Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has director Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 dystopian sci-fi thriller, RoboCop, starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen, ready for a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack rollout on Mar. 29.
Dutch arthouse filmmaker Paul Verhoeven had scored well with Soldier of Orange and Spetters, but there was no indication that he would deliver a cult sci-fi film that would spawn a film franchise, especially when the scriptwriters, Edward Neumeier (he would go on to adapt the Robert A. Heinlein book, Starship Troopers, for the screen) and Michael Miner, were just getting started as well.
But it was producer Jon Davison, from the Roger Corman school of filmmaking who saw the gold mine here and snatched up the production rights (including forming his own company just for this film). It was genius (later he would team with Neumeier for Starship Troopers … that’s two-for-two in terms of classic sci-fi).
Perfect. Detroit, a dead-zone, but it wasn’t actually filmed in Detroit. Can you guess where? Tick tock, tick tock … Dallas, Texas (except for the ending, which was shot in Detroit … fooled’ya, Pittsburgh). No problem, RoboCop even went a couple of million over budget, but Orion Pictures was so pleased with what they saw that they said go for it … over $13 million sunk into the final production … there was gold here, cinematic gold!!
And then the heart attack came. The MPAA took a look at the film and gave it the kiss-of-death X-rating … seriously, X-rated. A $13 million X-rated movie!!!
Orion Pictures, being clever, stalled, appealed, re-summited the film, re-summited the film again, changed it from a sci-fi film to a “black comedy” (wink wink), made a few token cuts and they got a livable R-rating in the end. Whew!!
As to bonus features, we begin with two viewing options. The original theatrical and the Director's Cut on two separate 4K Ultra HD discs.
The Director’s Cut comes with three separate commentary options. One with filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, who is joined by producer Jon Davison and writer Ed Neumeier; the second is with author and film historian Paul M. Sammon (“Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner,” “The Making of Starship Troopers,” etc.) and the third commentary options features fans of the film.
Other bonus goodies on the Director’s Cut 4K Ultra HD disc include deleted scenes, a 2012 Q&A session, six featurettes — “The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop,” “RoboTalk,” “Truth of Character,” “Connecting the Shots,” “Analog,” “The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop” and “RoboProps” — plus three “vintage” featurettes — “RoboCop: Creating A Legend,” “Villains of Old Detroit” and “Special Effects: Then & Now.”
The original theatrical version of the film features the aforemention commentary option with Verhoeven, Davison and Neumeier, an edited-for-television cut and split screen comparisons of the Director’s cut and both the theatrical release and edited television version.
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