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Dom Robinson reviews
Robocop: Special Edition
MGM
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 21762 CDVD
- Running time: 98 minutes
- Year: 1987
- Pressing: 2002
- Region(s): 2 (UK PAL)
- Chapters: 32 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: 12 languages available
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: No
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £32.99 (as part of the Robocop Trilogy boxset)
- Extras: Documentary: “Flesh and Blood: The Making of Robocop”, Two 1987Featurettes, 5 deleted scenes, 4 trailers, TV commercial, Photo gallery,Storyboard comparison, Audio commentary.
Director:
- Paul Verhoeven
(Basic Instinct, Hollow Man, Robocop, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, Total Recall)
Producer:
- Arne Schmidt
Screenplay:
- Michael Miner and Edward Neumeier
Music :
- Basil Poledouris
Cast :
- Alex Murphy: Peter Weller
Anne Lewis: Nancy Allen
The Old Man: Dan O’Herlihy
Dick Jones: Ronny Cox
Clarence Boddicker: Kurtwood Smith
Bob Morton: Miguel Ferrer
Emil Antanowsky: Paul McCrane
Leon Nash: Ray Wise
In the DVD trilogy boxset, it’s the first time that Robocophas been available in its slightly-extended director’s cut form with addedviolence and gore. We only received this disc out of the trilogy for review,hence the reason why those two films are not mentioned here although, as Iunderstand it, the extras on the latter two are severly lacking.
So, for those who’ve lived under a rock for the past 15 years who or whatis Robocop? Quite simply, he’s part-man, part-machine and all cop. In a bidto rid Delta City of crime they need a new kind of law enforcer who’ll nevertake a day off sick and never make a mistake. Although the first film was madebefore anyone had heard of the internet, he’s still similarly-connected tothe police department’s computer so as soon as crimes are reported, Robocopcan respond to them.
But how to get someone to volunteer to be turned into a robot? Difficult one.OCP, led by the affectionately-titled Old Man (Dan O’Herlihy),need to find someone who’s already dead – enter Alex Murphy (Peter Weller),or rather exit stage left after an encounter when he and female officerLewis (Nancy Allen) enter the lair of great big bad guy ClarenceBoddicker (Kurtwood Smith) and his henchmen. First, Murphy gets hishand shot off by Boddicker before being blasted into next week by the rest ofthe gang and finally being assassinated by the leader with a bullet in the head.(Note that the gang members include Twin Peaks‘ Ray Wise, whoplayed Laura’s father – and Paul McCrane, now best known as E.R.‘sDr. “Rocket” Romano).
Once the new guy’s out and about, his creator Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer)comes under fire from the Old Man’s deputy, Dick Jones (Ronny Cox)after the latter’s ill-fated prototype, ED-209, fails to understand when acrime is real or not and turns one of OCP’s minions into mince.However, Morton’s problems aren’t just confined to his superiors when Robocopstarts to remember his previous life and the family he lost some time ago.
When broadcast on ITV for the first few times, this became one of the mostheavily-censored films of all time – something which became quite a joke assimple words like “asshole” became “airhead” and violent momentssuch as Murphy being killed were reduced to the height of ridiculousness asalmost all of the bullet-riddling was removed so when one character announces,“I’m outta ammo!”, you think he’s barely started! Hence, all the betterthat this director’s cut includes moments where ED-209 pumps even morebullets into the OCP employee and when Murphy is killed. You do get the choiceto play the original version too, but I’d stick with the extended one.
And when you’ve remembered all the best bits about this film, don’t forgetVerhoeven’s satirical use of fake adverts such as “Nukem”, the nuclearwar game for all the family and another one about picking your own artificialheart.
For the record, Robocop 2 sees the metal hero taking the creator of anew drug, Nuke, to task. For anyone who cares aboutRobocop 3,click on that name to read the review of the single-release DVD.
Robocop was filmed in an original ratio of 1.66:1, which is how theRegion 1 DVD is presented, but this release opts for a slightly-zoomed-in1.85:1 ratio to emulate the theatrical ratio. This will lose a small amountof top and bottom information but nothing to worry about.
What is more worrying is how scratched this print is, particularly early on.It’s only a 15-year-old film and I expected far better than this, even if itis anamorphic. When there are no scratches present, there’s still an underlyingand unexplained level of grain. At a number of times the print can lookperfectly fine, but why wasn’t it given the remastering it so seriously needs?
Similarly, I level a question at the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Some SFXare exemplary, such as when Robocop’s visor is screwed down at all four cornersearly on. Such precision is used with the front and back stereo steering thatit makes me wonder if the sound mixer was on a tea break during many explosionsthat sound flat, lifeless and monotonous.
Whatever the latter two discs may or may not have, the main one starts witha documentary Flesh and Blood: The Making of Robocop”, taking in chatfrom principal crew members and what their influences were in the character’screation. This is followed by two 1987 featurettes, Shooting Robocopand Making Robocop, neither of which break with the usual traditionof a featurette containing similar chat like you’d expect from “Flesh andBlood”, but filmed on-set, although the first one aims to start off likea real Q&A with Robocop. Also contained in the above are plenty of clips fromthe film.
5 deleted scenes are included such as a fake advert for Topless Pizza,an OCP press conference, a nun being interviewed in the street, a finalMedia Break announcement and more director’s cut footage but as a work-in-progressand in anamorphic 16:9 too. 4 movie trailers are included – 2 for thefirst film and one each for the other two, as well as a TV commercial.
Still galleries show off the director, the design, ED-209, special effectsand behind-the-scenes work, all set to music from the film. Phil Tippett,the visual effects supervisor takes you through Storyboard comparisonsover the awe-inspiring ED-209. Finally, comes a feature-length Audiocommentary with director Verhoeven, co-writer Edward Neumeier,executive producer Jon Davison and Robocop expert Paul M. Sammon.
There are 32 chapters to the movie, dialogue comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 forEnglish and Spanish, while subtitles come in 12 languages: English (and hardof hearing), Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Norwegian,Polish, Portuguese, Swedish and Turkish.
The main menus are mostly static but contain music and have screen-wipesbetween them to fit in with the theme of the movie.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALLAlso, read my interview withPeter Welleronline.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.