Robocop

Rating:
Summary: A great movie, BUT...
Review: Robocop is a great movie from a great era of action movies, but I can say that the extra 2 seconds that were cut from the film to avoid an X rating, may not be worth it to non-die hard fans....When I had heard of this edition and bought it, I thought maybe I was going to see some really gorey scenes (more vile than when Murphy gets his hand blown off and then turned into swiss cheese), but alas, it was just an extra second or two of the poor lame-o who got way-laid by the malfunctioning ED-209 getting MORE riddled.

OH WELL

Rating:
Summary: ROBO KICKS ASS ON DVD( DVD COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER)
Review: I imported this dvd and was overjoyed too find it was region free so could be played on any ntsc compatible player over here like so many of the older titles on this site(you Americans have certainley got your dvds sorted god bless you)and it was also the uncut ultra-brutal version.Allthough It was only slightly more violent than the British release It was still great to have the more complete version.There is not a lot too say as far as i am concerned Paul Verhoven's Robocop is a sci-fi classic.Slick,fast,great effects and spectacular action when it starts but also a moral underlying in the spoof "tv broadcasts of the future" are clearly making fun of the state of todays society.Perhaps we could do with a few Robocops on the streets today to sort out the idiots!The only slight flaw is the disc is only in dolby surround and not dolby digital 5.1,and the picture good and clear as it is,is non-anamorphic.Too add too insult I read recently that the directors cut as mentioned above is being released in Britain now with deleted scenes and probably anamorphic with 5.1 audio knowing my luck.And i am too poor to buy it again.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: First of all I'm 14 not 12 like it says above this review second this is an excellent action movie! I think it is not half as violent as everybody makes it out to be. Im not saying its Snow White either I'm just saying there definitly is a lot more violent stuff out there.This movie combines action and sci-fi to make a satire and social commentary.Paul Verhoeven is a genius director(along with Stanely Kubrick,Oliver Stone and Maritn Scorceses and Tim Burton)and he delivers the movie well.

Rating:
Summary: Superior to "The Terminator"
Review: Paul Verhoeven has always been a favorite director of mine. (Ever since I saw Total Recall, I was hooked) So naturally, I watch of all of his latest flicks. Finally, I decided to rent Robocop, one of his first action movies. I was pretty sure it was going to be good and violent - that's Paul Verhoeven's definite style of directing. So I sat down and watched it.

It's basically about a cop named Alex Murphy who is gunned down 20 minutes in to the movie by thugs. Still alive, he is made in to a Robocop, a cop that's machine and man. (Mostly machine, or man?) Anyway, Robocop/Murphy ends up seeking revenge against the thugs and finding out if he's human or not.

The first time I saw it, I hated it and would give it one star. There wasn't as much action as I expected (compared to Starship Troopers) and it was way more violent then I thought, especially the ending. But as I watched it again and again, hoping it would get better, it did. I started to focus more on the character Murphy then the action. After viewing it for the fifth time, It was on my "top 10" list. The character development is great, the action is superb (the best action scene in the movie is when Robocop busts 20+ guys in a drug warehouse.) and the movie is quite funny. The most amusing parts are the media breaks and better yet, the commercials. (NUKEM, and "I'd buy that for a dollar! Ha, ha, ha!")

The only grief I have about this movie is that you only see about ten minutes of Murphy when he was human. It would've been better if you could've got to know him a little better as a human. Also, Murphy's death scene and the melting toxic waste dude were a bit over the top for me.

The Criterion Collection DVD is worth 4 out of 5 stars. The 3 storyboards are pretty interesting , (two of the storyboard sequences were never shot, but I think they should have) the animated menus are good, the picture and sound is great, the essay in lengthy but informative, and last but not least, the commentary is magnificent. Also, it's an X-rated director's cut, so violence freaks will enjoy.

This robot movie is much better than the sequels that followed and "The Terminator." ("The Terminator" lacked the humor) So if you like sci-fi action, pick up the Criterion Collection and watch it. It well worth the money.

NOTE: This DVD is out of print, so you can't find it in any store. The only place you can buy it (that I know of) is here at amazon.com.

Rating:
Summary: Only The Criterion Version Will Do
Review: Although Paul Verhoeven has made some fine films (Soldier Of Orange, Turkish Delight) and some not so fine films (Showgirls), Robocop has always been one of my favorite of his. And if you're as big a fan of this film as I am, then do yourself a favor and pick up the DVD from the Criterion label which has a host of special features (unrated director's cut, a cool commentary track from Verhoeven and crew, film-to-storyboard comparison, storyboards, essay on the making of, theatrical trailers, and liner notes to boot) that is lacking on the MGM label (a theatrical trailer) though their disc is widescreen anamorphic, whereas this disc isn't. But do it fast because as of this writing Criterion has deleted this title! Criterion DVDs are more expensive but they are well worth it (I'm definitely and proudly "biased" towards the Criterion label). Buy it today!!!

Peace.

Rating:
Summary: Absolute sci-fi classic
Review: This film was a huge hit when it was first released, and rightfully so; it was a perfect blend of gallows humour, violence, vision, and timeliness.

Peter Weller does a great job as Murphy/Robocop, particularly in the second half of the film, where he has to meld a human personality with that of a machine, which he has become. Nancy Allen is negligible, and Kurtwood Smith (who's been equally good in so many character roles he's played over the years) makes a delightfully wicked 3 dimensional villain.

Ronny Cox would reprise his role as a 'head-honcho with a black heart' in Total Recall 3 years later, with similar success. That film, also directed by Verhoeven, is just as good, and hasn't dated much in the years since its release. Same goes for Robocop.

Excellent casting, superb production values, and great film pacing makes Robocop endlessly viewable.

Rating:
Summary: One of my own personal favorites.
Review: Paul Verhoeven's original 'Robocop' isn't exactly a cinematic masterpiece. I mean, sure the story feels a little dry and cliched now. But back in 1987, there really wasn't too many movies being made like this and the concept felt wholly original. I went to see this as a kid when it was first released, before I was any kind of film buff or had any inkling about the finer aspects of cimena, and I loved it. Back then, this was my favorite movie. I had the toys, the comic books, the T-shirts... the whole shabang. It was the first R-rated film I ever saw in the theater, a truly disturbing feat, considering the extreme gore and violence in the movie. It was so shocking that the MPAA Code and Ratings Administration requested trims in it. I can even remember seeing 20/20 and primetime news specials that were attacking this movie's non-conformist values and excessive violence. Considering these facts, it might be very troubling to some when I say that this film holds a truly special place in my heart, but it does. It reminds me of my childhood. I mean, face it, this film was a huge hit that summer and turned into something of a cult franchise. So, yes, little kids such as myself at the time were going to see it.

However, all controversy and nostalgia aside, this is a very strong and potent sci-fi film in its own right, though it's in some ways hard to categorize. There's comedy in this movie, even slapstick comedy. There's romance. There's a certain amount of philosophy, centering on the question, What is a man? And there is pointed social satire lying beneath in the idea that in this unspecified future time, out-of-control gang terror that has resulted in a series of brutal cop killings could be solved by a big corporation called Omni Consumer Products (OCP) that wants to market a robot-cop. By combining state-of-the-art robotics with a human brain they feel they will have the PERFECT law enforcement officer, and when a hero cop is killed in the line of duty they jump at the oppurtunity. One of the most disturbing and violent scenes in fact is the aforementioned brutal shooting that sets the events in motion. Definitely NOT something I, or anyone for that matter, should have seen as a child. In fact, if you pick up this Criterion edition that contains the unrated version of the film, you'll be in for an EVEN MORE brutal and sadistic viewing of Murphy being gunned down. So if you have children, keep them away from it (You don't want them to end up like me). It's interesting to note that the most sensitive and emotional aspect of the movie comes from the robot itself as Robocop struggles to hold on to his last remaining bit of humanity (his memory), while relentlessly seeking vengeance on the drug-dealing thugs who murdered him. My favorite scenes are the ones where the memories of who he was begin flooding back to him, and you can see him slowly resenting what he has become. Particularly chilling is the moments when he's walking through his old house which is for sale and every room, every nook and cranny brings back warm memories of his wife and son. You can see real pain just in Robocop's gestures and the way his mouth gapes at what he is slowly realizing. That his whole life had been viciously taken from him.

I suppose this film can partly be blamed for the desensitization of today's youth when it comes to violence in the movies. I mean, it is literally stomach-turning in several scenes, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that it is really a great movie, with a fascinating story and concept as well. Now I've owned the Robocop Trilogy box set for a while now, and since I already had it I was a little skeptical about laying down the dough for this special Criterion edition of the original film. But, considering it's the bar-none best of the trilogy (the two sequels pale in comparison) and one of my personal favorite movies of all time I figured I'd throw caution to the wind and plunk down the cash. After watching it, I definitely think it was worth it, and lemme say, if you are a die-hard fan of this movie like I am, then you'll probably think so too, if anything just to be able to see the unrated version with the "excessively violent" shots that were cut from the original release. True, the only significant additions are to the scene of ED-209 malfunctioning and blowing away an OCP executive, and the aforementioned brutal slaying of Murphy, but it really, TRULY enhances the shock of both of those scenes. Trust me, as many times as I've watched 'Robocop' over the fifteen years since it first came out, I STILL wasn't prepared for how violent the longer versions of those scenes would be. And I'm even an adult now. But the fact that the movie itself still has managed to retain a certain edge and flair in its satirical nature is enough to make me highly reccomend it to anyone. I'd consider it hands-down the best science fiction film of the 1980s.

Rating:
Summary: 'The resurrection of Robocop'
Review: I bought this DVD at least a year ago from an internet importer. Living in the UK I found that this title along with many of my other choice movies is sadly abscent from UK retailers shelves.

I was pleased to see that Robocop had been given the Criterion Collection treatment . The disc itself has a few extras including the obligatory trailers, but where I was disapointed was with the lack of deleted scenes, although it is a bonus to see the film in it's full 'Un- Rated' form with stomach churning heightened violence, the context of which is reassured by the directors commentary (which is probably the best part of this disc). The presentation is good with logical and informative menu screens. My only big complaint with the package is the lack of an anamorphic transfer which leaves the picture looking grainy in places, also the price of the bundle is a little inflated. That said this is becoming something of a collectors item so it is definitely worth getting hold of.

Rating:
Summary: A vastly misunderstood, underrated, yet brilliant film
Review: Indeed, this film is violent. But so is Dawn of the Dead, the Godfather, etc. Occasionally it is the director's intention to desensitize the viewer to violence in order to draw a particular reaction. Verhoeven's brutal sequences can at once be tragic, highly comic, and energizing. We are not sure how to react and so we begin to question the nature of violence itself.

Criterion does a wonderful job in the transfer, even ADDING ADDITIONAL VIOLENT FOOTAGE NOT SHOWN IN THEATERS. Verhoeven's vision is complete on this DVD, and I always believe it is important that a director's work is uncensored. Besides being a visual feast, this movie goes to work on you, making you consider the irony of American society. It's not just some action garbage to watch at two in the morning on a Sunday night because Marilyn Chamber's "New York Nights" dissolved into static. Watch, enjoy, and think.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Film Of Sci-Fi
Review: For me the best sci-fi of the eighties.I must say that the best thing of this Dvd are the new soundtrack in 5.1 the subtitles and the spanish language track(very funny by the way).

The rest of special features in this Dvd are lower compared to The Criterion Collection which featured many extras like the X rated scenes cut to avoid excessive reviews for the explicit violence and the story boards(image to film comparation).

At least it may be include an behind the scenes document not the low and wrongly teaser trailer that features the Terminator soundtrack.

Definetly a good title but with flop special features that only deserve 3 of 5 stars.I wait for a special edition like The Terminator from the same studio.