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Predator and Robocop also appeared in the 1980s

Ts

(Romanian)

As the title suggests, it’s a year when cinema turns to special effects to enhance its “Science Fiction” presence…

An unseen “plus”, which acts “from the shadows”, but which will prepare the ground for future masterpieces of the genre…

So 1987 brings us “Predator”, a classic of action and science fiction films that left a lasting mark on cinema and video games.

Directed by John McTiernan, and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was “on a roll” after the success of Terminator), the film managed to combine elements of horror, action, and science fiction in a highly engaging way.

Through the “prism” of special effects, the alien Predator is an iconic creature, with a terrifying design and advanced technology that makes him a formidable opponent, spawning a successful franchise with numerous sequels and spin-offs, becoming a symbol of 80s action cinema.

And, in the “Predator Universe” they “entered” later:

• Predator 2 (1990, where the action moves to Los Angeles, in a “kind of future Earth”, with the Predator hunting among organized crime gangs),
• Predators (2010, where a group of mercenaries find themselves on a hunting planet, where they are offered to the Predators as prey — a sort of “logical” consequence of going through the “crossover” of the Predator and Alien universes, via Alien vs. Predator (2004 — AVP) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007 — AVPR) that seemed to “disappoint” audiences but were exceptional cinematic achievements),
• The Predator (2018, an attempt to reinvent the franchise, introducing a new generation of Predators and exploring new aspects of the mythology of these creatures), and
• Prey (2022, is a prequel that takes us back in time to the Comanche world some 300 years ago, featuring a young warrior, Naru, facing off against a Predator in a spectacular natural setting, bringing a new perspective to the franchise, placing acting in a different historical and cultural context — “decision” that proved successful from the audience’s point of view).

Of course, other “materials” that “feed” the Predator universe, such as comics, video games, and novels, explore even more aspects of this world, but a chronology of events in the Predator world can sometimes be ambiguous. Some of the sequels have been met with mixed reactions from critics and fans (such as the movie “Alien Predator War” or the fact that there are no television series on the subject — probably because the Predator movies are built around a relatively simple premise and the expansion of this idea in a series format might require greater narrative complexity to justify a larger number of episodes).

However, it stands out in the world of video games (which seem to strictly “explore” the steps taken by the lime of cinema, perhaps in the idea of ​​”not missing the moment”) through:

• Predator (1989, NES platform, being one of the first games based on the franchise to capture the spirit of the original film, giving players an action-packed experience where they had to advance through the jungle and avoid the attacks of the Predator) and Predator 2 (1991 — the NES sequel, inspired by the film of the same name, the action moves to the city, where players must face the Predator in an urban environment).
• Predator: Concrete Jungle (2005 — Platforms PlayStation 2, Xbox — an open-world action game that brought the franchise into a new era, with players exploring a futuristic version of New York while being hunted by a Predator).
• Predators (2010 — Platforms PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC — which offered an intense multiplayer experience where players could choose to be both the hunter and the hunted).
• Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020 — platforms: PlayStation 4, PC — an asymmetrical multiplayer game where a group of players must survive the attacks of a Predator controlled by another player, a game that seems to have revived interest in the franchise and brought a new perspective to the experience of to be hunted).

Another hit this year is “RoboCop” (directed by Paul Verhoeven), which marked a turning point in science fiction cinema, presenting a dystopian vision of the future where technology and corruption combine in an explosive cocktail.

One of the most iconic aspects of the film is the transformation of police officer Alex Murphy into a cyborg, RoboCop, a fusion of the organic and artificial that raises interesting questions about identity, humanity, and ethics.

RoboCop is an action film and a scathing social satire, criticizing corporate corruption, urban violence, and the devaluation of human life.

Furthermore, Verhoeven is known for his strong visual style and dark humor, with RoboCop offering violent action scenes and moments of macabre humor that shocked audiences at the time.

The “idea” continued through the animated series Robocop (1988, with 12 22-minute episodes), followed by the film Robocop 2 (1990), Robocop 3 (1993) and the television series Robocop (made in 1994, with 23 44-minute episodes), “Robocop: Alpha Commando” (animated from 1998–1999, with 41 30-minute episodes) and “Robocop: Prime Directive” (2001, 4-episode miniseries), ending with the film (quite a remake) “Robocop” (2014).

The interest in this theme certainly decreased, from one “realization” to another, many of the sequels and remakes of RoboCop being devoid of an original vision, repeating already seen formulas (as, unfortunately, seems to be the fate of Predator, if it will not be “supercharged” by a new idea, especially since current special effects technology can beneficially “feed” science fiction, with subsequent productions having the “power” to provide “fairly cheap” visual effects much more spectacular, but only and only based on truly new ideas).

RoboCop has also had a consistent presence in the world of video games but has not been able to reach the same level of success as in cinema, the franchise has great potential to inspire game developers, but, I repeat, only and only based on “new ideas original”…

Here we have “passed” over the visual “successes” of this year… Next are the “pleasant films”, among which I can mention “Innerspace”, a sci-fi film with an “extremely” original premise and full of humor, directed by Joe Dante, known for his films with a nostalgic and humorous air, such as “Gremlins”, being a combination of science fiction and comedy, with accents of adventure.

The premise of the film is “given” by the situation in which a test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment and accidentally injected into a timid store employee, creating a series of comical and suspenseful situations, but in essence, it is a kind of “remake” considered an homage to classic sci-fi films such as “Fantastic Voyage” (1966), drawing inspiration from the idea of ​​shrinking people and inserting them into the human body.

Then “The Running Man” (a successful film adaptation of a short story by Stephen King, included in the collection under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), a dystopian action film, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, with “the already famous and favorite of action” Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role, presenting a totalitarian American society, where people are entertained by a brutal reality show, where convicts must run for their lives.

The “theme” will develop over time through “Battle Royale” (2000, originally titled Batoru rowaiaru, and its sequel), followed by “Hunger Games” (2012, and subsequent “sequels”), “Maze Runner” (2014, and “the aftermath”) or of the television series “Alice in Borderland” (2020, original title “Imawa no Kuni no Arisu”), “Squid Game” (2021 — present, original title Ojing-eo geim), Squid Game: The Challenge (US version) (2023)…

But “excelling” in “reheated themes” of brutality, horror, blah, blah, and less science fiction…

But to “stretch the dystopian atmosphere”, why not, I can mention “Project X”, which successfully combines elements of science fiction, comedy, and drama, offering a subtle and introspective approach, focusing on the relationship between a young Air Force pilot and a group of chimpanzees, who are part of a secret experiment.

Or (dare I “take a chance”?) I might mention the “Mel Brooks” parody of Star Wars with “Spaceballs” …

In terms of television series, 1987 is notable for the series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Fortune (1987–1988, 22 episodes of 30 minutes), which combined live action with computer animation, depicting a dystopian future, where an evil dictator, Lord Dread, has conquered the world with the help of an army of robots and advanced technology, and a group of rebels, led by the brave Captain Power, fight against Dread’s tyranny, using high-tech weapons and equipment, that can interact with the real world.

Very well “seen” was also the series “Star Cops” (9 episodes of 55 minutes) which tried to offer as realistic a vision as possible of the colonization of space and the challenges it would bring.

There would also be “Max Headroom” (1987–1988, 14 one-hour episodes), which presents a vision of the future in which media technology has advanced spectacularly, with interactive television networks, virtual reality and computer-generated characters, Max Headroom himself being a digital avatar, a computer-generated character who becomes a celebrity in the virtual and real world, satirizing consumer society, the obsession with ratings and media manipulation (a strange premonition, in the days when internet social networks did not exist).

And, why not, the comedy “Out of This World” (1987–1991, 96 30-minute episodes) a sitcom television series with elements of science fiction, noted for a unique blend of humor, adventure, and science fiction themes, quickly gained a loyal following.

Finally, let me also mention the “Science Fiction” literature written, where 1987 is notable for The Uplift War by David Brin, When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger, Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, The Forge of God by Greg Bear and The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (under the “aegis” of the Hugo Awards), and Great Sky River by Gregory Benford, Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson, Deserted Cities of the Heart by Lewis Shiner, and Drowning Towers by George Turner (under the “aegis” of the Nebula Awards)…

Merticaru Dorin Nicolae

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