“RoboCop returns to fight his toughest opponent yet: his replacement!
RoboCop 2 pits two unstoppable cyborgs against each other in a battle to the death! When Detroit’s descent into chaos is further compounded by a police department strike and a new designer drug called “Nuke,” only RoboCop can stop the mayhem. But in his way are an evil corporation that profits from Motor City crime and a bigger and tougher cyborg with a deadly directive: Take out RoboCop. Containing the latest gadgetry and weaponry as well as the mind of the madman who designed “Nuke,” this new cyborg isn’t just more sophisticated than his predecessor… he’s psychotic and out of control! And it’s going to take everything RoboCop has – maybe even his life – to save Detroit from complete and utter anarchy.”
Growing up, I was always a fan of Robocop, but after revisiting the films I questioned as to why. Presenting itself as Action/Sci-Fi, there really isn’t a lot of action, more like the illusion of action. How many times can we get excited to see RoboCop walk sluggishly toward the bad guys, having every bullet bounce off of him, all the while each low-life thinks that maybe his gun will be the one to take him down? It is the brilliant social commentary that makes these films hold up to this day. Although the character or story may be poorly written, this look into a dystopian future where the only person with true humanity is a machine that has had it stripped away.
RoboCop 2 tries to continue this theme, but due to problems plaguing the script and production, the story loses all cohesion. This theme of humanity is explored ever so slightly on the surface, giving us glimpses of great potential story lines, such as Murphy’s wife showing up, and finding out OCP is lying to both Murphy and her about one another. Unfortunately, after this scene toward the beginning of the film, no mention of his wife is ever made again. Also, after reclaiming his free will in a stellar display of sacrifice and willpower, we go for what seems like 30-40 minutes without seeing RoboCop, only to focus on a terrible group of villains. These villains include Hob (Gabriel Damon), a drug dealing, punk kid who is as annoying as he is deplorable.
One of the things RoboCop 2 does do well is to keep the dystopian future feel, giving us some real harsh looks into what the future of the world could become. Although it is dialed down quite a bit from Paul Verhoeven’s original, there are some great scenes featuring a bankrupt Detroit, such as the little league team looting an electronics store. As good as some of these individual scenes are, there is no connecting thread thanks to constant rewrites.
RoboCop 2 is plagued with problems, but at its core there is still a great theme. If you can forgive the mistakes, the poor writing and characters, there is a fun little film that has brought joy to a lot of people. After all, as Murphy says: “We’re only human”.
Video
The video is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 in a new 2k scan of the interpositive. The transfer looks really good, with no defects noticed in the source print. Grain is maintained at a manageable level, and color balance looks good as well. This is a great treatment from Scream Factory, and this is probably the best you’ve seen this look.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Levels sound good, with well-balanced surrounds containing a lot of the gun fire and action. The score sounds amazing, which is one of the best qualities of the films, and one of the more recognizable scores from the time period. No problems were noticed with any audio issues throughout the film.
Special Features
This set is packed with extras. On them you learn of a lot of the problems that went on behind the scenes, a lot having to do with Irvin Kershner and constant rewrites of scenes, some the night before by Frank Miller. There are some great interviews with the cast and crew which all express their feelings toward everything, but one thing I missed was hearing from Peter Weller. I would have liked to hear his thoughts on the film, and if it was part of the reasoning he didn’t play in part three. However, you have a lot to keep you occupied in the meantime, which Scream Factory is always great at providing you with.
- NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
- NEW Audio Commentary With Author/CG Supervisor Paul M. Sammon
- NEW Audio Commentary With The Makers Of “RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop” Documentary – Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths And Eastwood Allen
- NEW Corporate Wars: The Making Of ROBOCOP 2 – Featuring New And Vintage Interviews With Director Irvin Kershner, Producer Jon Davidson, Cast Members Tom Noonan, Nancy Allen, Galyn Görg, Executive Producer Patrick Crowley, And More!
- NEW Machine Parts: The FX Of ROBOCOP 2 – Featuring Phil Tippett, Peter Kuran, Craig Hayes, Jim Aupperle, Kirk Thatcher, Paul Gentry, Don Waller, Justin Kohn, Randal Dutra And Kevin Kutchaver
- NEW Robo-Fabricator – An Interview With RoboCop Armor Fabricator James Belohovek
- NEW Adapting Frank Miller’s ROBOCOP 2 – An Interview With Comic Book Writer Steven Grant
- NEW OCP Declassified – A Collection Of Rare Archival Production And Behind-The-Scenes Videos Including Interviews With Director Irvin Kershner, Actors Peter Weller, Dan O’Herlihy And A Look At The Filming Of Some Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Teaser Trailers
- TV Spots
- Deleted Scenes Still Gallery
- Still Galleries (Behind-The-Scenes Photos, Stills, Posters And Lobby Cards)
Despite its flaws, RoboCop 2 is, at its heart, a film about humanity. It has been given an extremely excellent treatment by Scream Factory, and any fan of Robocop, which there are many, will want to pick this up. For many of us, it is a film from our younger years when we didn’t think, we just felt, and felt good watching it.
