Robot Monster Blu-ray Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Robot Monster looks... rough, initially. At times, the lackluster clarity is akin to a Laserdisc, the analog-like noise, smearing, and halos never qualifying for HD material. Grain skips and jumps too. Even considering the cheap filming conditions and 3D process involved, this presentation lacks any genuine clarity at numerous points during the runtime. At its worst, it's hard on the eyes.

Robot Monster simply doesn't look like film in these spots, but then immediately (with just an edit) can appear moderately defined, and the film stock's grain makes it through. Detail on the monster suit (whether fur, skin, or the helmet) will satisfy anyone trying to pick up on the most precise textures of this classic screen creature. Then with another edit, the grain does bizarre things, like only showing on specific parts of the frame, or banding so severe, it's akin to an early CD-ROM.

The case's text notes skipped frames were inherent to the source. Aside from those, the print itself looks pristine. There's hardly a scratch or visible debris anywhere; that's impressive, and kudos to the clean-up team.

Limited grain replication is at least stable, but weirdly sticky when at its best. Better is gray scale, even with hiccups now and then. Black levels harden, and contrast shows pleasing peaks. Mid-tones lack the same nuance.

Audio

Waning definition further hampers the aged, cheaply recorded dialog. Thankfully freed from static or skipping, the track itself doesn't sound degraded, rather it's just the messy dialog replication, strained score, and general weakness. It's fine, considering the source.