RoboCop 2

The original ROBOCOP was one of the rare science fiction movies from the 1980s that didn't suck. After the enormous success of the original ROBOCOP in 1987, there was no doubt that eventually a sequel would be made so three years after the release of the original ROBOCOP, there was ROBOCOP 2. The most common rule with movies is that sequels are terrible and while that is normally always true, that isn't the case with ROBOCOP 2. ROBOCOP 2 is almost as good as the original. It is just as violent and just as entertaining. However, director Irvin Kershner, while a great director, is no Paul Verhoeven. That's not to say that the directing in ROBOCOP 2 isn't good, it's just not as stylish and cool as Verhoeven's directing.

One of the best aspects of ROBOCOP 2 is that screenwriters Frank Miller and Walon Green were able to think of an original story instead of just using the same story line as the original film. A lot of the dialogue is kind of stupid, but no one sees action pictures like this for the dialogue.

Though ROBOCOP 2 is not a bad sequel, the same can't be said for the second sequel, ROBOCOP 3.

RoboCop 2 follows RoboCop as he attempts to tackle the growing threat of the drug 'Nuke' on the streets of Detroit, along with the mysterious drug lord Cane, who is pushing its distribution. Alongside that we also have the mega company OCP, who are attempting to privatise the city, and to do this they decide to make a new RoboCop to earn public trust. Thing is, all the attempts fail... until OCP's Dr Faxx decides the best person to use in the project is none other than Cane himself...

This follow up to the amazing RoboCop didn't sit too well with critics at the time, but I enjoyed it. It maintains the gritty atmosphere of it's predecessor, along with some of the satirical comedy. The new RoboCop is a formiddable foe... and bizarre child psychopaths aside the film manages to entertain with some pretty good action scenes and decent effects. The only issues really are that in many ways it feels like a retread of the first film, and there is barely any delving into RoboCop's human side - aside from a strange scene where he stalks the Murphy family home... but then that doesn't really amount to anything. There is also a section where RoboCop becomes reprogrammed into a pacifist, that is frankly hilarious. Overall it's a decent film and worth a look, but it's not as good as the original.

Whoever thought that Irvin Kershner (nice bloke/mediocre director) would be the right person to take over the reins of the Robocop franchise from Paul Verhoeven (enfant terrible/movie maverick) should be made to explain themselves to a malfunctioning ED-209 ("You have 20 seconds to justify your decision... 15 seconds... 10 seconds.... BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!"): although Kershner proved himself capable of putting together a slick, family-friendly sci-fi sequel with The Empire Strikes Back, he's clearly way out of his depth when dealing with the kind of gritty, über-violent, and wickedly satirical content that is second nature for Hollywood bad-boy Verhoeven.

As one might expect, there are lots of explosions, gunfire, bloody bullet hits, and special effects on show, but Kirshner plays it all way too safe, displaying none of the excess or imagination that made the first film such an incredible experience. When you factor in a surprisingly poor script from comic geek favourite Frank Miller, an uninspired performance from star Peter Weller that feels more like contractual obligation rather than a genuine yearning to reprise the role, a forgettable main bad guy in the form of Tom Noonan (with a bloody kid as his sidekick!), and some weak attempts at mimicking the original's wry humour, what you have is a sequel that just about satisfies on the most basic of levels (it's got guns and robots and Nancy Allen), but can only be seen as a disappointment when compared to its predecessor.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

If you believe the video game that was made out of RoboCop, it was set in the same year that RoboCop 2 was released. RoboCop is simply one of the best films ever made, and it brought me much relief from a very sorrowful childhood. Which brings me to the point I am trying to make here: anything was going to be something of a letdown. Another rebuke I would like to make of other critics of this film lies with their complaint that the movie was too mean-spirited and had too much violence. Let me quote Paul Verhoeven's commentary about the original: "the whole style of the movie is 'too much'".

The real failing of this sequel lies in the story, which is full of threads that are either resolved badly (the attempt to reprogram RoboCop with new directives) or not resolved at all (RoboCop's memories of his wife). Considering that not a single second in the original was wasted when it came to drawing the viewer into the hero's mind or building some emotional connection, the lack of sympathy one feels with even Lewis or the Sergeant is worrying. Then there's the villian. A film with a superhero, like Robocop or the Bond series, is only as effective as its main villian. Cain is not an effective villian, and gets very little development in the bargain, the exact opposite of the situation with Clarence Boddicker in the original.

The mock commercials are something of a hit and miss affair. The OCP Communications commercial was hilarious, but the Sunblock 5000 commercial was just plain tasteless. The use of children in RoboCop 2 also counts against it. There were no children in the original, reflecting the fact that the film just wasn't made with children in mind. The use of children in RoboCop 2 smacks of a cheap attempt to appeal to the children who are allowed by their parents or whomever to see the film. It doesn't work because the writers are trying to transplant adult dialogue into a child's mouth. Similarly, the attempt to transplant the manner in which the Christian Coalition think children talk into Robocop fails.

All in all, RoboCop 2 is a passable sequel, but it pales in comparison to the harsh perfection that is the original. Give it a chance because it does have some entertainment value.

I'm amazed at how bad this movie has gotten trashed over the years. The sequel to one of the best sci-fi movies ever, it was killed by critics and fans alike. I just don't understand why though.

In many ways Robocop 2 is better than its predecessor. For instance, the many subplots. We have the subplot involving Robocop getting put back together, the subplot of Robocop 2 itself, the subplot of whether or not Robocop is human or machine, the subplot of nuke/Cain and his thugs, and the subplot of overall power and corruption.

The mix of dark satire and graphic violence are once again showcased in Robocop 2 and in grander fashion. We get lots of jokes and lots of gore, mixed together flawlessly. All the performances are good. Peter Weller once again does a great job as Murphy, and Tom Noonan makes his Cain character a three-dimensional psychopath.

The score is much different from the score of the original. Instead of the dramatic/sad theme from Robocop, we get a much more heroic/dynamic theme from Robocop 2, and it works quite well with the movie.

Another thing I have got to comment on is the usage of stop motion. Once Cain is transformed into the monstrous Robocop 2 ( the title character ), we get an explosion of stop motion special effects that look fantastic! Stop motion doesn't get any better than this.

All in all, this is one of the best sequels of all time, but got a bad reputation because it was 'too violent'. Don't listen to some of the naysayers. Robocop 2 is a masterfully done film from the director of Empire Strikes Back and shouldn't be missed by any sci-fi buff out there. Check it out now on Widescreen for the DVD.

4 stars out of 4 ( reviewed by Scott Beams )