This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older MGM Blu-ray transfer with the new Shout! Factory restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches, but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
Shout Factory’s newly remastered Blu-rays of the Robocop sequels release next week! I’ll be posting full reviews of both discs (now available here), but in the meantime I want to specifically look at the new 2K scan of Robocop 2 (I also confirmed that Robocop 3 uses the same print as its prior editions). I’ve got a ton of comparative screenshots below for your perusal, comparing the new edition with the prior version that was first released in 2010 as part of the Robocop Trilogy. (Sorry no more fancy comparative sliders; one of the few downsides of our site’s move to a new platform is the loss of that particular plug-in). Here are my own takeaways.
General observations:
- The older disc’s image was “punched up” with higher brightness and contrast, and more vivid colors, whereas the new disc has more natural tones.
- The new disc’s palette has a less dominant blue bias.
- Robo’s armor is often the star of the show’s visuals, and it’s looking a lot better. Improved color tone make him look less garishly cyan, and the shiny spots in his armor maintain better detail without blowing out to white.
- The new scan is a hair wider.
To inspect these comparisons more closely, I suggest opening them in new tabs and viewing them at full size.
The lessened blueness is very evident in scenes with dense smoke or fog. Since Robo’s originally silver armor takes on more of a blue tint in the sequel, this color-timing change makes him look a bit less “electric blue” — a good thing, in my opinion.
The above shot is a good indication of how much better Robo’s armor looks now. The color is much more natural and the shiny spot on his visor now maintains its color information.
Note the improvement in the skin tone in the frame above.
Note some of the brighter areas that used blow out to white, as in the windows and the shiny spot on the nose of Robo’s visor.
Frames like this shot of Anne might seem to indicate that the older picture has better grain structure or finer detail, but if you inspect the images closely, the definition has not been reduced — this is an effect of the older transfer’s brightness and contrast (which also blows out the shiny part of her helmet and the white wall behind her).
The old disc’s punched-up brightness and color are particularly notable in the above frame. The new transfer corrects the artificial splotchiness in lab tech’s face and coat. Robo’s armor is noticeably less garish as well.
The above frame demonstrates a big improvement in colors, and in reducing the noise in the sky. One little irony is that electric sparks may actually look better or more powerful with a bit of that white blowout, but overall I consider the new frame a big improvement.
The old transfer isn’t always brighter. Shout Factory opted for a more hospital-like “white and sterile” look to this drug lab scene.
The shift in color timing is very evident in the above image.
Of all the comparison shots, this frame of Robocop 2 has the most extreme difference in temperature, looking less blue and more nocturnal.
Get it at Amazon:
Robocop 2 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]
Robocop 3 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]
Further Reading:
https://cinapse.co/its-killer-and-i-saw-it-scream-factory-s-blu-ray-revival-of-robocop-2-3-f978110cbb22https://cinapse.co/its-killer-and-i-saw-it-scream-factory-s-blu-ray-revival-of-robocop-2-3-f978110cbb22