Still hailed as a sci-fi classic even today (and happens to be one of my personal favorites), "Robocop" is a marvelous and outstanding film. This is one of the few movies I can watch over and over again and never get sick of it. I may not be a big sci-fi buff, but that's one of the great things about this movie; you don't have to be one.

"Robocop" takes place in the future where Detroit is plagued with crime and murder. Cops are threatening to go on strike while crime lords and gangs run amuck. And when a police officer is brutally murdered by a relentless crime lord and his band of thugs, that's when corporation giant OCP resurrects him and transforms him into the ultimate crime-fighting machine. In all of it's violent and dark glory, "Robocop" is a film that proves to be both a successful action thriller and a clever satire.

I love everything about this movie. The story, the plot, the characters, everything! This is one of the few movies that when I pop it in the DVD player and hear the music for the opening titles, I get chills. It's like seeing it for the first time every time I watch it. It's very well written and directed. It also has some terrific acting. (Who would've thought that the father from "That 70's Show" could prove to be a very effective villain?) And for an older movie, it has some incredible special effects.

Be warned, this is not a movie for people who do not like excessively violent movies. This one's as violent as they come. Gun shot wounds, arms and heads getting blown off, people getting shot multiple times... you get the idea. After all, this is Paul Verhoeven we're talking about (the very man behind "Total Recall," and "Starship Troopers"). So be warned.

The version I have is the "Criterion Collection" edition. It's a shame that this one is so hard to find, because I do think this is the best version out there. Not only is it loaded with some very cool features, it's also the unrated director's cut that offers a few extra seconds of extra gore in two specific scenes. (I think it's only two.) Now, that's not a very big deal and doesn't really add much to the movie, but it is something at least. And the picture and sound is great. I am aware that the newer version is supposed to look a lot better than this one, but that DVD doesn't appear to have ANY special features on it. So I will stick with this one until a better one comes out. (I have a feeling that a better one will come out in the future.)

Some special features included on the Criterion version are storyboards, theatrical and teaser trailers, commentary, film-to-storyboard comparison, and more. It would've been nice to have a few more extras, but it's not a bad package if you ask me.

"Robocop" will forever remain a classic in my eyes. It's one of the few sci-fi flicks I can watch over and over again. THIS is the one to see (while #2 wasn't too bad of a movie, the third one is a complete embarrassment). If you want to see a great sci-fi movie with brains and action, this is the one to experience.

In the very wise words of Robocop himself, "Stay out of trouble."


And they wonder why the HD formats aren't catching on...   October 10, 2007
 22 out of 28 found this review helpful

Let's charge $30 for a Blu Ray release of a highly coveted classic catalog title and give it a substandard transfer. Let's only include a fraction of what we include on the new DVD release so that the consumer who wants the best possible version of the film is forced to buy them both. Let's tout the impressive storage space available on the Blu Ray format as a selling point and not use it. If only we could REALLY rape the consumers like we did in the laser disc days. Oh well... this is almost as good.


Features   June 9, 2007
 19 out of 28 found this review helpful

Disc one is supposed to have the theatrical cut, with various extras including audio commentary, deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, and various featurettes, two of them from 1987.

Disc two will have a 103-minute "extended cut", three allegedly new featurettes, more trailers and TV spots, and a "Paul Verhoven Easter Egg".


4 stars for movie, 1 star for Blu-Ray release   October 10, 2007
 19 out of 23 found this review helpful

The Blu-Ray transfer of Robocop was little better than my DVD, and it had far fewer bonus materials (only the trailer, as a matter of fact, not even director's or actors' commentaries). For whatever reason, the Blu-Ray release is the R-rated theatrical release, not the director's cut that Criterion released.

Picture quality for the Bulletproof Monk preview on this disk was far better than the feature. Robocop is a 20-year-old film but it deserves the best possible transfer to an HD medium. If Sony is relying on high-quality HD releases to sell Blu-Ray, they'd better not use Robocop for the picture.

They'd best not use it for the audio, either. Extreme low bass is missing and surround treatment is virtually non existent. All in all, this looks like a release rushed out (a year after it was originally scheduled) to make it appear that Blu-Ray has an attractive selection of movies available. Attractive, perhaps. Well done, in this case, not.

Robocop is worthwhile watching for many reasons, not least of which are the spot-on treatment of "happy news" anchors, insipid advertisements, and the replacement of government functions by private corporations. However, if you are interested in the best treatment, go with the Criteria standard DVD release.