{"id":19552,"date":"2019-11-23T23:51:29","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T07:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=19552"},"modified":"2019-11-23T23:51:29","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T07:51:29","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-robocop-1987","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=19552","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: ROBOCOP (1987)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following disc will be released on November 26th<\/sup> by Arrow Video\u00a0(www.arrowvideo.com \u2013 www.facebook.com\/ArrowVideo\/) as a 2-Disc Limited Edition Collector\u2019s Set <\/a>and as a Limited Edition Steelbook.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The 80’s were a decade filled with big action cinema, starring the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and many others. Yet one of the best films of the era came from smaller studio Orion Pictures. It was, by comparison, an ambitious low-budget effort that cost about half as much as its action contemporaries). The movie also featured no big headline names, just a long list of very talented character actors. It also had an eccentric European director at its helm, who clearly had more on his mind than just explosions and thrills. The results surprised audiences and critics alike, grossing a healthy return and earning raves from many members of the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make no mistake, all of its success was deserved. Robocop<\/em>\nis a sci-fi action masterpiece that still stands as one of the best of its\ngenre. The movie has kept a devoted fan base over the years and has been\nreleased by companies like Criterion, who put it out on laserdisc, as well as MGM\nand Fox. This week, Arrow Video are releasing a 2-disc Limited Edition\nCollector\u2019s Set of the movie, and wow is it ever incredible. The package\nseemingly collects every extra ever produced for previous releases, and adds an\nimpressive set of new bonuses that will blow away viewers. And of course, it\ncontains a 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative\napproved by director Paul Verhoeven. This is an absolutely brilliant disc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For those unfamiliar with the picture, the story is set in\nDetroit in the near future, with the OCP (Omni Consumer Products) corporation\nessentially in control of the entire city. As cutthroat businessmen attempt to\nupdate and modernize the privatized police enforcement for their own profit, cop\nAlex Murphy (Peter Weller) is gunned down in the line of duty by sociopathic\ncriminal Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) and his gang. Murphy\u2019s body is immediately\nseized by OCP and used for a pilot project in which he is turned into a\ncybernetic police officer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, the company is impressed with their new automaton product.\nHowever, after Robocop is recognized by his old partner Anne Lewis (Nancy\nAllen), he begins to have flashes of his old human life. And when the\nprotagonist discovers that OCP has ties to the criminal underworld and his own\nmurder, it forces the cyborg hero to mount a rebellion against his corporate owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Everything about the picture works. The action is\nbrilliantly shot by Jost Vacano (Das Boot<\/em>, The NeverEnding Story<\/em>,\nTotal Recall<\/em>) and edited by Frank J. Urioste (who had just worked on The\nHitcher<\/em> and would go on to cut Die Hard<\/em>, Total Recall<\/em> and Cliffhanger<\/em>)\nand events move at a rapid clip. In fact, the movie flies by in no time at all,\nusing darkly humorous media breaks to paint the disturbing backdrop of a world controlled\nby big business. There are plenty of exciting and exaggerated moments as Robocop\ntakes down criminals and then squares off against many high-ranking members of\nthe OCP corporation. The movie also benefits from visually spectacular\nshoot-outs which are further augmented and made compelling courtesy of the film\u2019s\nunusual hero and digital sightline tricks. \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It also works as a human story. Viewers are immediately\ndrawn in and empathize immediately with the lead as he meets a horrific end and\nthen has the last remaining pieces of his body and soul taken by OCP. From this\npoint forward, we watch as the character tries to recover his identity and\nplace in the world. And the corporate satire is brilliant, as the businessmen\nseem to have almost no empathy for citizens or each other and act like\ngangsters to acquire what they want. The movie changes tone from tragic to satirical\nalmost as rapidly as it moves, yet it always seems to work and its intent is\nalways crystal clear. It also helps that the cast is so charming (including the\nvillains), even when events are at their most violent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to see why the film has endured and may be in even\nhigher esteem now than during its initial release. There are so many elements\nat play and so much subtext that there\u2019s always something else to unpack every\ntime one watches it. Every time I revisit Robocop<\/em> (which is usually\nevery couple of years) it holds up. And in today\u2019s age the movie\u2019s themes are more\nrelevant than ever. The world appears to really be catching up to the one\npresented in this film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve owned previous Blu-rays of the feature and this edition\noffers another step forward in terms of quality. It actually does looks sharper\nand more colorful than the previous Blu-ray put out by Fox, making this the\nbest presentation the film has ever received. One can really take in the colors\nand various light sources reflect off of the main character and surfaces. This\nis particularly true in the corporate world, which contrasts nicely with the\nrundown city vistas and police precinct sets. Of course, it\u2019s an action flick\nand the bullet squibs, sparks and explosions also pop more vibrantly than ever.\nI never thought I\u2019d see the movie look quite this good.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The movie includes a previously recorded commentary with\ndirector Paul Verhoeven which is fantastic to listen to. You\u2019ll discover that\nthe director had initially dismissed the script when it was sent to him, but\nhis wife found the discarded draft, read it and convinced the filmmaker that\nthere was far more going on beneath the surface. Verhoeven is an animated\npersonality and very entertaining to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are also two new commentaries present. The first is\nfrom film historian Paul M. Sammon, who worked on the film shooting featurettes\nduring the production. He shares trivia about the production and speaks about\nhis own interactions with Verhoeven. Sammon goes into great analysis of the\nthemes and ideas present in the film, including critiques of consumerism, how\ntechnology can bolster cruelty, and the director\u2019s own view of American values that\nwere common in action films of the era. It\u2019s a very enlightening track that is well\nworth listening to. There\u2019s also a second commentary from experts\/fans, who\npresent more facts about the film and enthusiastically discuss the elements\nabout it that speak to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of new interviews as well. The first is\nwith co-writer Michael Miner, who discusses his inspiration for the film. He\nhad been reading a lot of comic books and wanted to make a feature incorporating\nsimilar elements, but also mentions that he was a fan of sci-fi authors like\nPhilip K. Dick. Of course, he also wanted to bring a sociological perspective\nto the material, and confirms that one of the picture\u2019s goals was to critique\nand satirize predatory capitalism. Nancy Allen also talks about how impressed\nshe was with original screenplay and her time working on the film. Mark\nGoldblatt (who later became a director himself on Dead Heat<\/em> and The\nPunisher<\/em>) speaks about being the second unit director on the film and the\nimportance of adopting Verhoeven\u2019s shooting style to help match his pieces and\ninserts with the director\u2019s footage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also enjoyable is a talk with casting director Julie Selzer\nabout finding the right cast members and how many of their careers progressed.\nShe also mentions that while casting Miguel Ferrer in the role of businessman\nBob Morton, he introduced her to his cousin who was hoping to get a start in\nthe business\u2026 that man young man happened to be George Clooney. There\u2019s also an\nenlightening piece about the score by Basil Poledouris, which involves\nidentifying the film\u2019s musical themes and how they are used repeatedly to\nassign emotional significance to individual moments. You\u2019ll also get a look at\na man who owns many of the props used in the film who describes how they came\ninto his hands. Additionally, the disc includes a 45-minute Q&A from a few\nyears back with director Verhoeven, stars Weller and Allen, writers Miner and\nEd Neumeie and effects man Phil Tippett. This bonus a great extra that goes\nover many of the elements mentioned previously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another interesting bonus is the inclusion of the television\ncut of the picture, which obviously has the gorier bits cut out and features redubs\nof the swear words, as well as some alternate scenes and takes. There\u2019s also a\nseparate heading in which you can just watch the altered bits alone without\nsitting through the entire features. Those interested in knowing what the\ndifferences are between the R-rated and Unrated versions can also see a\nside-by-side comparison. This disc also includes the isolated score, which is phenomenal\nmusic on its own to listen to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The set also includes numerous extras from previously\nreleased sets, including archival featurettes on the effects work, deleted\nscenes, storyboards of the boardroom sequence, raw dailies from the filming of\nthe unrated gore scenes, trailers, TV spots and an image gallery. As if all of\nthis wasn\u2019t enough, you\u2019ll also get six collector\u2019s postcards, and impressive\nbook with more details about the production, a double-sided fold out poster,\nand a reversable sleeve featuring both the original and newly commissioned\nartwork. Amazing stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my estimation, Robocop<\/em> is a perfect action movie.\nAnd now, I can say the same of Arrow Video\u2019s 2-Disc Limited Edition Collector\u2019s\nSet of the feature. It looks incredible and has everything you could possibly\nwant and more as extras. Even enthusiasts like me learned some new things about\nthe movie by checking out this disc. As a result, this Blu-ray couldn\u2019t come\nmore highly recommended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following disc will be released on November 26th by Arrow Video\u00a0(www.arrowvideo.com \u2013 www.facebook.com\/ArrowVideo\/) as a 2-Disc Limited Edition Collector\u2019s Set and as a Limited Edition Steelbook. The 80’s were a decade filled with big action cinema, starring the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme and many others. Yet one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[120,697,1836,3073,14547,15842,16009,17256,17772],"class_list":["post-19552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-120","tag-action","tag-arrow-video","tag-blu-ray-review","tag-nancy-allen","tag-paul-verhoeven","tag-peter-weller","tag-rococop","tag-sci-fi"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19552\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}