On July 17 RoboCop celebrated its 30th anniversary. While some think of RoboCop as just another 80s action film, they are wrong. It’s more than that. RoboCop is a commentary on society, a forerunner of cultural and technological changes; and it’s a superbly-written, well-acted movie about what it means to be human. It also features one of the greatest orchestral theme songs in cinematic history, as well as a fabulous score. Rather than trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator, the film’s screenwriters, director and producer chose to make a piece of art that’s still as relevant and poignant today as it was in 1987.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I watched the original RoboCop trilogy. I also read RoboCop: The Definitive History and listened to RoboCop 3: The Deluxe Edition soundtrack.RoboCop: The Definitive History is a wonderful hardback book that is 240 pages in length. It covers all of the original films, as well as the 2014 reboot. 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. If you’re a big RoboCop fan, like I am, it’s a joy to read, as it’s both insightful and entertaining. RoboCop 3 is underrated. Sure, it’s not as great as its two predecessors, but it’s still a highly-enjoyable movie that retains the charm and tone that made the franchise famous. One thing RoboCop 3 got right that RoboCop 2 didn’t is its soundtrack. After RoboCop 2‘s uninspired score was met with a lukewarm reaction, Basil Poledouris, the composer of the original film, was brought back into the fold to right the ship. The end result is a wonderful score that rivals the first film’s. When RoboCop 3 first came out in 1993, the soundtrack that accompanied it didn’t include all of the music in the movie. It was only 28 minutes long, which is why I highly recommend RoboCop 3: The Deluxe Edition soundtrack. It has nearly triple the amount of songs featured on the original version of the soundtrack, and it clocks in at over one hour of music. This new version of the soundtrack also includes my favorite piece of music from the film: “Robo Flies/Rehabs Chase Marie.”

30 years later, RoboCop endures. The movies are still adored by millions worldwide, and they’re still as culturally relevant as ever. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of this timeless franchise by revisiting the original trilogy and enjoying the aforementioned book and soundtrack. And, while you’re at it, check out the hilarious Honest Trailers take on RoboCop. I’d buy that for a dollar!