Kinnaman, and Nancy Allen.
This is a landmark book for a science milestone. And for RoboCop fans this books fulfills all prime directives.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2014
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Calum Waddell
17 booksCalum Waddell gained his PhD at the University of Aberdeen and teaches at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 9, 2017
Now this was a surprise to me - I cannot remember the reason but the upshot was that I found this book and by some strange coincidence would up ordering it.
The book charts the history from the original 80s film through various sequels and reincarnations (some of which I didn't even know about but more on that in a minute) up to the latest Hollywood block buster.
I will say however this book need to be read with an element of skepticism as yes there are all sorts of stories (some true others not so) around the various films for example where differences in option and storyline meant that various key people came and went. The one that draws my attention was that the original vision of Frank Miller got changed and twisted almost beyond recognition. Now in this book its all pretty civil but you read some accounts maybe not so much - in fact if you look at the comic books you can see that Frank Miller actually released a comic book version telling his "true" story of how he wanted Robocop to go.
Okay urban legends and gossip columns aside this is a great book especially in the earlier films (which I loved numbers 1 and 2) where there has been a wealth of production notes and photos rescued and achieved for prosperity.
Then there are the other entries from the 2 attempts to bring the story to the small screen (I will admit I knew of one of them) and the cartoon series as well as the various comic book entries ( the Robocop verse the Terminators looks amazing and will be going on my Christmas list - along with a bank loan)
So in short this is a brilliant read for any fan of Robocop and shows that the idea is so endearing it has the power to go on through reincarnations and reimaging from the 80s all the way up to today and possibly beyond. Oh and I still want my ED-209 toy.
The book charts the history from the original 80s film through various sequels and reincarnations (some of which I didn't even know about but more on that in a minute) up to the latest Hollywood block buster.
I will say however this book need to be read with an element of skepticism as yes there are all sorts of stories (some true others not so) around the various films for example where differences in option and storyline meant that various key people came and went. The one that draws my attention was that the original vision of Frank Miller got changed and twisted almost beyond recognition. Now in this book its all pretty civil but you read some accounts maybe not so much - in fact if you look at the comic books you can see that Frank Miller actually released a comic book version telling his "true" story of how he wanted Robocop to go.
Okay urban legends and gossip columns aside this is a great book especially in the earlier films (which I loved numbers 1 and 2) where there has been a wealth of production notes and photos rescued and achieved for prosperity.
Then there are the other entries from the 2 attempts to bring the story to the small screen (I will admit I knew of one of them) and the cartoon series as well as the various comic book entries ( the Robocop verse the Terminators looks amazing and will be going on my Christmas list - along with a bank loan)
So in short this is a brilliant read for any fan of Robocop and shows that the idea is so endearing it has the power to go on through reincarnations and reimaging from the 80s all the way up to today and possibly beyond. Oh and I still want my ED-209 toy.
January 2, 2015
4.5/5
This is a book that any fan of the series should pick up! It covers ALL of the history of Robocop, from the inception of the first film, all the way through the 2014 remake. It even has a section about the comics and merchandise that the franchise has spawned. It's filled with gorgeous full colored photos, storyboards and ad campaigns throughout. The only reason I didn't give it a solid 5/5 is because while the book does spend a great deal of time, diving into the history of the original film (nearly half of the book), the sequels were kind of rushed through and didn't really get too deep into the making of either film. I realize most people would mainly want to hear the most about the first film and I'm certainly not complaining, I just wish there could have been a little more to the chapters on the sequels. Regardless, this is a VERY well put together book made by a fan. It's presentation and layout is thoroughly professional and on par with any other book of its ilk that I have seen.
This is a book that any fan of the series should pick up! It covers ALL of the history of Robocop, from the inception of the first film, all the way through the 2014 remake. It even has a section about the comics and merchandise that the franchise has spawned. It's filled with gorgeous full colored photos, storyboards and ad campaigns throughout. The only reason I didn't give it a solid 5/5 is because while the book does spend a great deal of time, diving into the history of the original film (nearly half of the book), the sequels were kind of rushed through and didn't really get too deep into the making of either film. I realize most people would mainly want to hear the most about the first film and I'm certainly not complaining, I just wish there could have been a little more to the chapters on the sequels. Regardless, this is a VERY well put together book made by a fan. It's presentation and layout is thoroughly professional and on par with any other book of its ilk that I have seen.
November 2, 2016
Pretty good...informative and interesting! Excellent photographs, storyboards and backstage stuff!!
May 6, 2023
RoboCop the definitive history was published in 2014 as a tie-in to the 2014 reboot film. All four theatrical Robocop movies are covered, as well as the TV series and TV movies to a lesser extent. And they have a brief chapter on toys, videogames, the cartoon, and other franchise tie-ins.
Obviously, familiarity with the character is needed to get anything out of this book. I watched/rewatched the theatrical movies before the chapters about them to make sure I knew what they were talking about. However, in hindsight given the lack of real depth they go into here, that wasn’t necessary. Glad I did that, but not necessary.
Some great photos, especially the behind-the-scenes ones, all in glorious full-color spreads. They pop off the page. However the narrative content could have dug a little deeper. They were not going for the deepest cuts here, it is a high-level review of the series that pulls some punches. Mostly a fluff piece that has moments of interesting tidbits. The harshest stuff understandably is about RoboCop 3 and even there they found a way to frame it more like a “it is what it is”.
Big fans of RoboCop will not likely learn too much, but it does provide a nice overview of the franchise for those fans and more casual fans of the character.
Obviously, familiarity with the character is needed to get anything out of this book. I watched/rewatched the theatrical movies before the chapters about them to make sure I knew what they were talking about. However, in hindsight given the lack of real depth they go into here, that wasn’t necessary. Glad I did that, but not necessary.
Some great photos, especially the behind-the-scenes ones, all in glorious full-color spreads. They pop off the page. However the narrative content could have dug a little deeper. They were not going for the deepest cuts here, it is a high-level review of the series that pulls some punches. Mostly a fluff piece that has moments of interesting tidbits. The harshest stuff understandably is about RoboCop 3 and even there they found a way to frame it more like a “it is what it is”.
Big fans of RoboCop will not likely learn too much, but it does provide a nice overview of the franchise for those fans and more casual fans of the character.
January 29, 2018
Ich bin froh, dass ich das Buch im Sonderangebot bekommen habe. Hätte ich den vollen Preis gezahlt, hätte ich mich geärgert.
Der interessanteste Teil widmet sich - natürlich - Verhoevens RoboCop und bietet viele Hintergrundinformationen gespickt mit vielen tollen Bildern, die hinter den Kulissen geschossen wurden. Wirklich Neues wird Fans allerdings nicht geboten.
Deutlich kürzer fallen die Informationen zu RoboCop 2 und 3 aus. Es wird außerdem kurz und knapp auf die Serien, Computerspiele, Comics etc. eingegangen, ehe es dann wieder etwas länger um das RoboCop-Remake geht. Und spätestens da wird klar, dass das Buch nie ernsthaft versucht, Hintergründe zu liefern, sondern einzig und allein als Werbung für das Remake dient. Das bisschen Kritik, das der Leser geboten bekommt, bezieht sich nur auf die vorangegangenen Filme. Das Remake und seine Entstehungsgeschichte dagegen wird in den Himmel gelobt.
Das ist vor allem deshalb schade, weil das Buch ab RoboCop 2 ohnehin nur noch relativ oberflächlich berichtet. Von "The definitive history" ist das Buch meilenweit entfernt.
Der interessanteste Teil widmet sich - natürlich - Verhoevens RoboCop und bietet viele Hintergrundinformationen gespickt mit vielen tollen Bildern, die hinter den Kulissen geschossen wurden. Wirklich Neues wird Fans allerdings nicht geboten.
Deutlich kürzer fallen die Informationen zu RoboCop 2 und 3 aus. Es wird außerdem kurz und knapp auf die Serien, Computerspiele, Comics etc. eingegangen, ehe es dann wieder etwas länger um das RoboCop-Remake geht. Und spätestens da wird klar, dass das Buch nie ernsthaft versucht, Hintergründe zu liefern, sondern einzig und allein als Werbung für das Remake dient. Das bisschen Kritik, das der Leser geboten bekommt, bezieht sich nur auf die vorangegangenen Filme. Das Remake und seine Entstehungsgeschichte dagegen wird in den Himmel gelobt.
Das ist vor allem deshalb schade, weil das Buch ab RoboCop 2 ohnehin nur noch relativ oberflächlich berichtet. Von "The definitive history" ist das Buch meilenweit entfernt.
February 20, 2019
Good. Most of the book focuses on the original. The rest can be skimmed.
March 24, 2025
Beautiful looking book. Though I only care about the original.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews