The movie is about low-lifes and there's a strong (overwhelming?) anti-consumerism theme, but it's really an alien invasion movie and the only high-tech comes from the aliens. Otherwise, it's a "modern day" scifi.
So what do you think? Do you consider They Live to be cyberpunk?
Here's a clip if you haven't seen the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z9hMartaFc
As far as I can tell, it's only streaming on Starz right now.
I'd argue that the social critique is pretty punk.
IDK don't you think the bar has to be a little higher than that alone? Is Robocop punk? Alien? Metropolis?
RoboCop is really punk. A corporate dystopia where the cops are a part of the same sales division as military hardware and entertainment is driven down to the lowest class mindless sludge? I'll buy that for a dollar.
Not as much, but you are still dealing with themes of giant conglomerates sacrificing their workers for money.
No, that movie is fascist.
I don't know, calling RoboCop punk is like calling Bananarama punk.
Did you watch the movie or just the toy advertisements?
The movie is a critique of corporate America trying to take over a city outright, including its police force. Corporate fascists are conquering municipal government.
All media is shown to be bland inoffensive shit that hypes violence and sex but is otherwise empty of anything of anything of substance. I expect to hear "TV Party" in the background.
And in the end, the military robot is impotent and acts as a wounded animal but it doesn't matter. The only reason why the bad guy dies is because he is fired, severing his link to the company along with his life. Good guys lose, bad guys win, and corporate profits go up.
What more do you want?