RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 22, 2024

1987’s “RoboCop” is a special film. A boisterous mix of satire and action, the movie is unspeakably violent, slyly scripted, and masterfully crafted by director Paul Verhoeven, who gorged on police procedural pictures and vomited up a hardcore ode to heroism and humanity. For the 2014 remake, there’s a chance to return the iconic character to the screen, bewitching old fans and tempting new. Of course, all the CGI, chaotic action, and screaming characters can’t even begin to match the assertive steamroller experience of the original feature, and while the remake tries to have an identity of its own, it forgets to include a personality.

In the future, militaristic robots, overseen by Mattox (Jackie Earl Haley), have been created by OmniCorp to police the world, but a human presence is required to make the program palatable to lawmakers. Requiring the brain and body of an upstanding citizen, OmniCorp CEO Sellars (Michael Keaton) and chief scientist Dr. Norton (Gary Oldman) come across the battered body of Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman), a hard-charging detective recently targeted for assassination by crime lord Vallon (Patrick Garrow). Transformed into RoboCop, Murphy’s organs and essence are trapped inside a metal suit, gifted an electronic system that’s quick on the draw, offers access to CCTV networks, and remains tightly controlled by OmniCorp. Murphy’s wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish), and son, David (John Paul Ruttan), demand to see their loved one again, but first, RoboCop is put through the paces, tested and manipulated before duty calls, with Dr. Norton trying to find an internal balance of humanity and robotics that pleases Sellars and keeps an increasingly agitated Murphy sane.

Directed by Jose Padilha (“Elite Squad”), “RoboCop” looks to tap into the quandary of drone warfare, imagining a futureworld where the government battles big business over the issue of consciousness in combat. It’s a provocative subject, and one the picture is determined to study, treating Murphy’s cyborg transformation into a “Frankenstein”-style horror show resurrection, with Dr. Norton using the dead cop’s head, lungs, and hand to create a machine that displays the illusion of life to a gullible public, with advanced computer manipulation keeping the product firmly in OmniCorp’s power. It’s an issue of free will that promises this “RoboCop” will have something intelligent to share as it goes about the business of PG-13 violence, detailing Murphy’s torment as the life he once knew is pulled away from him, marched into battle encased in steel, subservient to those footing the bill.

The screenplay almost loses itself in this hunt for meaning, robbing the picture of any life as we watch RoboCop continually assessed and refined, moving from gray armor to all black because the design tested well with the public, eventually entering the decay of Detroit to help fight crime. There’s no spirit here, just a concentration on procedure, anguish, and a pedestrian scheme of corporate deception, interrupted by blasts of action that look too video game-ish, dropping the clunky metallic rhythm of the character to watch RoboCop fluidly shoot up baddies, make super-jumps, and zip around the frame with CGI-assisted ease. There’s no innovation here to support the cyborg’s targeting breakthroughs, finding Padilha playing with swirling cinematography trends to rile up the viewer, missing a chance to make Murphy’s growing comfort with his abilities the star of the show. “RoboCop” is repetitive and, at times, numbing, missing a crucial sense of escapism as it lingers on suffering.

Also missing from the remake is a cheeky sense of futuristic satire, helping to take the sting out of a horrifying situation. The screenplay’s pass at parody is confined to the character of Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson), the apoplectic host of a news program who acts as a guide for the audience to catch up with the movie’s political situation and ongoing debate concerning the ethics of OmniCorp’s work. Trouble is, there’s little bite to the asides, turning Novak into an exposition machine instead of offering the endeavor some much needed mischief -- a comment on the direction of media manipulation and the erosion of discourse.

“RoboCop” eventually achieves brief momentum in its second hour, but this energy is lost to a deflating, conventional plot of revenge and villainy, capped by a ridiculous climax set on OmniCorp’s rooftop helipad that’s lacking even a sliver of suspense. Cruelly, performances don’t enliven the picture, with Kinnaman an uninteresting Murphy, unable to produce the type of emotional burn and robotic stiffness that makes the character a tragic figure. Keaton also disappoints as Sellars, mixing his usual dialogue hustle with a bizarre coldness that registers as disinterest. In the win column is Oldman, who preserves Dr. Norton’s crisis of conscience, allowing the character an organic arc of disillusionment, and Haley is refreshingly amusing as Mattox, a cynical war conductor who doesn’t trust the cyborg program, taking any chance he can get to insult Murphy. It’s the only offering of humor the feature allows.

RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray

"RoboCop" was originally issued on Blu-ray in 2014. The title returns to disc a decade later, with Shout Factory offering a UHD release, featuring a "new 4K remaster from the original digital intermediate." Detail is strong during the viewing experience, exploring the textured faces of the cast and the metallic surfaces of RoboCop's body. Costuming delivers fibrousness on medical and military wear. Interiors retain dimension, often carrying large amounts of computer information on screens. Exteriors are deep, visiting war zones and city life. Colors are stable, with crisp whites for science events and more golden lighting on domestic interactions. Military browns are preserved, and RoboCop's various appearances remain distinct, including his sharp red visor light. Highights are satisfactory. Blacks are deep, with the UHD release allowing for slightly more frame information than the Blu-ray. Source is in good condition.

RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix secures an active listening event for "RoboCop." Low-end handles with a decent rumble for machine movement, and acts of explosive violence are appreciable. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, balancing argumentative moments and preserving the robotic sounds of RoboCop. Scoring provides distinct instrumentation and dramatic support. Surrounds also handle musical moods, and atmospherics are alert as the action visits office activity and training events. Panning effects are also active with drone and robot movement.

RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Illusion of Free Will: A New Vision" (7:46, HD) features interviews with director Jose Padilha, producers Eric Newman and Marc Abraham, and production designer Martin Whist. The interviewees discuss the themes and reality of the 1987 movie, and how the production worked to find a fresh take on older material. There's also an examination of the technology used in the picture.

• "To Serve and Protect: RoboCop's Weapons" (6:05, HD) features interviews with producer Eric Newman, tactical training consultant Scott Reitz, actor Joel Kinnaman, production designer Martin Whist, and art director David Scott. The featurette returns to pre-production in 2012, where Kinnaman was tutored by Reitz in the ways of marksmanship. Design elements on guns and vehicles are also analyzed.

• "The RoboCop Suit: Form and Function" (14:54, HD) features interviews with actors Joel Kinnaman and Michael Keaton, on-set tech and legacy effects artist Jeff Himmel, on-set supervisor and legacy effects artist Mike Manzel, producer Marc Abraham, art director David Scott, specialty suit supervisor John Rosengrant, production designer Martin Whist, art director David Scott, and director Jose Padilha. The featurette is a surprisingly in-depth overview of suit construction, using updated technology to generate an ideal RoboCop fit for Kinnaman. Design elements are analyzed and artistic efforts are highlighted, with the team trying to pay tribute to the 1987 film but also create its own future of law enforcement. Keaton add some humor with memories of working with his Batman suit, amusingly suggesting that Kinnaman has it easy.

• Deleted Scenes (3:42, HD) are offered, supplying more time with the OmniCorp crew as they shape their plan to bring RoboCop to the streets, while a beat is added to Dr. Norton's shaky conscience.

• "OmniCorp Product Announcements" (3:34, HD) are faux commercials for the new frontier of "RoboCop" technology.

• And Theatrical Trailer #1 (2:12, HD) and Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:12, HD) are included.

RoboCop 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Choice one-liners from the 1987 picture are revived in the remake (along with the hulking robot, ED-209), hoping to appeal to fans searching for any signs of life. Don't get me wrong, the original "RoboCop" is a masterpiece, but producers were quick to cash in on its triumph with a succession of disappointing sequels (as wonderfully nuts as 1990's "Robocop 2" is, it's a noticeable step down in cinematic creativity), a few cartoon series, and cheap live-action shows. "RoboCop" was never precious to begin with, leaving a do-over par for the course. Nevertheless, it's odd to watch this "RoboCop" sputter, especially when armed with hindsight and a significant budget. It doesn't revive the old metal-stomping, gleefully wicked magic, and it doesn't create any of its own.