Mandroid: Remastered – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Release Date: USA/Romania, 1993
Director: Jack Ersgard
Writers: C. Courtney Joyner, Jack Canson
Cast: Brian Cousins, Jane Caldwell, Michael Della Femina, Robert Symonds, Curt Lowens, Patrik Ersgård, Ion Haiduc, Mircea Albulescu, Costel Constantin, Adrian Pintea, Radu Minculescu, Jake McKinnon

Release Date: April 7th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 36 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"In his hidden laboratory deep in Russia, Dr. Karl Zimmer (Robert Symonds, The Exorcist) has invented the Mandroid, a humanoid robot that follows the motions of a man in a special control suit. He has offered the invention to the United States, but Zimmer's partner Drago (Curt Lowens, The Entity) has different plans and wants to sell the Mandroid to the military. As forces of good and evil collide, the monstrous Mandroid lurches to life to crush 'em all!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Full Moon sci-fi gem, presented here for the first time in glorious HD, remastered from the original negative!"

Mandroid comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.3 GB

Feature: 16.2 GB

This is one of Full Moon’s stronger transfers; flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer for Mandroid (1 minute 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Videozone featurette about Mandroid (21 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and trailers for Prompt, Dungeons of Ecstasy, Bad CGI Gator, Cutter’s Club, Decadent Evil, and Deathstreamer.

Summary:

Mandroid’s origins can be traced back to 1986, when Charles Band was running his Empire Pictures. Comic book artist Jack Kirby was attached to that film, which was titled Mindmaster. Mandroid spawned a sequel, Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight. Both films were directed by Jack Ersgard.

Two scientists have invented a humanoid robot that can be controlled remotely by someone wearing a suit.

Full Moon Entertainment is known for primarily making films in two genres, horror and science fiction, and in some instances, films that combine both of these genres. Mandroid is a low-budget sci-fi film that takes place in an Eastern European country in the 1990s after the fall of the USSR. While the narrative introduces the concept of a mandroid, as well as the characters and their motivations, it does not delve deeply into these aspects. As a result, the film struggles to effectively realize some of its intriguing ideas.

The acting is best described as serviceable. The only performance that stands out is Curt Lowens' portrayal of Drago, one of the two men who created the mandroid. Where his partner, Dr. Karl Zimmer, has made arrangements to sell the mandroid to the CIA, Drago feels betrayed and thinks they should sell it to their country's military. Drago is your stereotypical villain role, and Curt Lowens delivers a diabolical performance that steals every scene.

At 81 minutes in length, the narrative’s languid pacing makes things feel much longer than they actually are. Another area where the narrative comes up short is its inability to build momentum and an all-too-predictable finale. That said, the practical special effects hold up superbly well, and they are the film’s most durable asset. Ultimately, Mandroid, like so many of Full Moon’s films, is a fun time waster and nothing more.

Mandroid gets a strong audio/video presentation from Full Moon Features.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer