150 Word Review: 'Robocop 2' (1990)
Half man, half toaster
Irvin Kershner started his career directing low-budget dramas and comedies, a journeyman of his craft. Then, one day, he replaced George Lucas behind the camera and brought newfound gravitas to the Star Wars saga with The Empire Strikes Back.
His last Hollywood movie was also a sequel to another sci-fi hit: director Paul Verhoeven’s violent socio-political satire RoboCop. In Verhoeven’s future, America is a cold corporate hellhole.
Kershner honors Verhoeven’s acidic tone, but he’s less precious about it. RoboCop 2 is bigger, bloodier, and far weirder, thanks to a screenplay by comic book writer Frank Miller. It isn’t as consistently sardonic as the original, but there’s a hilarious scene where multiple next-gen cyborg LEOs malfunction in gruesome ways.
This was also Peter Weller’s last go as Robo; he was almost too good for the role. He could keep a straight face while also projecting tortured humanity from behind a visor.
Time for a dystopian Detroit double feature!
And he had great teeth