Review of RoboCop 2 (1990) by Patrick B — 02 Jun 2011

After the surprising success of Robocop, Orion pictures gathered much of the original cast to film a sequel. The story for Robocop 2 was handed to legendary comic writer Frank Miller, who’s own success with his breakthrough graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns” earned him a chance to break into Hollywood.

Finally, Irwin Kershner was brought on to direct fresh off his success with Empire Strikes Back. Given all these factors going into production, Robo fans had plenty to be excited about. Unfortunately, Robocop 2 never quite lives up to its promise.

Miller’s script was deemed by Orion as “un-filmable,” and underwent massive rewrites from other writers. This disgusted Miller to the point of walking away from any Hollywood project until his involvement with Sin City several years later.

(Those interested in the original Miller screenplay need only find his Robocop comic, released by Dark Horse) Likewise, Kershner admitted feeling between a rock and a hard place; wanting creative freedom with the material while being faithful to Robo’s first director, Paul Verhoven.

The result is a story and film that lacks the focus or bite of the original, but does keep much of the trademark violence and action that made Robocop a popular film. To its credit, Peter Weller and cast are solid in their performances, helping Robocop 2 move at a brisk pace.

Likewise, the special effects featured in the battle scenes between the two cyborg machines are impressive considering the lack of CGI when the film was made. Robocop 2 is far from a perfect film, but it’s not a bad film, and many fans will find things to enjoy.

If you need to feel better about Robocop 2, spend 15 minutes with the abysmal third entry and you’ll quickly appreciate just how much was kept intact in the second film.