RoboCop (1987) & Upgrade (2018): Cyborg Justice & Body UpgradesA.I. | EP11

Artificial intelligence stories often focus on machines replacing humans.

But another major theme in science fiction asks a different question:

What happens when humans become machines?

In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, hosts James and Matt continue their Artificial Intelligence series by exploring two films that tackle the idea of cyborg technology and human enhancement: RoboCop (1987) and Upgrade (2018).

Both films imagine futures where technology merges directly with the human body — creating beings that exist somewhere between person and machine.

Because here on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we’re exploring the history of science-fiction cinema one subgenre at a time.

Listen to the full episode below:

What We Discuss In This Episode

In this episode we explore:

• How RoboCop (1987) combines cyberpunk ideas with satire and action

• The concept of the cyborg in science-fiction storytelling

• How Upgrade (2018) reimagines human enhancement in modern sci-fi

• The ethical questions surrounding human-machine integration

• Why cyborg stories remain central to science fiction

RoboCop (1987) – Corporate Technology and the Cyborg Future

Directed by Paul Verhoeven, RoboCop is one of the most iconic cyberpunk films of the 1980s.

Set in a dystopian future Detroit controlled by corporate interests, the film follows police officer Alex Murphy, who is brutally killed and rebuilt as a powerful cybernetic law-enforcement machine.

Though Murphy’s body has been transformed into a weapon, fragments of his human identity remain.

The story explores themes that are central to cyborg sci-fi: the loss of humanity through technology corporate control over human bodies the struggle between programming and identity

Upgrade (2018) – Artificial Intelligence Inside the Human Body

More than thirty years later, Upgrade offers a darker and more modern take on human-machine integration.

Directed by Leigh Whannell, the film follows Grey Trace, a man paralysed after a violent attack who receives an experimental AI implant known as STEM.

The chip restores his ability to move — but it also introduces a powerful artificial intelligence that begins taking control of his body.

As the story unfolds, the line between human will and machine control begins to blur.

The film raises an unsettling question: If artificial intelligence can control our bodies, who is really in charge?

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 About Journey Through Sci-Fi

Journey Through Sci-Fi is a podcast exploring the strange, visionary and world-changing history of science-fiction cinema.

Each series focuses on a different sci-fi subgenre, examining the films and ideas that shaped the genre - from classic cinema to modern science-fiction storytelling