RoboCop | 4K UHD

RoboCop is, perhaps, one of the strangest properties to lay claim to being among cinema’s all time greatest films. Ostensibly produced with the expectations of a B-movie genre-picture, the film’s shocking violence immediately gave it a sense of the forbidden. Growing up, RoboCop was the kind of movie parents absolutely should not let their kids see. 

Time, and a still prudish America far more comfortable with blood and violence than sex and sacrilege, has changed perspective. Today RoboCop is much better understood as a fundamental text that, while still shocking, is hardly out of step with expectations of teen viewers raised on the desensitizing glut of internet media.

The ripping off of the X-rated ultra-violence bandaid that once kept RoboCop as something of a cult sensation has allowed for a deeper appraisal of both its formal artistry and deeper themes. A structurally circular film, where triumph exists as a mirror image of trauma, paints an essential view of late-stage capitalism and the drive to privatize public services. As AI companies threaten to take over classrooms, hoard water and electricity, and seep into every corner of our daily lives, RoboCop is a stark reminder that the inhumanity driving this takeover isn’t mechanization, but human greed.

Special Features (via arrowvideo.com)

• 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos surround sound options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• 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)
• Commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon
• Commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen
• The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, an interview with co-writer Michael Miner
• RoboTalk, a conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nicholas McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures’ The Prodigy)
• Truth of Character, an interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis
• Casting Old Detroit, an interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film’s ensemble cast was assembled
• Connecting the Shots, an interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt
• Analog, a featurette focusing on the special photographic effects, including new interviews with Peter Kuran and Kevin Kutchaver
• More Man Than Machine: Composing RoboCop, a tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson
• RoboProps, a tour of super-fan Julien Dumont’s collection of original props and memorabilia
• 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett
• RoboCop: Creating A Legend, Villains of Old Detroit, Special Effects: Then & Now, three archive featurettes from 2007 featuring interviews with cast and crew
• Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg
• Four deleted scenes
• The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett
• Director’s Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes, presented in 4K (SDR)
• Two theatrical trailers and three TV spots
• Extensive image galleries
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper