Robocop Trilogy [DVD] [1987]

The inevitable sequel, competently directed by Irvin Kershner, thankfully continues to mine the dark vein of anti-consumerist satire while being reflexively aware that it is itself a shining example of that which it is lampooning. Sadly the third instalment in the series, now without Peter Weller in the title role, is exactly the kind of dumbed-down production-line flick that the corporate suits of OCP might have dreamed up at a marketing meeting. Its only virtue is a decent music score from regular Verhoeven collaborator Basil Poledouris, whose splendid march theme returned from the original score.

On the DVD: Packaged in a fold-out slipcase these three discs make a very collectable set. All are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic prints, although only the first movie has any extra material worth mentioning. Here the Director's Cut option allows the viewer to see Paul Verhoeven's more explicitly violent versions of Murphy's "assassination", ED-209's bloody malfunction and the shootout finale. These extended sequences are handily signposted in the scene selection menu, and the filming of them can be seen in a sequence of Director's Cut footage. Deleted scenes include "Topless Pizza" ("I'll buy that for a dollar!") and there are two contemporary "making of" featurettes plus a good, new half-hour retrospective. Both the latter and the director's commentary make abundantly clear the Reagan-era satire and are chock full of quotable lines from Verhoeven--"I wanted to show Satan killing Jesus"--and his producer--"Fascism for liberals". Stop-motion animator Phil Tippett gives a commentary on the storyboard-to-film comparisons, and there are the usual trailers and photos. Showing just how much the sequels are rated in comparison, the second and third discs have nothing but theatrical trailers and their sound is just Dolby 2.0 whereas the original movie has been remastered into Dolby 5.1.--Mark Walker

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Featured on Robocop Special Edition:
Option to watch Directors cut or original theatrical version
New documentary: Flesh and steel, the making of Robocop
Featurette: Shooting Robocop
Featurette: Making Robocop
Deleted scenes including directors cut footage with live stage direction
Trailers
TV Commercial
Photo Gallery
Storyboard comparison with Phil Tippett commentary
Commentary with director Paul Verhoeven, screenwriter Edward Neumeier and Jon Davison
Collectable booklet

Language Information:
Robocop Special Edition:
Languages in Dolby Digital 5.1: English
Subtitles: English, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Hebrew, Turkish, Czechoslovakian, English hard of hearing

Robocop 2 and 3:
Languages in Dolby Surround: English, German, French
Italian Dolby, Spanish Dolby
Subtitles: French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, English hard of hearing, German hard of hearing
1.85 widescreen 16:9 version

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