As a sequel to one of the best science fiction films of the ‘80s, RoboCop 2 had a lot to live up to when it released in 1990. How do you follow up the wild violence and wry satire of a Paul Verhoeven film? Most movie fans would probably say if Verhoeven himself isn’t attached, it’s not going to go well. Amazingly, that wasn’t the case; RoboCop 2, though hit with lukewarm reviews from critics at the time, has held up just as well as the first movie, and remains one of the best sequels of its era.
The film picks up not long after the events of the first RoboCop. Set in the same dystopian Detroit, cyborg police officer Alex Murphy becomes the last bastion of law and order when the police go on strike against Omni Consumer Products, a villainous conglomerate bent on shutting down the city. Murphy must not only contend with the usual bank robberies and murders that plague the big city, but also tackle a nefarious crime boss who seeks to control the city with a dangerous drug, and a new RoboCop model. The film’s prescient themes of an industrial city like Detroit going bankrupt under the ruling of a corrupt mayor and technological advancements facilitating excessive policing, RoboCop 2 has only gotten better with age. Without further ado, let’s examine why RoboCop 2 is one of the best sci-fi sequels of all time.
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A Legendary Sequel Craftsman Takes the Helm
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While RoboCop’s director was occupied with the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Total Recall, director Irvin Kershner stepped up to the plate for the sequel. Famed for directing The Empire Strikes Back, the second Star Wars movie that is often lauded as being one of the greatest sequels ever made, Kershner clearly had a knack for crafting great second chapters. In addition to The Empire Strikes Back and RoboCop 2, Kershner directed other successful sequels, such as The Return of a Man Called Horse and Never Say Never Again. He also made the classic films The Eyes of Laura Mars and The Flim-Flam Man. Beginning his career as a film school lecturer and director of independent dramas, Kershner was catapulted to blockbuster filmmaking when George Lucas asked him to direct the second Star Wars film.
Following that success, it’s no wonder why he was picked to helm the second RoboCop film. Perhaps more important than his proven ability to handle sci-fi sequels, Kershner also had a vision for the film that matched the dark yet humorous tone of the script. Though the film was rushed into production before the script was finished, Kershner made a great sequel that is both darker and funnier than the original film.
More of What Made the First One Great
The first RoboCop is critically acclaimed for its biting commentary and social satire that addresses the intersection of capitalism-run-rampant and over-policing. Due to its ambitions of being something more than just another sci-fi action flick, the Paul Verhoeven-directed film is both a satire masterpiece and an action extravaganza. Fortunately for fans of the first film, the departure of Verhoeven from the director’s chair did not elicit a change in tone. On the contrary, RoboCop 2 further develops the satirical themes of the original, while also maintaining the special effects-fueled action and the sensitive story of a cyborg’s tenuous relationship with his own humanity. The film maintains the motif of humorous parody advertisements interspersed throughout the film, and ups the ante on the gory violence and the smarmy corporate villains. While some may dismiss RoboCop 2 as being “more of the same,” fans of the film celebrate it for its Gremlins 2-esque dedication to constantly one-upping the previous film.
An Even Darker Approach
One of the stand-out traits of RoboCop 2 is the darker worldview that Kershner and screenwriter Frank Miller imbued it with. Well-known for his dark and razor-edged contributions to the Batman franchise, Miller brought a similarly twisted vision to RoboCop 2, which perfectly fit the character and the dystopian environment. Miller’s darkly satirical script covers topics and fears that continue to resonate with audiences today: a major city going bankrupt; corrupt politicians bending to the will of the private sector, and the prevalence of dangerous and addictive synthetic drugs, to name just a few.
RoboCop 2 even features a young kid in the role of a crime boss, which, according to critic Roger Ebert, is “beneath contempt,” but has become one of the most memorable aspects of the movie. While the world of the first RoboCop is certainly no paradise, the world that Kershner and Miller created for RoboCop 2 is, quite fittingly, doubly as hellish, and crawling with corporate vermin who love to watch the world burn. As so aptly summed up by Grumpire.com, the film is “gruesome, combining horror elements and satire: it’s an exaggeration of a world in which lawlessness and drug addiction have crippled a major American city.”
Incredible Spectacle From Special Effects Royalty
It’s impossible to talk about the joys of RoboCop 2 without mentioning the special effects. They were created principally by Phil Tippett, a master of creature effects whose recent stop-motion must-watch Mad God is the ultimate testament to his abilities to create disturbing and mind-boggling visual effects. Before Mad God, however, there was RoboCop 2, which is so loaded with stop-motion robots, gore effects, and groundbreaking computer-generated imagery that it could very well suffice as a comprehensive effects reel in and of itself. In other words, the film is a masterpiece of design, animation, and special effects that still looks amazing today. The final battle between RoboCop and the monstrous Cain (AKA RoboCop 2) is brilliantly composed, and is worth the price of admission alone. Overall, RoboCop 2 is a feast for the eyes, a stop-motion lover’s dream, and a joyously bombastic sequel that rivals the original.
