Let me preface this by saying a great deal of people hate RoboCop 2, sequel to Paul Verhoeven’s sleazy 80s action masterpiece. But from my angle, while the criminally underrated RoboCop 2might not match the quality of its predecessor, it comes about as close as you could reasonably expect, especially without Verhoeven involved.
This follow-up takes the first film’s virtues – the biting satire, the absurdity, the gratuitous B-movie excess – and gives us a welcome second helping. The plot, in which an evil corporation is essentially trying to sabotage Detroit so that it can take the city over and privatize it, is wonderful. Reagan-era big business, where the corporation is valued over the individual, is repeatedly and cleverly mocked, and the film is often very, very funny. Director Irvin Kershner’s tone is enjoyably strange, the practical effects are miles ahead of the original, and while RoboCop himself often takes a back seat, most of the secondary characters getting screen time are at least eccentric enough to warrant interest (there’s a 12-year-old drug dealer and a maniacal mayor!).
Characters and plot elements come and go without much warning – this film feels heavily chopped – but there are some dynamic action set pieces. It’s not easy to find intelligent genre pics whose excesses can be justified by some level of self-awareness and social commentary, so RoboCop 2 should be praised rather than condemned.
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