Last night I took out the very first DVD I ever purchased as my Sunday Night Movie feature, Robocop. Clearly I am talking about the 1987 Paul Verhoeven R-rated extremely violent comic book movie. Yes, while there was no comic book that served as the course material the producers, writers, and director all felt that this was a comic superhero film. (Hence the appeared of several issues of ROM space knight, a forgettable Marvel book from the 80’s.)

Of the Verhoeven film I have seen, I consider Robocop to be the best. (With Total Recall next up, after that we descend into garbage with the speed of a politician taking a donation.) It is the story of Alex Murphy, family man and cop who is slain and then reborn as the Robocop. It is a social satire with a biting left edge slant to it. (Note the killing of two us presidents for ironic effect on one of the short news breaks during the feature. It doesn’t take much to work out that the presidents are Reagan and Nixon.) However this film transcends its political nature, I know several conservatives who like the film, and it truly a powerful piece on the nature of identity and the importance of having self.

I was disappointed when I cued the DVD and found that it was not an anamorphic presentation. The frame was full frame, but not enhanced for the 16X9 televisions that are common today. I adjusted and on my 42: screen it wasn’t tiny, but it was noticeable.

Of course it bears mention that currently in theaters is the remake of this film. The rating has gone from R to PG-13, and the make-up effects look less convincing to me, or the producers did not want the horrific image of a man made into a machine.

Look at this first image from the film 27 years ago. A make-up effect designed and executed by the incredibly talented Rob Bottin. Even though we know it is a man in a suit with latex to make him look merged with the machine, the image is disturbing. We can emotionally feel Murphy’s loss of humanity. When he says he can feel his lost family but he can not remember them, it strikes home as true.

Now look at this image from the remake. This has none of the horror, none of the shock that exists in Rob Bottin’s design. It, to me, literally looks like a man IN a suit, not that the man has become the suit.

I have not seen the remake, though I may if I can find the time and for a bargain price, but I hold out very little hope that it is worth the time.