Cyberpunk Review » RoboCop 2

Movie Review By: SFAM

Year: 1990

Directed by: Irvin Kershner

Written by: Frank Miller & Walon Green (screenplay), Michael Miner & Edward Neumeier (characters)

IMDB Reference

Degree of Cyberpunk Visuals: Medium

Correlation to Cyberpunk Themes: Low

Key Cast Members:

Robocop: Peter Weller

Rating: 4 out of 10

Overview: Oh how the mighty have fallen. In Robocop, we get a violent, satirical look at a future with an interesting story, complete with cyborg musings and incredible visuals. In Robocop 2, we get a tripe, over-the-top monstrosity that devolves into a Godzilla versus King Kong movie. Where Robocop provided a biting commentary on the state of corporate influence and advertising, Robocop 2 settles for a simplistically evil, nonsensical, corporate stooges who are far more interested in screwing society than they are making long term profit. Put simply, Robocop 2 is a mess when compared to its original.

screen capture

The Story: In Robocop 2, the OCP Corporation is bent on nefariously taking over ownership of the city so that it can squeeze every dollar out of the populace (which, interestingly, is already poor). As part of their plan, OCP tacitly supports the distribution of a new addictive drug called “Nuke.” With the cops on strike and the evil drug lord Cain distributing the drug and destroying the populace, only Robocop is there to protect Detroit from complete anarchy. But even Robocop is removed when a new scheming corporate businesswoman at OCP will do anything to get to the top, including screwing the CEO, ruining Robocop and replacing him with the Nuke drug lord, Cain. I could to into more details, but truly, the plot sucks too much to bother.

screen capture

Robocop Stripped: “Christ, he’s been stripped,” is the line the policeman delivers upon seeing Robocop as a heap of parts. I couldn’t agree more. The plot points in Robocop 2 are idiotic at best. OK, so the bad guy and his 12 year-old kid beat Robocop. Of course, the logical thing to do is to drop him off, living parts and all at police HQ, right? And of course it makes sense for a Lawyer to control the Robocop project, even though there aren’t any legal issues involved. And just as logical is the corporation that gambles its entire viability on a psycho-maniac dead drug addict to be its corporate face and protector of the public, while destroying its investment in Robocop by programming him with silly parables (Gee, any reason they didn’t just re-assign Robocop to the military?). In topping this silliness, at least we know that Robocop, human brain and all, is able to easily withstand a drop from the top of a skyscraper. Interestingly, Robocop 2 tells us that the most expensive part of running a city is the police department, not the building of an ENTIRE NEW DOWNTOWN, which, we are told, will instantly pay for itself because its population will be paying for an addictive drug! I could go on, but clearly, the plot isn’t supposed to make sense. One wonders what the original script looked like as its pretty clear that Frank Miller’s script was modified significantly.

screen capture

You can tell why OCP wants to steal Detriot to make money of the populace.
Detriot’s citizens are all millionaires!

The Bottom Line: While most of the key characters return (Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Felton Perry), they are joined by a cast that includes a parodied lunatic for a mayor (Willard Pugh), a kid for a bad guy (always the touch of death), and shallow scheming, horrible acting corporate bitch (Belinda Bauer). The interesting questions from the first movie are again posed, but this time in a sophomoric, absurd fashion – so much so that they divorce any interest in the potential answers. The FX, including the stop-motion animation are still decent enough to keep the movie from being a total waste, but just barely. If Robocop was intended as a total goof (meaning the actors realized this), it would have worked better. Instead, we get a story that qualifies as a parody while the actors seem to think they’re making a credible remake. The result is less than stellar.

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Comments

Hi SFAM. Great review, agree with every word of it. I’d say this is one of the worst sequels ever, but…well…there was ROBOCOP 3. Ahem…

On a completely unrelated topic, I landed my greasy little hands on a copy of that Danish CP film SKYGGEN (a.k.a. WEBMASTER). I watched it last night and I’m afraid it’s not very good. In fact, it’s rather horrible. Sad, too, as it comes close to working here and there…and the CP visuals and themes are both high. But it just doesn’t work…a total mess. Let me know if you have trouble scoring a copy. You can always have mine - I’m NOT eager to hang onto it!

Hi Case, I’d love to have it. Someone outbid me for mine. I have to ebay another one otherwise. Lemme know how much you want for it and I can paypal you (sfam”at”cyberpunkreview.com).

Oh, that’s entirely up to you, what it’s worth to you. I can have it in the mail ASAP.

Hi Case - again, email me at sfam@cyberpunkreview.com and we can discuss.

I don’t know what the big Problem with Robocop 2 is? It’s not as smart a film as the first but it’s a very enjoyable Effects Driven Action film. Now 3 is alot of cheesy trash.

Hi Cybopath, I guess you and I disagree. To me the problem is the movie is a HUGE dropoff from the first. The characters are cardboard, the plot is silly, etc. Anytime there’s an evil kid as the bad guy, you KNOW things aren’t gonna be good.

the only Robocop for me is the first one, the other 2 sucked big time

hola me gustaria tener toda la pelicula de robiocop en mi msn se los agradeseria .

I wouldn’t give this film 4/10, but 8/10.

If you liked the first movie, then you will like the sequel just as much.

In terms of the plot, what the heck were you expecting out of it? -Ghost in The Shell type?

Without a doubt though, the 3rd movie sucked big time. Very few III’s are any good, and usually when it’s announced, you know it’s gonna be shit just by looking at the promotion board.

Hi David, sorry but we totally disagree on this. The first Robocop was absolute top-notch cyberpunk. To me, this flick is a HORRID follow-up. What do I expect? Well for starters, anytime the kid is the bad guy, you know you’re in for a world of hurt. Truly, the characters are all weak imitations of their previous selves, the story sucked, and the plot was completely nonbelievable.

Isn’t that’s whats good about the movie though?- I remember that saying ‘eat shit pencil fukka’ (or whatever), and it’s a kid talking like an adult- it makes it looks like society has just taken a real nose dive since the first movie. A world ‘of hurt,’ such as the one seen in Robocop 2 is what a makes a cyberpunk flick, and is usually what they consist of if you look at Akira, and others.

I really didn’t expect the main villain to be converted into Robocop 2 either- I thought murphy would end up battling some stolen OCP highjacked cyborg.

Hmm…no, this is what makes Robocop a “B” movie - this does not make it a good cyberpunk flick. The fact that it came from a top notch cyberpunk movie is what makes this all the more depressing.

hola q tal comoe stan soy hugo y soy d peru soy un fanatico d robocop me gusta un monton e scheverfeesa pelicula cadavez q la dan el la tl la veo aaa pngan d nuevo robocop en dibujo ps y robocop la serie por las puras lo quitan gracias por su atencion chauuuu

yaa manyak güzel filmde hiç televizyona çıkmıyo

this movie was ghastly… Robocop had pathos, raised important questions about cyberization, the rental-police society, the corporatization of cities and the military, news as entertainment.. so many angles handled in a wonderful tongue-in-cheek way. Robocop was pure dreck. Crap. Doo-doo.

Robocop2 was pure dreck I meant…

In Argentina of where I write, it was a great movie, that excellently mixes the dark of the plot. The best one beaten although is raw to be able to see it again if you already do not have it in your video.

Hey this is film isnt bad.cain is cool,especially when he gets his brain taken out.always remembered that part as a kid.

Yeah the plot is just a jumbled mess. The original is def. one of my favorite films.

And it says all it needs to, there was no need for a franchise to come out of Robocop.

Any film which gets heavily sampled by Front Line Assembly owns!

robocop 2 - i dint like too much id give it 3stars !!!

bring robocop back they to its not the same with out robo try to bring him please.

this is it robocop is cool right? so i think they shound bring him back like back to the movies robocop returns avery body got to see it so try it please.

dont give up on robocop movies little brother loves him its hes fav movie

Needless to say, i think Robocop 2 a really bad turn in plot points…i mean a kid being a bad guys..sounds like the kid from home alone only thing that the kid is a bd GUY…i didint like it as much as the first one which totally rock and part 3 i give a 7..but part 2 man that was bad plotting…

Not even the Main Robocop Theme song came out!! >_

I grew up watching robocop2 since i was five lol the only part that would never happen is making a drug lord a robot. The whole movie was based on robo getting these drug lords of the street. And having the kid in the movie with the drug lords happens in real life. So i kinda agree with David. But i do enjoy the first one to with the bad guy being from that 70’s show haha. the 3rd one sucked ass! i was like 10 when i watched it and some parts made me feel so uncomfortable cause it was so gay. I rather belive the 2nd plot then the 3rd one. a little girl hijacking into a ed-209 please gag me with a spoon. if they made a 4th one i would never see it.

Si alguien sabe, me gustaría saber de quien es la canción o cómo se llama la canción que suena en la escena de la discoteca, cuando descubren que el agente duffy es corrupto

if somebody knows, i would like to know, who is the autor of the song in the scene when the official duffy is discovered by robocop in the disco…

I began writing a defense for Robocop 2, but then realized that this isn’t an imdb forum - this is all about cyberpunk. Robocop2 isn’t cyberpunk. However, I will say that I enjoy R2 over R1.

you have to be dumb as a sack of hammers to think this is a bad film. You have exemplified the fact that you simply do not know what you are talking about and should simply stay the fuck away from reviewing films. You wouldn’t know a good film if it bit you in the ass.

kapan non bisa liat robot kesayangan nya nona lagiiiii ???

I thought Robocop 2 was a decent movie. It wasn’t at all on the level of the first film but I liked it personally. I thought the visuals of part 2 were just as good as the first film. The story didn’t seem complete and that was a downfall in the movie.The fact that the drug (Nuke) made the city become more dark and corrupt was an important part of the film. I don’t think anyone in there right mind would put the brain of a psychotic drug lord in an indestructable cyborg though. I didnt think that would happen. I would probably give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.

I really like this movie……..i like it

The best part of Robocop 2 was the battle between Murphy and Cain. It was much more entertaining then the showdown between the first ED-209 in the original Robocop.

Robocop is one of my favorite films of all time, cyberpunk or not. Robocop had a great plot and explored a quite possible future devasted by corrupt executives and greedy corporate monopolies. Robocop 2 had great visuals but I have to agree with SFAM on this one. The kid villain was stupid. In the end, Robocop 2 is a goofy and thoughtless film with a couple great scenes. Robocop snatching the motorcycle and the final battle with Cain come to mind.

Robocop 2 - 5.5/10

Also the villians in Robo 1 were some of the best villians ever.

“A New Toy, Can I Play?”

Yeah Robocop should come back since that zachari never talks to me on a deeper level unless he is talking to strangers on the internet.

I saw this one last year, and I have to say, it’s definitely underrated. Deserves at least a 7/8. Of course it’s nowhere near as good or “epic” as the first one, but I still think it’s a good follow-up, and has some hilarious stuff in it, like the first one, particularly when the little league team is robbing the electronics store.

The third one seems to be the one to trash, but this one doesn’t deserve all the criticism it gets.

i love this movie but i only seen the first and this second one i never seen the 3 one or the rest. I think this movie is GREAT! Its like the best movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cooleoo i LOVE THIS MOVIE

The song in that scene is “Kid Goes Wild” by Babylon AD.

YO! best movie eva. this comment is by jacob allen. i play FOOTBALL! At HERMOSA MIDDLE SCHOOL. YEAH!

de film is pis

hmmm….While far inferior to the original i still have to stick up for this one….Kirshner didnt deliver a superior sequel like WIth ESB but I still think he did a solid job and made servicable follw up…

my god thought this one is pitch black, if you thought the first was violent & in bad taste, watch out for number 2

Yes, its not up to the first in quality (what could be?) but i do find just how vicious this one is interesting. They ramped up the violence and sadism like a factor of 10 or more- it makes for a weird, jarring viewing experience, all these cartoonish plot point interrupted by insane amounts of violence,gunfire, kids outta control, detatched cerebrums.Irvin Kirshner is the man for sequels.

The shoot out at the end is worth the price of admission for me alone, Ive rarely seen anything so over-the-freakin-TOP (Models will *always* beat CGI.)

I would reserve the judgment of total write-off for number 3.This is at least an interesting abortion

Strange, strange sequel.

It’s okay but i mean the first one is so much better. ^w^

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Ah, but it has one of the best ‘directives’ ever given to a cybernetic warrior:

“Don’t swing your arms when you walk across a dancefloor.”

check my Robocop 2 review! I like your posts!

http://www.dead4movie.com/2011/01/robocop-2/

I LOVE BEEPROBOCOP

Ah yes, Robocop 2.
The action was great and cain was an awesome antagonist.

Honestly, this film would of gotten an 8/10 from me if it wasn’t for the stupid part where Murphy was reprogrammed. It was 20 minutes of the film that I wish was not included. I mean really, what was the point of reporgramming him? What did we learn from that? It was a pointless part of the film that didn’t effect the outcome a single bit.

For that reason, the film gets a 6/10 from me whereas Robo 1 is a solid 10/10

Caio.

Robocop 2 isn’t as bad as people say and in many ways it does follow up from the original. In the first movie they hint at the police possibly going on strike - in the second movie it happens and crime runs rampant. People of all ages and creeds are becoming opportunists due to drug addiction or because they simply can. This is a commentary on how deep down many of us are opportunists who would break the law if we knew there were no repercussions. The opening scene of people getting mugged one after the other satirizes this beautifully.

Of course Robocop’s decication to duty mkes him a one man army trying to hold back the wave of crime which is exactly what OCP want. The strike is engineered by OCP to make the public management of Detriot look terrible and OCP as the knight in shining armor come to save the city and build something better. This aspect of privatisation vs public is played out pretty clearly.

The repair and reprogramming Robocop’s directives is a direct swipe at political correctness and I think is a very essential (and amusing) part of the movie. It also gives some insight into how OCP simply see Robocop as a piece of equipment while his fellow police officers now regard him as one of them. Robocop maks the conscious decision to risk death to remove the nonsense they fill his head with - thats an act of humanity not a machine and his fellow police officers see this. It snaps them out of strike mode and they realise they have a responsibility to protect the city.

Putting Cain’s brain into the new and improved Robocop was a work of pure evil genius. It raises a lot of ethical issues (just because we can do something with technology doesn’t mean we always should) and further shows how OCP see the Robocop program as producing equipment and not sentient beings. They use Cain’s nuke addiction to keep him on a leash until the addiction wins out and he goes berzerk. Not only is it a great plot swing but it shows how far OCP is willing to go to enforce its plans, especially as they use Cain to break up the Mayor’s bailout.

So as you see all the satirical social commentary is there (plus a couple of great commercials too) albeit a little more subtle than the first. The emphasis in Robocop 2 is action over story for the most part and it works fine.

I’d give robocop 2 7/10 and Robocop 9/10. The third I can’t remember all that much I’m about to watch it oncve it finishes downloading.

Robocop is my favourite film and, baring that in mind, Robocop 2 is still a very enjoyable movie. Sure, it doesn’t have the satire the original had, but excellent action sequences, some truly evil bad guys (either at the NUKE or OCP front), great score that doesn’t simply rehash the original, some of the best action sequences during that period of film making, and a plot that moves on from the original rather than play on the same plot elements of the original.

Only morons who like to watch the exact same movie twice give films that try something new 4/10. Those who like to see a franchise evolve see the bigger picture in films such as Robocop 2.

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