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.

I don't know why this sequel has such a bad rep, it's certainly better than "Robocop 3" (which has its moments, but is still sub-par in many ways), or the syndicated television series. How can you go wrong with a script by Frank Miller (comic book writer/artist responsible for "The Dark Knight Returns" and many years on Marvel's "Daredevil") and the director of "The Empire Strikes Back?" In my book, "R2" picks up exactly where the original left off, with more action, better character development, and maintains the sly sense of humor of the first film. Some of the stop-motion special effects look a little aged now (at least on my VHS copy; I haven't upgraded this one to DVD yet) but if you can get past that "R2" is enjoyable for action freaks.

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.

Following the original Robocop movie, which is deservedly a classic, is a hard act to follow but I thought this film made a pretty good effort to do so.

The plot here is a bit more loosely defined - it mixes between a drug epidemic of "nuke", and also OCP's attempts to build a successor to Robocop. All of the same components are here but everything is a bit simpler, if anything. Robocop spent a good deal of the first movie grappling with his humanity, whereas other than a quick diversion at the start, this doesn't feature quite so much here. It's more of a straightforward fight with OCP's attempts to mess him up. The police are still straightforwardly the good guys here, the one exception is flagged up so heavily that it's impossible to miss. The memorable villain here is Cain, the dealer of the drug gangs distributing nuke, and I have to say I think his performance is massively underrated. His delusions of grandeur, weird philosophical statements and calm creepiness are really well done. His gang are straightforwardly loathsome, and you never feel much but contempt for Angie and Hob. OCP are more straightforwardly the villains here, and the Old Man (plus new character Dr Faxx) has moved much more towards being a straightforward supervillain. Johnson is perhaps the exception. He has become more Smithers-like, but as with the first film, he seems to be the one force for good in this film even if his motives are not pure, much like Bob Morton in the first film. The mayor of Detroit is an interesting nuanced character; he's a bit more like the OCP executives of the original as he considers ways to get the city out of the hole it's in.

The humour is still there, but it's much more in-your-face now. It is still genuinely funny, for instance when Robocop is reprogrammed by OCP, or OCP's early attempts at Robocop 2 (or the one-liners: "This could look bad for OCP Johnson!"), but there's not much subtlety there anymore. Neither is there with some aspects of the plot, and this is where it can sometimes start to feel a little too comic-book. Robocop's directives need resetting? No worries, he sorts that, somehow avoids damaging himself in the process and then functions as a policeman despite having no directives at all. Police in a long bitter strike? No worries, a quick talk from Robocop is enough to sort that out. Also, by this point, there is quite a lot of people standing in the open endlessly firing machineguns at quite obviously bulletproof entities, yet somehow not bothering to seek cover when they are fired back at. This is much the same as the original, but by now it's starting to get a bit old.

The violence this time somehow manages to not quite be so shocking. There is one sudden rather nasty scene somewhere in the middle, but otherwise, imagine most gunfights in movies you've seen of a police vs machines variety, and you'll get the idea. The plot does take a sudden and rather interesting twist about halfway through as OCP develop Robocop 2, and its own unpredictable behaviour is quite an interesting watch too, taking over as the ED209 equivalent from the original. The special effects still hold up pretty well. Overall, I think there is a bit to criticise about it, and it's not as good as the original, but this is still a pretty good sequel and worthy of the name Robocop. Recommended as a solid sequel.