The RoboCop 2 Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Timeline Man, Apr 8, 2021.

  1. Glaeken

    Glaeken Forum Resident

    Location:
    OH
    Part 3 is literally the discarded plot lines from the massive R2 script that Miller originally drafted. If you watch it closely, it is a huge ripoff of the Italian action movie ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX.

    I would be fine with Robocop keeping the gunmetal blue armor. I actually liked that better than the grey original.
     
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  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    According to Wiki, the "T2" script was done by May 1o, about 6 weeks before "R2" hit screens.

    It's possible the script included John Connor using a gun and Cameron deleted that before the shoot started as a reaction to "R2", but I'd honestly be surprised to learn that.

    I just doubt anything about "R2" impacted the "T2" production! :shrug:
     
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  3. finslaw

    finslaw muzak to my ears

    Location:
    Indiana


    The bit 1:20 seconds in is so friggin hilarious. I think I like Part 2 more than the first. Weird and disjointed as a narrative, but some of the stop motion is simply the best.
     
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  4. Timeline Man

    Timeline Man Time Traveler from Naples Thread Starter

    Location:
    Naples
    Yes.

    I also forgot to mention that, in the RoboCop 3 universe, Marie Lazarus was the scientist behind the RoboCop program.
     
  5. seventeen

    seventeen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris, France
    The original T2 script was different from the final one and was heavily retooled after Cannes. It included John Connor visiting a survivalist camp where he grew up (that became the Salceda low budget scene after). During summer, Cameron did so heavy revisions on it, and it's a slam dunk according to his interviews after, that Robocop 2 influenced him into toning down the John Connor character.
     
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  6. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
  7. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I saw it in the theater on opening day (was my last day of middle school) and my friends and I were interviewed by the TV news on the way out, it was that big of a deal back in the day. "BEST MOVIE I EVER SEEN! IT WAS AWESOME!" (I exaggerated a little to ensure my soundbite would make the 6 o'clock news.) I never saw the film a second time. Just never seems to be on TV or something.
     
  8. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    It's on Showtime.
     
  9. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I don't have it. We had HBO when I was a kid and they never carried it.
     
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  10. keefer1970

    keefer1970 Metal, Movies, Beer!

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I saw the first two RoboCops during their theatrical runs. The original is still my favorite movie ever, but "2" is no slouch either. Some great stop motion effects, plenty of ultra-violence and the villain is a Frankenstein monster for the ages!

    I revisited "3" (it was free on YouTube of all places) a couple of months ago for the first time in a long while, and it doesn't come close to matching the original pair (the budgetary restraints were quite obvious) but it was an entertaining time waster.

    I've only seen the "Prime Directives" TV mini-series once via Amazon a few years ago, so I only have vague memories of it, but I liked it better than the short lived '94 TV series or the 2014 remake.
     
  11. Juan Matus

    Juan Matus Reformed Audiophile

    RoboCop was a perfect movie, there was no need to remake it!
     
  12. MikaelaArsenault

    MikaelaArsenault Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Hampshire
    We don't have it either. Screenpix did show RoboCop for a long time though.
     
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  13. Timeline Man

    Timeline Man Time Traveler from Naples Thread Starter

    Location:
    Naples
    Given the huge success that RoboCop and RoboCop 2 had at the time (not only at the box office, but even as VHS rentals, videogames, TV airings, comic books), why didn't Weller become a big star afterwards?
     
  14. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "R2" wasn't a success period, much less a "huge financial success".

    Apparently it cost between $25-$30 million, and it only made $45 million. It was 28th at the US box office.

    The original movie did better but wasn't a massive smash either: $53 million, 16th place.

    However, "RoboCop" only cost $13 million, so it made money, and it got a great audience on home video.

    I suspect "R2" damaged Weller's career. It got bad reviews and didn't make money...
     
  15. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    we watched all three and the newer remake...I don't know they all were enjoyable with the first one being the best as always...I can't say I dislike any even a tad bit..
     
  16. Chrome_Head

    Chrome_Head Planetary Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA.
    He popped up in a few other movies of the time. I believe he was the lead in the sci-fi / horror Leviathan, and he also had the lead role as The Exterminator in David Cronenburg's big screen adaptation of William S Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch.

    Based on the quirky stuff Weller picked, I don't know that big stardom was ever really in the cards for him. I could understand him not wanting to reprise the Murphy/Robocop role 10 more times.
     
  17. Glaeken

    Glaeken Forum Resident

    Location:
    OH
    Weller's first love appears to be art history. He took and taught classes at SU for a few years in the 2000s.
     
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  18. Timeline Man

    Timeline Man Time Traveler from Naples Thread Starter

    Location:
    Naples
    LMAO not at all, you're wrong. It grossed 45 million dollars only in America. It's not the worldwide gross.
    I can sure you that RC2 was a hit in Europe and Asia too.
    That said, it costed 25 million dollars, according to most of the sources.
    VHS rentals, TV airing rights, DVD and blu-ray sales did the rest.

    The movie was a hit. And it's addressed as such by anyone. Period.
     
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  19. Roman Potato Chip

    Roman Potato Chip Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I don't know about that. It and the theatrical cut really aren't that different. I actually even prefer the theatrical cut for certain shots. Like when Clarence does the final head shot. The theatrical cuts to Murphy's horrified face, cuts to Clarnece aiming, then cuts to the back of Murphy's head being blown out. On the director's cut they've got that dolly shot that spins around and clearly shows the Murphy puppet. Looks fake. Plus I like the less stylized cuts in the theatrical version for that one bit, makes it feel more matter of fact and gruesome than the spinning dolly shot. But Kinney's uncensored encounter with ED-209 is absolutely awesome. Really, aside from a few seconds here or there, they're basically identical.

    Robocop 2 is a film I've never managed to warm up to much at all. I don't hate it like some do, but it feels vastly inferior and completely disjointed, unsure of what story it wants to tell exactly. It's pretty interesting visually, even if the stop motion of the final fight is very badly dated, and not in a charming way. There are bits that I liked, but overall it just seems like Frank Miller pooped out every idea he had and tried to cram it into a medium length script. That scene where the kid dies and Robocop comforts him in his final moments is great though. Definitely one of Peter Weller's finest moments as an actor. He actually manages to humanize the little demon-spawn, along with the kid actor who's actually pretty good at selling his youthful innocence after about an hour and a half of jaded criminal behavior.
     
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  20. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    No, it wasn't a hit. It should have been a hit, as there was a good audience ready for it, but it wasn't seen as a good movie in 1990 and it underperformed at the box office.

    I couldn't find info on its non-US gross - none of the sites say what it made outside of the US.

    Wiki says that it lost the studio money. A $25 million movie shouldn't have lost money in 1990 - that wasn't a huge budget back then.

    As I noted, the movie got mediocre to bad reviews mostly and it wasn't a success.

    If "R2" had been a hit, the studio would've a) given "R3" a bigger budget and b) made "R3" more like "R2".

    Instead, they retreated from the path taken by "R2" to make a more "family friendly" movie.

    You can "sure me" all you want, but I lived through the movie's release and know that it got a bad reception.

    It wasn't a massive flop, but it wasn't a success, no matter how hard you attempt to spin history...
     
  21. Timeline Man

    Timeline Man Time Traveler from Naples Thread Starter

    Location:
    Naples
    1- No way, the stop motion battle is fascinating and charming, and surely the pinnacle of this technique.

    2- The movie feels 100% solid, coherent, and not "disjointed" at all. There's a clear and sharp character's story-arc: the "SYSTEM" just tries to get rid of RoboCop's "anomaly" (his humanity). The entire movie is the depiction of RoboCop trying to desperately "override" the consistent attempts of people trying to capitalize on him and get rid of that small "leftover" of humanity he keeps inside his mind. In the while, he must face his darkest "counterpart". That's great.
     
  22. Timeline Man

    Timeline Man Time Traveler from Naples Thread Starter

    Location:
    Naples
    You're totally wrong. Your arguments are wrong, because: yes, it was a hit, not a smash hit, but a hit nonetheless. You're just in denial for some weird reasons.

    RoboCop 2 did some profit and the studio did not lose any money. Ancillary revenues were also big. It was a video hit. And surely it grossed far above or just 60 million dollars worldwide. Twice its budget.

    RoboCop 3 had a lower budget because the studio went bankrupt. Everyone knows that. RoboCop 2 has zero to do with it.

    We got it, man. You hate the movie. It's okay. Just don't be in denial. Peace and love.
     
  23. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm in denial of nothing. I was there when it came out and saw how negative the reaction was.

    But sure: the movie that landed in 28th place for 1990 and that received mostly bad reviews was a hit.

    I got it, man. You love the movie. It's okay. Just don't be in denial.
     
  24. NaturalD

    NaturalD The King of Pop

    Location:
    Boston, Mass., USA
    I think you gentlemen are quibbling on terms. “Huge” financial hit might be a stretch, but if it wasn’t a success and money-maker there would be no “3”
     
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  25. Glaeken

    Glaeken Forum Resident

    Location:
    OH
    Agreed. ROBOCOP 2 was neither a smash hit nor a bomb. It simply underperformed relative to the original.

    Critics hated the kid villain, Orion's marketing campaign was ****, and the original's hype had already started to fade by 1990. Scifi/action fans had started to move on to other things by then.
     
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