One of my all time favorites.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Hmmm, this series doesn't seem to be very popular but on closer inspection the criticism seems to be from the "watched the first 10 minutes then turned off" crew. I'm unsure how you can fully judge something without watching it but that's the level of mentality here.Anyway, I think Prime Directives is a great slice of binge entertainment. Nearly 6 hours of action and story set in the Robocop universe and the stories are very interesting too. The usual Robocop themes of family and greed are here but they throw in some plot points about obsoletion as well which I found very cool.This is a TV production so don't expect any great special effects here but the cinematography is top notch and very moody and it's all absorbing enough to hook you in.Now it has some bad points and most of that comes from the acting. It's pretty bad right across the board with maybe only one or two standouts but yep, it's really corny. Page Fletcher looks like a poor man's Dennis Hopper and far too short to be Robocop in the first place. He's "ok" as Alex Murphy but honestly he bungles about in the Robo suit looking constipated and his shoulders are so hunched up it loos like he could explode. The rest of the cast fare better but honestly, not by much.It's surprising because the script, while not the snappiest is really quite good and fuses well with the extended stories and even throws in a some memorable lines here and there.The best thing about it is that this is the extended runtime. Here we have FOUR feature length episodes all connected to the same skeleton story and it's great fun immersing yourself in the Robocop universe for that amount of time. The 6 hour running time means that the story and plots can really breathe and be fleshed out quite a bit so this adds tremendously to the connection between audience and program.I honestly think that some people watch this and expect the same quality as the films and that just isn't going to happen.Regardless aside from some bad acting and Robo himself being somewhat miscast this is a great pieces of quality entertainment that lasts a good while and there is PLENTY to enjoy here believe me so give it all of it) a shot and if you keep in mind it's production you shouldn't be disappointed.Terrific for tearing into on a binge after the first three films.

Bad acting: check Dull way too long dramatic scenes: check Awfuldialogue: check Dull way too long action scenes: check Awful sound effects: check Awful music: check Actor playing Robocop too short: check Actor playing Robocop, not moving like Robocop: check Robocop has a mechanical voice every time he has his helmet on: check Robocop acting more like a machine and less like a human: check Low budget: check Complete and utter crap and insult to the real Robocop (1987): checkIMDb goes on about their 10 lines even though I have nothing else to say.

I recently bought this miniseries in its entirety at a very cheap price. Although it was well worth the money and I did enjoy it, there were numerous things that didn't appeal to me. First of all, the special effects were horrendous. Some parts of the films looked as though you were watching a video game. Also, the music was nothing like the classic RoboCop theme (I still get shivers up my spine when I hear that tune...). The theme tune in these films is campy and sounds more like something out of a western. Lastly, Page Fletcher looks nothing like RoboCop. He is short and has an annoyingly shaped mouth and chin (seeing as that's the only part of Robo's skin that you see, you'd think they'd find an actor with a 'handsome' chin). He also speaks more like Microsoft Sam then RoboCop. His performance would not have been so bad if the storyline did not keep throwing 'Murphy Memories' at us. Page Fletcher looks more like an average cop then the cool, sophisticated but compassionate Murphy that Peter Weller delivered to us all those years ago. He is also several years too old, seeing as though the memories are set before Murphy transferred to Metro South.Fletcher's costume does not help the problem either. It looks acceptable when he's wearing the Robo helmet (it actually looks pretty cool since it is so battle-damaged). But when the helmet is removed, you can tell that it is a man in a costume. Unlike the 1987 original, or even the later TV series, this suit had no complex wires and circuitry attached to Murphy's face. Murphy's face looks exactly the same as it did before he was shot down. Also, you can easily spot the seams at the chin that lead down into Fletcher's neck. Anyway, now that I'm finished ranting about the series' problems, I can tell you the good things about it. First of all, this series 'pretends' like the events of the second two movies (and the TV series for that matter) didn't happen. That means, no RoboCop 2s, no Detroit revolutions, no jet packs etc. This was a good move.Second of all was the unique comic-book plot the four movies delivered.**SPOILERS** In the first movie, Robo has to deal with the villainous Bone Machine (who looks a bit campy but anyway). He partners up with his old partner John Cable (who is unaware that he is his old partner.) By the end of the film, OCP adds a fourth 'Prime Directive' into Murphy's system, forcing him to kill John Cable. I enjoyed 'Dark Justice' because it didn't throw us right into the main story as of yet. For now, it was focusing more on the characters and where they've been for the last ten years. However there were parts I did not enjoy. But I think I've said enough about the abysmal special effects and Page Fletcher's casting.In the second movie, wouldn't you know it, Cable is now RoboCop 2 (or RoboCable). He basically looks exactly the same as RoboCop 1, except he is a shiny black and his visor is silver. Evil OCP executives use RoboCable to frame RoboCop and then use Cable to destroy RoboCop. However, Murphy recognizes his friend and frantically tries to make him remember his past. 'Meltdown' was good because we finally got to see a RoboCop 2 that didn't look an obnoxious tank or C-3PO's mother-in law. Also, we get to see Murphy's old partner go through the same confusion and pain that Murphy himself went through all those years ago. On a more negative note however, a lot of focus is put on the 'Cable' character, leading me to believe that the series on a whole has got more to do with him than to do with RoboCop.'Resurrection' was easily my favourite of the four TV movies. Crappy special effects and laughable acting is kept to a minimum. **MAJOR SPOILER WARNING** The best thing about 'Resurrection' was that we see Murphy's friends activate the part of brain that was never re-activated when he was turned into RoboCop. This part theoretically contains all of his memories as Murphy. We see him relive everything. We even see that famous Clarence Boddicker mutilation shot (which has appeared in every live-action RoboCop series or movie ever made). It is in this segment that the story of this miniseries truly unfolds. In this episode we meet evil scientist David Kaydick who is trying to upload a virus onto an OCP project called S.A.I.N.T. (a computer that is to control everything in Delta City). There was only one part of this segment I really did not like. There is a VERY cheesy bullet-time sequence where RoboCop's bullets ricochet off Cable's. This is another RoboCop 3-style attempt at making something stupid look like something cool. The last episode of the series was something of a disappointment. Although it was easily better than the first two episodes, it was not as good as 'Resurrection'. Where 'Resurrection combined action, classic RoboCop drama, a reasonably solid plot, and startling revelations, 'Crash and Burn' only delivered the action. It was still more or less enjoyable however, what with RoboCop's grown up son James Murphy now one of the good guys. It is enjoyable listening to him call RoboCop 'Dad'. In this film, Kaydick is trying to upload 'The Legion Virus' into the S.A.I.N.T. mainframe (residing in OCP control tower) and Murphy, James and their friend from the abandoned Old Detroit Ann R. Key (stupid, I know). Before long, the building is locked down by Kaydick and the gang are trapped inside, having to deal with both the defences and Kaydick.Overall, 'Crash and Burn' ended things on a satisfactory note, but not on an excellent note. The only thing I really hated about it was that they ended it in such a way that a sequel would only be ludicrous. But then again, it ended RoboCop period. It showed us how things ended with Murphy, and they ended on a happy note, which is good.'RoboCop: Prime Directives' is a must for fans of Murphy's plight. Although Page Fletcher was not an inspired choice, the story and atmosphere make up for both his performance and the RoboRubbish we've had to put up with since RoboCop 2 was released. My only advice to anyone that hasn't seen it is to buy the series in its entirety like I did. The series is made so that one episode is no good unless you see the rest of the series. I give this series 7/10.

I'm a big Robocop fan. The only Robocop thing I HAVEN'T seen, was the cartoon, so I can't compare it to that one.But in comparison to the 3 movies and, yes, even the TV series, this is the saddest Robocop has ever been.Robocop is, of course, the ultimate superhero movie.Robocop 2 was almost as good. It's biggest shortcoming was the lack of the classic Robocop theme music. If Basil's music could somehow be edited into this movie, I think people would be amazed at the improvement.Robocop 3 was almost as good as Robocop 2 (seeing a trend here?). The music is back, most of the characters from the previous movies are present. Robert Burke is no Peter Weller, but he does his best, and his best is just barely good enough. Robocop 3 is a bit cheesier than the previous entries, and Robocop SHOULD NEVER FLY. However, the movie does have some moving moments, and on the whole did feel like "Robocop."Robocop: The Series was geared towards a younger audience. The violence was toned WAY down, and some of the acting was about as cheesy as what was found in Robocop 3. Unfortunately, none of the villains measured up to any of those found in any of the movies. All were too cheesy. HOWEVER, Richard Eden did an excellent job as Robocop. Better than Robert Burke in Robocop 3. The supporting cast of good guys were also quite good on the whole, with the possible exception of the popularly despised "moppet." The creators did a pretty good job of maintaining the visual style of the movies, with the same cars, uniforms, gear, etc. I could tell they cared about what they were making. Yes, it was juvenile, but it had heart and it still felt like "Robocop." The show's opening music theme was particularly good, an expansion on Basil's original theme.Robocop: Prime Directives was very, very sad for me. I'd been anticipating this quite a bit, and was prepared to give it a lot of slack. I'd kept up with production on their website, and had heard that the folks involved were big Robocop fans.I was VERY disappointed.As many have mentioned before, Page Fletcher was totally miscast. I'm sure he did his best, but he was just way too short, and did not know how to move or act as Robocop. The worst portrayal of Robocop in existence. The plot of the miniseries I found to be dull, cheesy, and clichéd. The effects were not even up to the level of what was found in the TV show. Because this story takes place so many years in the future, there are no familiar images to tie in with what has transpired before. It's almost like Robocop was dropped into some other town, where nothing is like it was. He is the only familiar image, and a sad miscast image at that. There is no sense of history. The fact that Prime Directives pretends that Robocop 2, Robocop 3, and Robocop: The Series all never happened is an insult and a cop-out (a Robocop-out?). Sure those movies and the TV series had their faults, but ALL of them were superior to Prime Directives. A sequel should only ignore what has come before under the most dire, DIRE circumstances. Say... Alien 3. And if that sequel does ignore what came before, it had better be good enough to merit that. What came before Prime Directives was not that bad, and Prime Directives was not NEARLY good enough. F-