Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 action classic RoboCop features a futuristic premise about a cybernetic cop manufactured as the police force’s unstoppable crimefighter, but underneath its exterior of computerized tracking devices and biomechanical engineering is a prescient understanding of the kinds of corruption in government that can lead to these hubristic decisions; 35 years later, we’re still seeing the same kinds of criticism of an overtly militaristic police force, one that notably seems to have a criminal element of corruption right in its back pocket. RoboCop is certainly fictional, and often satirical, but its overall premise should still hit home for viewers today.
Peter Weller plays the titular RoboCop, first in human form as Alex Murphy who has a particularly shitty first day on the job after he’s practically blown to smithereens by a group of mercenaries led by Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith). Detroit’s police force, privatized by Omni Consumer Products, eventually picks up Murphy’s pieces, assembling him into a mechanized arresting machine that can do the dirty work cops can’t – because ideally he’s unfeeling, lacking a conscience or even human sentience, and able to wipe slime off the streets without getting in the way of OCP’s more illicit back-room elements. Ironically, Boddicker and his goons are also in OCP’s back pocket, so when RoboCop regains some of his past memories, he makes it his mission, along with cop partner Lewis (Nancy Allen), to remove them from commission.
Verhoeven’s film feels familiar with its view of ’80s city life – rife with crime and corruption, squalid and unyielding, RoboCop‘s futuristic Detroit is much like its real-life counterpart. But here Verhoeven explores a different type of premise from the vigilante elements of its time period, instead focusing on the role of government and privatization as an ill-equipped method of handling crime. The sleazy executives at the top of OCP aren’t motivated by a natural ethical drive to do good; rather, RoboCop’s lead designer Morton (Miguel Ferrer) quickly moves up the top of the chain and blows his newfound money on hookers and blow. During a demonstration of failed prototype ED-209 at a board meeting that leaves one volunteer blown to smithereens, Dan O’Herlihy’s character shows not horror at the death but disappointment in the development. Verhoeven never misses an opportunity to skewer the opportunistic slime of top brass, made even more apparent in the smattering of farcical commercials and news segments presented throughout the film.
With RoboCop‘s ultraviolent sadism at the forefront, it’s clear that the film’s intention is to blur the line between its privatized police force and the low-life crime it’s meant to apprehend. Instead of peaceful arrest, the goal is a use of force within 15 seconds; instead of treating the source of the blight, RoboCop as a dehumanized officer is meant to simply excise the infection entirely. Throughout, RoboCop shows us why that doesn’t work, and Weller does a great job infusing what limited emotion he can playing the intentionally stunted robot.
Ultimately, RoboCop is enjoyable even without appreciating its major themes. It has some great practical effects work and gruesome scenes (particularly so in the director’s cut), a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and a number of excellent action sequences facilitated by the ridiculously overpowered rifles Boddicker and the gang scrounge up in the film’s conclusion. But of course, at this point most people know whether they appreciate RoboCop and its entry in the ’80s action film canon, so you should probably just go watch it already.
4K UHD
Arrow Video previously released RoboCop in a number of editions on Blu-ray with a 4K master of the original camera negative done by MGM back in 2013; here, they now present the same 4K master, this time in 2160p and with Dolby Vision HDR. Like the previous Blu-ray, Arrow Video has provided both the original theatrical cut as well as the director’s cut; in the liner notes, they state that because no negative of the director’s cut exist, they were forced to source some of the sequences from other elements which can occasionally present some visual discrepancy.
However, the UHD presentation on this release is exceptionally good whether one is watching the theatrical or the director’s cut, and despite some minor noticeable changes in color timing and quality, the director’s cut does not suffer from its spliced transfer. Overall detail is strong, and this transfer handles the often grimy atmospheric textures of Detroit’s crime-addled city well, even with denser smoke and fog effects. Grain scale is moderate but can sometimes be noticeably clumpy in particular sequences, without detracting from the overall experience. The Dolby Vision HDR is not put to rigorous use in terms of color contrast, but it does offer strong black levels at times with good overall delineation. While Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release was already quite impressive, this UHD offers a slight improvement to the overall video quality that collectors will want to have.
RoboCop has a number of audio offerings for both the technical viewer and the originalist. Offered as the standard option is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track along with a secondary DTS-HD MA 4.0 for those looking to experience RoboCop at its most authentic. The film was released to select theaters with both options, with the 4.0 offering a slightly more robust 4-channel experience. Also included is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and new to this release is a Dolby Atmos (7.1 compatible) offering struck from the 4.0 track. Ultimately, the Atmos is a great way to immerse oneself in the film’s experience, with a suitable use of ceiling sounds in particular action scenarios. However, all tracks are very good options; on the theatrical cut, there’s also the composer’s original score and the final isolated theatrical mix for audiophiles. Subtitles are included.
All extras on this release are exactly the same as the previous Blu-ray, including three different audio commentaries for the director’s cut and one for the theatrical cut, a number of interviews that were newly shot for the Blu-ray, archival EPK-esque featurettes, deleted scenes, raw footage, theatrical trailers and TV spots, and various image galleries. There’s a TV cut version of the film presented in 480p, as well as screenshot comparisons between the director’s cut and theatrical cut as well as theatrical cut and TV cut, and a compilation of the alternate scenes shot for the TV cut that have been restored from 35mm elements.
Along with the extras on the disc, this limited edition package comes loaded with a booklet featuring essays by Omar Ahmed, Henry Blyth, and Christopher Griffiths, all housed in the same steelbook as a previous Blu-ray version.
EXTRA FEATURES
- 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven
- Commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film on two Ultra High Definition (2160p) Blu-ray™ discs with Dolby Vision (HDR 10 compatible)
- Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound option and Dolby Atmos (7.1) on both cuts
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
- Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Omar Ahmed, Christopher Griffiths and Henry Blyth
DISC ONE – DIRECTOR’S CUT
- Archive commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for the Theatrical Cut and re-edited in 2014 for the Director’s Cut)
- Audio commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon
- Audio commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen
- The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, a newly filmed interview with co-writer Michael Miner (1080p; 16:51)
- RoboTalk, a newly filmed conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nick McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures’ The Prodigy) (1080p; 32:08)
- Truth of Character, a newly filmed interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis (1080p; 18:26)
- Casting Old Detroit, a newly filmed interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film’s ensemble cast was assembled (1080p; 8:20)
- Connecting the Shots, a newly filmed interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt (1080p; 11:06)
- Analog, a new featurette focusing on the special photographic effects, including new interviews with Peter Kuran and Kevin Kutchaver (1080p; 13:10)
- More Man Than Machine: Composing Robocop, a new tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson (1080p; 12:04)
- RoboProps, a newly filmed tour of super-fan Julien Dumont’s collection of original props and memorabilia (1080p; 12:50)
- 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett (1080p; 42:37)
- RoboCop: Creating a Legend (1080p; 21:12)
- Villains of Old Detroit (1080p; 17:01)
- Special Effects: Then & Now (1080p; 18:23)
- Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg (1080p; 0:38)
- Four deleted scenes
- OCP News Conference (1080p; 1:19)
- Nun in the Street Interview (1080p; 0:17)
- Topless Pizza (1080p; 0:28)
- Final Media Break (1080p; 0:53)
- The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett (1080p; 6:04)
- Director’s Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes (2160p; 11:38)
- Theatrical trailer 1 (1080p; 1:38)
- Theatrical trailer (1080p; 1:23)
- TV Spot 1 (1080p; 0:31)
- TV Spot 2 (1080p; 1:02)
- TV spot 3 (1080p; 0:31)
- Extensive image galleries
- Production stills (chapter breaks; 1:48)
- Behind the scenes (chapter breaks; 1:23)
- Poster and video art (chapter breaks; 0:55)
DISC TWO – THEATRICAL CUT
- Archive commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for Theatrical version of the film)
- Two Isolated Score tracks (Composer’s Original Mix and Final Theatrical Mix) in lossless stereo
- Edited-for-television version of the film, featuring alternate dubs, takes and edits of several scenes (480p; 1:35:16)
- Split screen comparisons between the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut (1080p; 4:02)
- Split screen comparisons between the Theatrical Cut and edited-for-TV version (1080p; 20:16)
- Robocop: Edited For Television, a compilation of alternate scenes from two edited-for-television versions, including outtakes newly transferred in HD from recently-unearthed 35mm elements (1080p; 18:35)
Verdict
If you don’t own any of the previous Blu-ray versions Arrow Video has released for RoboCop, that makes this 4K UHD version an easy recommendation for upgrade. If you do already own some form of that, the HDR and Atmos offerings give a suitable reason to double-dip, provided you can harness that technology.
