Review of Robot Jox (1990) by Alejandro C — 18 Jul 2015

Years before Guillermo Del Toro put people inside giant robots to fight against aliens from another dimension, Stuart Gordon, who was mostly known for adapting H.P. Lovecraft stories into horror films , teamed with writer Joe Haldeman to help put Gordon's ideas about giant robots fighting each other on paper.

Charles Band's Empire Pictures produced the movie with a budget of around $10 million dollars, and amidst disagreements about the movie's tone between Gordon and Haldeman, the movie was released to unfavorable reviews and poor box office.

Fortunately, it gained a cult status and lived on through repeat cable showings and rentals. One can go on and on about the similarities between this movie and Pacific Rim (which I also loved), but it should begin and end with the giant robots.

Nearly everything else is different, including the reason for fighting in the first place. It really comes off as something that I would have loved as a kid, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's not necessarily violent, sexual, or chock full of bad language.

In fact, much of Stuart Gordon's sometimes twisted personality is put aside, except for a couple of spontaneous moments. It plays more like a fairy tale in an odd sort of way, never becoming overtly serious, or for that matter, unpredictable.

This movie's ideas are bigger than its budget. All of the elements are there already for an entertaining blockbuster. It unfortunately misses that mark, but in a grand B movie kind of way. Regardless, it's still an entertaining movie to watch.