Review by Joshua Baker
a review of the 1990 action sci-fi sequel starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen…
Robocop (1987) is rightly hailed nowadays as one of the best sci-fi action films of its decade.
In its own context and what it sets out to do, the film is pretty much perfect in both its scripting and execution- this was as obvious to film fans now as it was when it was first released, resulting in superb box office returns that even the most optimistic suits at Orion Pictures (1978-1999) couldn’t have expected.
R.I.P Orion Pictures (1978-1999). What a glorious logo…
The key ingredients to the success of Robocop, gonzo Dutch Director Paul Verhoven, writers Ed Neumier and Michael Miner, and lead actor Peter Weller, were all set to come back for the sequel. There was a problem though: Orion was bleeding money and needed a sequel out to Robocop as quickly as possible to stem their financial woes.
Verhoven, Neumier and Miner couldn’t meet the truncated schedule and left. Unfortunately, Neumier and Miner took their script with them, leaving comic book writer Frank Miller (you may have heard of him) to write his own screenplay, which the suits at Orion judged to be unfilmable.
So what now? Orion decided to bring in yet another screenwriter to bring Miller’s vision back down to earth, and hired lauded journeyman director Irvin Kershner (Eyes of Laura Mars, Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again) to pick up the pieces of this pre-production mess.
Irvin Kershner on the set of Robocop 2. Allegedly, he was so dissatisfied with the script, he tore pages out of it during shooting days…
Robocop 2 is NOT a bad film. However, it is clearly a massive step down from the original, due to the script problems in its development and messy execution. Thankfully, and this is more of an attribute in retrospect considering how bad things would become (see Robocop 3) the film retains the cynical and comically over-the-top violent tone of the first one, even pushing it further in some instances.
The film has several moments of creative gore that would stand toe-to-toe with the first film, and OCP’s cynical attempts to alter and fiddle with our titular robotic hero, result in the best sequences of the whole film. “I’m having trouble” has gone on to be a famous catchphrase from our robotic policeman friend for a reason…
Indeed, a lot like the sequel Gremlins 2, which came out the same year, there is an attempt here to parody the concept of a sequel, with OCP LITERALLY trying to make a Robocop 2 after seeing the first attempt, Murphy (Peter Weller) as redundant and needing improvement. This leads to genuinely funny sequences of the megalomaniacal corporation testing out new prototypes for “Robocop 2”, inevitably leading to disaster.
This whole “Robocop 2” idea is spearheaded by Dr Juliette Faxx, played by Belinda Bauer. Unfortunately, I don’t think Bauer fits in this world at all; shes too glamorous and demure. Someone of the ilk of Annie Potts or Fran Drescher I think would’ve fit a lot better in this role- a cynical, opportunistic, worldly woman.
Belinda Bauer, as hot as she is (I’m sure she’s good in other projects) unfortunately doesn’t fit in this sick, depraved universe…
The film’s lead villain, Cain (Tom Noonan) also feels a bit out of place in the movie. They try to do this Charlie Manson/ cult leader-type thing with him, but its too underplayed and he lacks the menace and flamboyance of Charles Boddicker in the first film, or even the pure evil Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) for that matter. As a result, the villainous presence in the film just feels a bit subdued.
But, the idea of turning Cain literally into Robocop 2 is a good one, and the climactic fight between Robocop and Robocop 2 is a special effects tour-de-force by Phil Tippett and his team. It’s one of the last purely analogue long form special effects sequences in a big-budget production, before CGI fully came into being in the next couple of years from then (see Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park) and its a wonderful spectacle.
All the action in the film is creative and well handled- from the opening shootout to the mid-film bike chase- the action has grit and impact and rivals sequences from the first film. Unfortunately though, unlike the first film, these sequences sometimes feel like they are there to paper over the cracks of a thin plot. Some of them, including the bike chase, outstay their welcome by just a smidgen, and you forget about the forward momentum of the plot- actually, this film is fifteen minutes longer than the first one, when it has absolutely no reason to be, with is thinner plot.
There’s unfortunately little more for Robocop to do in this film, apart from a brief scene at the start, where Robocop’s “ex” wife is brought in to see her resurrected husband for the first time.
A lot could’ve been done here, exploring the ramifications of Ellen Murphy (Angie Bolling) seeing her husband in this new form, and Robocop continually visiting his former household, to try and more vividly recall the life that he previously had.
Unfortunately, the film just shuts it down in order to move onto the meat of the actual plot. You could generously argue that Robo is protecting his wife by pretending he doesnt remember anything about his previous wife, but I tend to take the cynical manner that the filmmakers didn’t really have any interest in exploring these themes, in order to get to the action setpieces, and not have to worry about evolving the character of Murphy/Robocop past his character arc in the first film: he can just continue to be the loveable old Robocop that he know and are familiar with from the first film.
But unfortunately, subtext, and the character journey of Murphy is what made the first Robocop so interesting in the first place; it’s what raised it above the typical sci-fi actioner, and you would expect Murphy’s personality to be a little more humanoid than he was even at the climax of the first film.
You don’t have to shove it in our faces, but it has to BE there, in order to feel a piece with the first film.
Another crucial part of the first film’s impact was the score by Basil Poledouris- for whatever reason, he couldn’t come back for the sequel, replaced by Leonard Rosenman (Rebel Without a Cause, Lord of the Rings ‘78, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
To me, this score is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I am very aware that it is a general step down from Poledouris work on the original, and that it was a spectacular misjudgement not to carry over Poledouris’ main theme for this film. I have no idea why this wasnt solidified in any contract: maybe the producers were being cheap and didn’t want to pay Poledouris any royalties?
In any case, Rosenman composes his own main title theme and motif for Robocop, which SUSPICIOUSLY sounds like the motif he gave for Star Trek crew in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
I don’t hate this as much as others though, as its common for composers to re-use their motifs in various work: it’s kind of hard for me to explain without humming stuff to you, but its not unusual for film composers like Williams, Horner or Silvestri, to call back to various familiar melodies or motifs in different film score. Sure, they do a bit better job of masking it so it doesn’t sound like they are ripping themselves off, but how they compose certain things is just part of their musical identity, and how they express themselves musically.
Similar to Star Trek IV? You be the judge…
In summary, although Robocop 2 thankfully retains a lot of the tone of the first film, it unfortunately doesn’t have a lot of its own ideas. The plot is too thin and doesn’t sustain the 2 hour running time, and the characters generally aren’t as interesting as they are in the first film.
However, there are a lot of fun moments in the film and the Robo-action set pieces are well executed enough that the film never feels like an insult to the first film. It’s decent enough, a worthwhile continuation of Robocop 1 without compromising anything about what made the first film great.
At best, it serves as a perfectly acceptable postscript to the first film, another adventure with Alex Murphy/Robocop that we can all enjoy.
I’ll leave you with this excellent, excellent Thai poster for the film. What a painting!
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