Superhero Media: Robocop 2

How do you follow up a masterpiece like Robocop? Well, with an inferior film, sadly. With a new director and a script written by none other than Frank Miller, the magic of the original was never really to be recaptured, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of enjoyable moments in Robocop 2. Following on almost directly from the previous film, many Detroit Police are on strike after OCP have cut their pay 40% and canceled their pensions, only a handful of scabs, and Robocop, are still on the beat, holding back the biggest crime wave in American history. Of course, at the offices of OCP, everything is going according to plan, because this is still a late-capitalist hellscape with no hint of irony. The city of Detroit is bankrupt, and, according to the contract signed with OCP, this means the city is about to be privatised and run for profit, only Robocop and Lewis stand in the way, poised to save Detroit from rampant capitalism. 

In response to Robocop being more effective and heroic than they originally intended, OCP decides to "upgrade" him after an encounter with drug lord Cain and his gang ends poorly and Murphy is left broken and scattered in pieces. The upgrade is focused-tested by OCP, leaving the new Robocop with over 200 directives and a new, community-positive, outlook. Thankfully, a major electric shock frees Murphy's mind from OCP control and he takes out Cain in a bloody gunfight in an abandoned factory. Meanwhile, OCP is working on "Robocop 2", an edgier, more brutal and heavily-armed version of the original. Is that last part also satire? If it is it doesn't seem to be deliberate, that's for sure. After a few battles, Murphy is the only remaining Robocop, but, once again, Detroit is still at the mercy of OCP, though thanks to the recovery of a stash of drug money, can hold out a little longer. 

Robocop 2 is a disappointment after the first, but the action is still pretty satisfying and many of the special effects are actually better; Robocop himself looks amazing, probably the best version of the character in terms of look and design. Cain and his cronies aren't as interesting as Clarence and his gang, despite some over-the-top concepts like a tween drug kingpin, but the idea of Drugs as a solution for societal malaise has legs and is worth a look. A sadly sidelined plot line involves Murphy trying to reconnect with his wife, which would have been good to explore, but is quickly forgotten by the end of the first act. If you're keen for more Robocop action, Robocop 2 is certainly watchable, if not the cutting satire of the original, with plenty of violence and gunplay. Strap in, though, things do not get better from here on out.