Robowar (Severin Films Blu-Ray Review)

Is Robowar Treasure or Trash?

Blu-ray Distributed By Severin / June 25, 2019

A year before their jaw-dropper SHOCKING DARK, director Bruno Mattei (VIOLENCE IN A WOMEN’S PRISON) and co-writers Claudio Fragasso & Rossella Drudi (NIGHT KILLER, ZOMBIE 4) first collaborated on this brain-melting mash-up of PREDATOR, ROBOCOP and Philippines war movie mayhem: When a team of badass commandos is hired for a jungle rescue mission, they’ll instead find them hunted by a kill-crazed creature that is part man, part machine and all glorious ‘80s ItaloSleaze. Reb Brown (UNCOMMON VALOR), Catherine Hickland (ONE LIFE TO LIVE), Massimo Vanni (RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR) and Jim Gaines (ISLAND OF THE LIVING DEAD) star in this “freaking awesome must-watch for any action fan” (BMovieCitadel.com), now scanned in 4k from the original negative and loaded with all-new Special Features.

Jamie’s Take (4 / 5)

Oh Bruno Mattei strikes again! The Italian master of rip-offs has come up with what I feel may be his “best” film that I have seen of his: Robowar. If you took Alien, Robocop, and Predator and mixed them all up and add a little seasoning of Indiana Jones and Rambo and threw that fucker in the oven for 350 degrees, out comes Robowar. And like a Rochester, NY garbage plate this sci-fi / action flick is an acquired taste.

Film snobs will hate Robowar. Those that don’t know how to have fun watching a movie will not like it. But if you are like me and sometimes you have that urge to see an inept, poorly acted, and blatant rip-off of Hollywood movies to the point where dialog and shots are taken from the movie, Robowar is worth a look.

Yor, Hunter From the Future and Strike Commando star Reb Brown is Major Murphy Black (yes, they took that name from Peter Weller’s character in Robocop) who leads a team of macho commandos (they are called BAM and when asked it stands for Bad Ass Motherfuckers) into a jungle for what he believes is a rescue mission until he finds out that he and his team have been set up. Tagged along with his team is Mascher (played by Mel Davidson who was also in Strike Commando 2 which did not have Reb Brown) a soldier with a secret: he has created a cyborg killing machine that was made from Major Murphy Black’s best friend who was killed in Vietnam. This cyborg killing machine is loose in the jungle, taking out everyone and anything in its way and it’s now up to this crack team of macho men to take out the cyborg before…I don’t know…kills everything and every one. Just go with it.

Unless I forgot, I don’t remember why the cyborg is in the jungle to begin with. I wasn’t drinking…much…when I watched Robowar and if I try and think too much about the plot, I may get a migraine. You don’t go into a Bruno Mattei film trying to make heads or tails about the plot. The plot is always a blend of other big budget Hollywood films with cheesy, over the top performances and less than stellar special effects. While it was still shot on film (unlike poor Bruno’s later efforts) there is no question Robowar is a very low budget film. So why do I like it so much?

Robowar is like a friend of yours that you may not have a heart to heart discussion with or count on if you need insight or an opinion on something serious. Robowar is the friend you invite to parties. The friend that makes you laugh. The friend that you can count on in turning that frown upside down. Robowar knows what it is and doesn’t feel shame. Robowar wears a hawaiian shirt to parties and gets drunk and smokes cigars, not caring who takes offense to what it is (I am a walking Robowar). Robowar is absolute apeshit.

I have a theory: if a movie has Reb Brown in it, it’s at least worth checking out. I love Reb Brown. He is the poor man’s muscular Ryan O’Neal. He also loves to scream. He screams in almost every movie he’s in and Robowar is no different. This guy is always screaming and I just about pissed my pants watching this guy kick down or jump through cheap looking sets with a massive machine gun screaming non stop and blowing the bad guys to kingdom come. He doesn’t disappoint here as Robowar is Reb for my pleasure.

There is dialog that is uttered in this film that had me screaming with laughter which I will not repeat as, in our sensitive times, may not be considered politically correct. The F bomb gets thrown around like a Scorsese picture too. Reb even calls one guy “a fuck” as if he was just calling him ” a jerk.”

Oh and the cyborg killing machine sounds a lot like Twiki from Buck Rogers. This scary killing machine that has this high pitched voice that mutters incoherently is comedy gold if you ask me.

The Severin blu ray looks great but being this was the first time I ever saw this, I cannot say if it is an improvement over a previous release. It looks and sounds great, I mean it’s a Severin blu ray so you know that chances are this will look pretty damn good. There is a shit ton of special features with interviews with actors, writers and stuntmen along with home movies of the performers on location in the Philippines. While all of this is great, I must admit that not having an audio commentary or an interview with Reb Brown was disappointing. But good news for those of you who like the music in Robowar, there is a limited special edition that does come with a CD of the film’s soundtrack by Al Festa ( who also did the music for Zombie 4, which was shot at the exact same time with some of the same cast as Robowar). The interviews are pretty great though as no one holds back on their thoughts and feelings regarding the film and the people who acted in and worked on it.

With all the coronavirus crap taking place and being forced to stay at home, Robowar took my mind off life for 90 minutes and made me smile and a little nostalgic for the 1980’s when things didn’t look so bleak. Thank you Severin and thank you Robowar!