Cash Reese: Glass Shadow

Seems this movie had a very low budget hence the reason it looks like it was filmed in someones' garage. I loved the looks of the younger Angelina Jolie - I'd never have known if I hadn't seen this!!!!!!!!

Michael Shroeder also included (about 5 seconds)footage of Van Damme and Dayle Haddon from the original 'Cyborg' which was a nice touch. It's a bit of honesty on his part as well I think, because Shroeder is acknowledging the pre existing story line. Not that this matters at all.

Jack Palance is the highlight though because of the way he says his lines - it is hilarious. No one ever speaks that way, (even though he's not a human character) but it sounds so cool. Even Angelina Jolie smiles at some of Palances' lines (Ie: The scene in the lab with the 'cyborg monkey'.)

Good as a diversion - nothing more. Thinking more about it, it's one of the few movies I've seen where the actors seemed to be having a fun time with the 'out there' script and plot.

How many sci-fi/action B-movies from the '90s featuring cyborgs do you know of that are actually any good? "Cyborg 2" is a shamefully underrated sequel to Albert Pyun's original from 1989 and it actually succeeds in surpassing its predecessor. The story has more heart & thought put into it (you get a little bit less action sequences because of this), the production values were decent and the special effects quite impressive for this type of production (especially the wide shots of a futuristic, post-apocalyptic city are well-crafted, echoing some of the visuals seen previously in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"). It wasn't until producers read the script of "Glass Shadow", they decided to turn it into a sequel to Pyun's film. But "Cyborg 2" is pretty much a standalone film, merely just referencing the first film by adding some footage of it. A female cyborg (Angelina Jolie) and her trainer (Elias Koteas) form a leading duo we actually care about, while they're on the run from the corporation that employed them. Being hunted down by a bounty hunter (Billy Drago) and another female cyborg assassin (Karen Sheperd), the mysterious entity Mercy (Jack Palance) guides them through the city. There are many far worse cyborg movies out there, which usually revolve around showcasing some martial arts & blowing things up. "Cyborg 2" has some of that too, but still manages to be a little different.

Cyborg II, sounds like some 2nd-rate movie. Is not. Not at all! I was surprised the very, very nice 'ambiance' this movie has. Good looking, convincing effects and surroundings, very good sound. It has even a nice (though somewhat unsurprising) story with nice characters. For me, 'Blade Runner' sets the standard for this kind of movies. But in some aspects, most notably the overall ambiance and 'sadness' this movie comes close. Let's call this movie very, very acceptable...

In year 2074, a technological, deathly planet earth, in an urban, dirty post holocaust world, Cyborgs have replaced humans and the earth is caught in the grip of high powered corporate warfare . Kobayashi Electronics (Japan) and Pinwheel (USA) struggle to control the software programming and manufacture of Cyborgs . Cyborgs have substituted humans in every respect from the soldier in the field to the prostitute in the brothel . Billions of dollars are at stake and as usual the love of money proves to be the root of all evil . A mean enterprise (ruled by Allen Garfield) which makes Cyborgs orders to get rid of his competitors by means of murdering them . They plan introduce to Cyborg ¨Cash¨ (Angelina Jolie) , a liquid explosive, a McGuffin denominated ¨The glass shadow¨ that blow up . Technology specialist (Jack Palance) clues to Cash and she flees with the help of the human ¨Colt¨ and they have converted prey for a band of nasty bounty hunters (Billy Drago and Ric Young).

It's an old fashioned B movie with lots of fights , stunts , struggles and chases among protagonists and their pursuers . The film has some visual sophistication along with a ridiculous plot and even a minor romantic subplot between machine-cyborg and man . Despite a few nice touches is average and this is strictly fodder . ¨Cyborg I¨ (Albert Pyun) was a poorly made action movie , it was only known by Jean Claude Van Damme acting , however ¨Cyborg II¨ has much better casting . It stars Angelina Jolie , she told The New York Times about this movie : "After I saw it, I went home and got sick¨ . The motion picture was regularly directed by Michael Schroeder who at least tries some spectacular scenes . He also directed ¨CyborgIII¨ with Malcolm McDowell , Zach Calligan and Richard Lynch . Rating : Mediocre but entertaining .

I caught this movie late night on TV, and was expecting a low-budget campy "masterpiece", I was surprised with a pretty decent movie. Angelina Jolie's unique acting capabilities (or should I say lack thereof?) make her perfect as an android, and the other actors, while terribly average, are at least not terrible.

There is a plot; a fairly intricate plot at that, involving conspiracies and the lengths a couple (one human, one android) will go to pursue their illegal romance, with a "big brother"-type figure and android assassin thrown in the mix. The production and sets, also, were much better than I expected. I haven't seen the original Cyborg, so I can't really compare it to much else; granted this film is no Blade Runner, but as a late-night, futuristic guilty pleasure, its worth a watch.