Robocop (Remastered Blu-ray review)

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Synopsis

With the upcoming Robocop remake due in theaters February, now is as good a time as any to review the just released Blu-ray of the original Robocop. It’s being advertised as having been mastered in 4k resolution– a technical term for SUPER HD, and the disc also includes recent interviews with the original cast and director, among other things.

For those who have not seen this film I’ll do my best to get you up to speed. A Detroit city cop, Alex Murphy, played to perfection by the great Peter Weller, ends up getting shot to death in arguably one of the more gruesome scenes in movie history by the film’s villain (one of them anyway), Clarence Boddicker, played by the guy from That 70s show! In all seriousness, the actor’s name is Kurtwood Smith, and he plays one of the more convincing villains in the last 30 years of cinema. Murphy’s death is wrapped around the fact a huge corporation, OCP, is now running the police department, and thanks to one hot shot executive, the plan set forth was to take a near dead cop, and save part of his life by merging him into a machine. Hence, Robocop is born…

Overall, the movie has many layers to it, so don’t be fooled by the somewhat silly title. It’s one of the first films to deal with the evils of corporate takeover, and no coincidence it was made during the height of the 80s Wall Street boom. Additionally, there’s a certain religious allegory associated with how Murphy is killed, and in the manner to which he is killed. Director Paul Verhoeven hasn’t been shy in recent years admitting it’s like watching Christ be condemned to death by the devil himself. Like I said, many layers at work with this 80s classic, and you may find yourself noticing more to it than ever before when and if you pop in this Blu-ray. It should also be noted this is the Director’s Cut version of the film, so expect some very jaw-dropping moments of blood and guts spewing every which way. This is not for the faint of heart!

Now, has it aged well? I think the story certainly has, but I have some concerns about the visual effects looking a little dated, and much of that has to do with the video quality that I’ll get into shortly. Either way, this is an entertaining film that still holds its replay value some 27 years after its initial release…

Video Quality

OK, this is where I’m a little disappointed. So much emphasis in recent years has been placed on remastering old films to the nth degree that it has revealed many of the special effects limitations of the time period. I’m not saying the lifelike picture quality of Robocop on Blu-ray necessarily hurts the film, but I don’t think it did it any favors either. There were some shots I could say looked less convincing than they did in previous home releases of this movie, and although the production team did amazing things with the stop-motion photography, and the different video opticals they had to use, I’m just not thrilled every shot looks so ridiculously magnified here than ever before. Somewhere there’s a happy medium in terms of how this film gets mastered for the latest and greatest high-def formats in present day. Overall, everything else looks splendid for colors, darks, etc.

Audio Quality

Robocop has never sounded better in the DTS 5.1 format. I heard sound effects I’ve never heard before while watching this through my home system and I suspect these added details were only to be heard back in theaters, in 1987, now brought to life so well in 2014. I didn’t meddle with the other sound options, but nonetheless, there were no sound defects with the primary audio track on this Blu-ray.

Extras

Q&A with the Filmmakers (2012)- Panel discussion with the director, writers, and main stars of the film that was shot on UCLA’s campus in 2012.

Flesh and Steel: The Making of RoboCop- This is a very candid documentary of how this film was made, and all the troubles it had even getting completed. This particular segment was shot back in 2001, and you’ll find some very interesting remarks from the writers, director and production team on the trials and tribulations Robocop had during pre-production, and shooting.

In addition to these goodies, the disc has everything from making-of featurettes from on-set back in 1987, to deleted scenes, as well as a neat segment with the villains of the film as they reflect on the film, as well as the director, Paul Verhoeven.

Final thoughts-

I’m not here to give you tips and tricks on bargain prices for new Blu-rays, however, from what I’ve been hearing, this disc can be had at some retailers for as low as $7.99, and to quote the comic relief of this classic “I’ll buy that for a dollar!” Make no mistake about it, this is a must have for fans of this film, as well as new fans who want to brush up on their Robocop history before the remake is released. Nuff said

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

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