RoboCop 2 Commentary with

Rob Hill (The Bad Movie Bible) joins me a for a commentary to RoboCop 2!
/ oliverharper
www.olivers-retrospectives.com
/ ollieh82
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/ oliverharper1982
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#robocop #robocop2 #frankmiller #peterweller #irvinkershner #nancyallen #oliverharper #retrospectivereview

[@darqen666]

That moment when they torture Duffy is horrifying, it traumatised me when I saw it when young. His screaming are horrific.

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

There's a cool Industrial song called "Bio Mechanic" that samples that scene. It's dark and brilliant

[@TheGothicGhostRider]

Peter Weller's stunt man was also Michael Jackson's stunt man for the Dangerous Tour, when Michael would fly out of the stadium in a jetpack.

[@kamdan2011]

Can we please get past the criticism that Hob’s character is in the movie to appeal to kids? That is not the case at all here. No kid is gonna cheer at the sight of him strangling Lewis or even worse when he cuts out Murphy’s guts and shows them to his face. His character is there to further represent how fucked up this environment is and how it can affect someone his age. The reason we flashback to Murphy’s son is to iterate that if RoboCop doesn’t stop this Nuke cult, his son could end up like Hob.

[@Yellowblam]

Robocop’s best crime fighting was helping Sting in WCW.

[@leejones8582]

A Underrated sequel

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

GFYS

[@leejones8582]

@@VenusHeadTrap2 ??

[@supertoyota5]

I love Robocop 2 !!!!

[@dougmasters4579]

Nice commentary, Oliver! In regards to what you said about the change in composer, I think they chose a new score because the original Robocop was basically a Greek tragedy (with the hero's murder & resurrection), while Robocop 2 was basically a comic book movie, so the shift in tone suited a new music theme. Also interesting to note is the similarities between the end robot battle in this film and end fight in Iron Man - interesting contrast between stop motion and CGI.

[@ladydelorean]

I'm convinced the Old Man and Johnson were the blueprint for Burns and Smithers 🧐

[@danfors1333]

You might be right, never thought of it until now. Smithers used to be black in the earliest episodes.

[@SosiskaTheHorrible]

According to Wikipedia Chris Quinten works at Stringfellows and is a dodgy bastard 😂

[@EverSerpa29]

The Iron Man trilogy often mirrors the RoboCop trilogy. It becomes more obvious the more I re-watch them.

[@jacobturnerart]

Your commentaries make doing the housework bearable! More please!

[@knic359]

Oliver and Rob are the best. When I rewatch split second I have to listen to their commentary.

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

Yeah man Rob is probably my favourite too and Tim

[@adamcammack3534]

I was always Terrifed by robo caine as a kid, very weird knowing I was allowed to watch these movies but I appreciate it now.

[@joeyservo]

Me too, I think part of it was the stop-motion animation. There's something about the herky jerky movements that's creepy. Much like ED-209

[@adamcammack3534]

@@joeyservo That and the cgi Caine face freaked me out how it never spoke just yelled and screamed disturbed me.

[@robertcarrillo4034]

This cra was rewatching all of em and was hoping for this exact commentary as I watch and y’all posted it yesterday for me. Thanks

[@TheGothicGhostRider]

Tonally uneven and mean spirited are things I love to see in a movie.

[@Adrian1981]

I always thought the face make up in 2 was quite poor in comparison to the first

[@SSF-GIRL]

the robots were in robocop 2 arcade game as well pity they didnt know that info

[@ReservoirPunk]

"GO FFFF A REFRIGERATOR"

[@dealt]

A lady in the theatre screamed during the scene when they cut open Cain's skull😅 Never forget that.

[@emceeschwartz]

I'm having, trouble.

[@Checker222]

101:39 Frank Miller was a chronic alcoholic for a few decades- and it aged him very quickly

[@veganguy74]

Hey, just in time for me to watch tonight with my brand new 4K disc I got yesterday. Looking forward to the commentary!

[@antonybrown8667]

I've always held the ROBOCOP trilogy in parallel with the BEVERLY HILLS COP trilogy (albeit very soon to lose its trilogy status). A classic first film with a great central performance, with Detroit connections and starring Ronny Cox. The second films are more stylishly shot, and have some great moments, and stay faithful enough to the first film. Whereas the third films - both released within a week of each other (here in the UK - I went to see them both at the local Cannon cinema) in 1994 - and both messed up what made the first ones good, by, well...by being too early 90s, fudging the tone of the films, and put an end to both film series. And YET...as disappointing as both films are, I still find just enough to enjoy in both of them to stop me from completely writing them off....but only just.

[@anthonyhood5123]

Great commentary guys

[@LoganWood121]

Just in time.

[@johnmitchell850]

Cheers Oliver. About to get on a 4 hour flight 🙌🏻

[@joneggelton]

The stop-motion work in the finale, although amazing, feels like a crutch for the movie to lean on when it runs out of story. Also, Robocop jumps ...

[@RoboSean]

Checking in to support Ollie.

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

Lets goooo 👏

[@darknessviking]

nerdy or not ollie is coming with me lol

[@krzysbass]

I love that movie! ❤

[@markula_4040]

Good guest

[@orinanime]

Lots of comic book writers worked on plenty of TV shows both animated and live-action. But I think one of the first times that I can think of that a comic book writer worked on a movie was Roy Thomas for Conan the Destroyer

[@TheBeird]

This is a film where I think back on certain moments and think "that's great." But whenever I watch it again, it just doesn't cohere. I think the structure is the problem, since the film seems more likea series of "and then this happens." It's easy for me to say so long after the fact, but surely something like the scene of Murphy telling his wife to never see him again should be the emotional climax of the film? The story should be, after regaining his humanity, it's a tragic tale of him rejecting it to protect his family. Perhaps Murphy should have purposefully accepted the new Prime Directives to try and appear more "human," but the ghost in the machine eventually comes to realise he's only hurting his wife and son, along with letting Cain run rampant, and then fully becomes RoboCop to protect them. All hindsight of course. It's not a movie without merit, just a bit of a mess.

[@myluckyzippo7169]

Always happy when Oliver and Rob get together for some sweet Murder She Wrote discussions.

[@RainBird88x]

Hot Toys teased a Robocain figure back in 2012, but nothing ever came of it.

[@Inverse_Midas]

Could you remove his brain?!

[@richardrobertsDN38416]

Robocop 2 or Robocain used to give me the most horrific nightmares as a kid.

[@paulloughlin3732]

Definitely a fun movie.

[@user-gz6hp7ef6w]

Brilliant 🤩 I love these commentaries. I listen to them when I’m having a shit.

[@lutherburgsvik6849]

That's a looong shit.

[@JordanGingold]

YES Ollie! Insta-clicked

[@CARNIVOREROB]

Watching it back now its pretty good to be honest it was released at a time when Hollywood was getting Squeamish and censoring everything kain was an incredible Boss ...stop motion was fantastic though the whole film felt a little more like a comedy ...and why they took Robocop back to product after finding himself at the end of the first I have no idea...

[@TheLucasbuck]

Always loved Robo 2, only a small step down from the original in my book. Terminator 1 & 2, Alien 1 and 2, Predator and Prey and Robo 1 and 2 are the ultimate sci-fi duo sets.

[@BRIANOCONNOR2003]

Don't forget predator 2

[@therocinante3443]

Thanks, Dad for making me watch this movie at 4 years old :)

[@keithjackson7419]

Automatic (1995) was the Olivier Gruner movie John Glover appeared in...

[@BRIANOCONNOR2003]

I think john glover was also on gremlins 2 (which came out the same year as robocop 2)

[@andrewsteele9165]

I believe the actress you's are talking about was also in blue jean cop with peter weller and then this so maybe the affair started there and worked it's way into robo2

[@ryanricardo]

👍🏾👏

[@bagoistvan3182]

1:38 ...those OCP commercials and News blurbs where iconic ....😅😅😅🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺👍

[@fiveways]

I'm going to present another possibility to why the child in this movie is an absolute monster. Frank Miller hates children and made the character as unlikeable as humanly possible.

[@PirateJacques79]

Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway wrote 'Conan The Destroyer', right?

[@marcgodley3064]

I lowkey love this movie. The first will always be the best but this was pretty fun

[@trevgoldring9860]

I always thought that the evil kid was to tap into the juvenile crime paranoia

[@anubusx]

Please look at The Omen franchise.

[@michaelstaunton1632]

👍👍👍🎥

[@JOSH-lw2jv]

Fun Fact: Walon Green (the co-writer of *"RoboCop 2")* wrote the original screenplay for what eventually became Disney's *"DINOSAUR"* back in 1986 which was to be directed by both stop-motion animator Phil Tippett & original *"RoboCop"* director Paul Verhoeven. The initial story (which had no lines of dialogue whatsoever) centered on a Styracosaurus named Woot with his mammal friend Suri, who leads his herd on a migration route. The antagonist was to be a T. rex named Grozni. The story's finale was to have Woot & Grozni facing off in a fight to the death with Woot winning, but this turns out to be moot as the infamous KT asteroid crashed into Earth and wipes out all the Dinosaurs.

[@revolverswitch]

I am having so much trouble trying to envision Disney's Dinosaur as a Paul Verhoven movie

[@JOSH-lw2jv]

@@revolverswitch It was meant to be much darker & violent in tone, a style akin to a nature documentary. The intended budget for that version was to be $45 million, but then-Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg (1984-1994) gave the counteroffer of $25 million stating that there wasn't "enough of an audience to justify that cost", which caused Verhoeven & Tippett to depart from the project.

[@revolverswitch]

@@JOSH-lw2jv dang that is completely unrecognizable to what we got.

[@cacklecough320]

Damn dude, its bedtime :p not anymore!

[@joeyservo]

Robocop 2 was a lot of fun. It wasn't the brilliant, seminal work like the first, but still had some moments

[@darthdeze]

I love Robo2. It is a satire of sequels. Higher body count, over the top kids being wild. It had trailers in it for Robo2. Murphy being rebuilt by committee, much like a studio making a sequel for more money. RoboCain being bigger and badder and a complete opposite of Murphy. The complaint about Murphy reverting back to his Robo voice is BS. At this point in Murphy’s story, he has accepted he is Murphy and Robocop. His voice in Robo2 is the mix

[@lutello3012]

25:18 Part of me wanted to laugh my ass off as a kid but it was just too disturbing.

[@erisi236]

and it won't even drain your battery

[@harrythedirty4256]

Directed by the guy who directed empire, let’s blame George Lucas for it 😡

[@BRIANOCONNOR2003]

Who?

[@laurenced2916]

I work for Dick Jones

[@Inverse_Midas]

I never understood why a criminal psychologist, or whatever her title is in the psychology field. Why, she would choose a psychopathic, Nuke addicted drug lords brain, for a new version of robocop?! The only conclusion I could come up with is that they thought they could control RoboCain with Nuke. But why go through the bother of all that, as good cops were apparently dying at a high rate, which was one of the reasons the cops were striking, amongst other things. Just use one of those brains. Ah, I think I’m looking into it too much! :) A half decent sequel to the classic original. Cheers.

[@danfors1333]

In my youth I was in many ways disappointed when seeing this sequel. The music felt off, almost comedic cheerful in a bad way. I didn't like the scenes of re-programmed RoboCop acting like a dork or his new blue paint job. The child boss was a ridiculous idea. The version I saw was dubbed to german, that didn't improve the experience. What I did enjoy however was Robo-Cain. As a kid I found it very scary when it hunted down all the crooks in darkness. The end fight between Cain and RoboCop was very enjoyable.

[@SA-zoom1]

Don't be mean. I still love this movie.

[@Crimsonphilosophy]

I like the first 2. 3 is terrible

[@kendo5862]

Was a massive disappointment at the time compared to the original…

[@MichaelRackham]

The top of the skull missing and the brain smash at the end 🤢🤣 Guilty pleasure of mine this movie although I dislike the score. The choir but when they sing “Robocop” - just cringey 🤣

[@rg8597]

Everything in the movie just feels cheap and tacky compared to the original, most criminally being the blue suit. I realize the film has some overlooked qualities, but the cheapness is too distracting.

[@joneggelton]

Agreed. I was 19 when I saw this at the cinema, and I remember even thinking how cheap and unsophisticated it looked at the time. If the original film had looked and felt like this one, it never would have gained the respect it did.

[@walter_the_wobot2349]

The more I watch this film the less I like it. I always thought the movie was inferior to the original, but the bits that I did like now don’t seem nearly as good.

[@fiveways]

There are days where I like Robocop 2 almost as much as much as Robocop. Honestly by far the worst partt of it is the music. The score is just fucking awful. Ill-fitting and annoying.

[@veganguy74]

I agree with you about the score, but the movie is not so bad. It’s better than most action movie sequels of this era.

[@fiveways]

@veganguy74 I think it's 98% as good as the first one. There is so much to like about it. I don't know how much Frank Miller was involved in the script revisions but his sense of humor at the time is all over the film. Which is great but I questions if a lot of critics and non-comic book fans were ready for that kinda jaded darkness. Verhoven had a degree of remove from it as an outsider looking in and critiquing America, so the themes of Robocop has an observers feel to it. Miller doesn't have that remove, he is as blind as a brick to the face. Regardless of his involvement with the rewrites it still feels like one of his stories from that period. Miller set the mood.

[@fiveways]

But I'll fully admit I'm a huge fan of this period of Frank Miller. I honestly think that Elektra Assassin is a forgotten masterpiece on the same level as stuff like Watchmen or his Miller's more celebrated works. About the only super hero or adjacent film that would get my ass in a theatre seat would be Elektra Assassin directed by Panos Cosmatos.

[@orinanime]

​@@veganguy74of the era? 1990. So the "era" would be what, in your opinion? 85-95 or a smaller window? Just wondering. But I would argue that other action movie sequels from the late 80s early 90s are better than this.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

​​@@orinanime1985-1995 was an overall period of excess... I always felt that was it's own unique era that had very little in common with either the early 80's or late 90's, which were a lot more low-key and chilled out. Maybe because Boomer influence peaked in the late 80's and early 90's, and Boomers were and still are a decadant and over the top generation.

[@kasrasadrehashemi174]

The Japanese sets is because frank is upset with Japanese culture.

[@Cyril29a]

Robocop 2 is a commentary on the fact that the media after Robocop actively targeted children. Hence the movie and the bad guy are called litterally Robocop 2. The movie is a critique of violence sold to kids. The Hobbs character is the kid that represents all kids, Hobbs was a philosopher whose ideas centered around the surrender to authority. Cain is a character that killed his brother, in this case the brother is the original Robocop movie and ideas. I mean shit, they even say it when Murphy tries to shoot Hobbs and he says "Can't shoot a kid can you fucker" and minutes later he is killed by Cain who can target kids. The failed Robocop 2s are all the attempts to Remake the violent original that were all squashed in favour of cartoons and toys...