Think a darker version of one of those kid shows such as "Power Rangers" and you have this film from 1990, "Robot Jox". A movie where you fight with giant robots, two men enter the arena and whoever comes out their country wins. The robots are huge and look like slightly better versions of the ones from said shows mainly because they are less colorful so while this movie is not good, it isn't all bad to watch. There are as I recall two robot fights in this one, one that ends badly and the final showdown. There is a plot twist part way through as a traitor is revealed, but in the end the plot is nothing that is going to stick with you for any amount of time after the picture is done. The fights themselves look like giant toys on the rampage, but still somewhat fun to watch. This movie would also spawn a couple of other films with similar plot devices such as the giant robots and the tournament. So it is worth checking out once, but probably not more than that.
81 Reviews
Some Strange Cheese
gavin694228 June 2015
It is post-World War III. War is outlawed. In its place, are matches between large robots called Robot Jox. These matches take place between two large superpowers over disputed territories. The main character Achilles is a pilot in one of the large Robots. The plot revolves around him and a match for the state of Alaska.
Although I would consider myself a bigger than average Stuart Gordon fan, this was a film I never got to see until now (2015). And what a strange addition to his career. The robot fights, though perhaps "retro" or dated, are pretty great, and indeed the highlight of the film. (Why they start off just punching when we later see them fighting in space is unclear.) The acting is pretty cheesy, especially the actor who plays Tex. I would love to have seen more of the robot fights and less of the human interaction, which seemed forced. None of the people are particularly likable. How the female lead went on to be as big as she is after this is unclear.
The film began shooting in Rome in 1986, inspired by the Transformers and Macross, as well as "The Right Stuff" (which Gordon used for visual cues). The plot mixed in aspects of the "Iliad" and the story of Achilles, and the cast included Robert Sampson ("Re-Animator"), Hilary Mason ("Dolls"). This was a mix of classic Gordon elements and something all too futuristic.
For the fans of this (or Gordon's career in general), Shout! Factory has packed their new Blu-ray so full they did not even have room to write on the case what it contained. It says "two audio commentaries" and "new and archival interviews", which does not really sum up just how much is on here... you can hear some incredible stories from Gordon, Band, Koslo and others about the Italian crew, the budget issues, and the limits of pre-digital technology. Although the movie itself is not my favorite, the disc is a must-own for any fan.
Perhaps most interesting is the story about the bank that financed all the failing companies (including Empire and Cannon). The financial difficulties of Empire, Wizard and more or less everything Charlie Band touches are legendary. But who knew the problems were tied in with European finance and a handful of other seemingly-unrelated movie companies?
Pick up this disc from Scream! Factory, watch the heck out of it, and then watch "Pacific Rim". Gordon thinks the way the robots are controlled has been borrowed by others, including "Pacific Rim", and when seen side by side it is hard to argue with him. Although largely forgotten, "Robot Jox" is more relevant than ever and it is time to give it the place in science fiction history it deserves.
Although I would consider myself a bigger than average Stuart Gordon fan, this was a film I never got to see until now (2015). And what a strange addition to his career. The robot fights, though perhaps "retro" or dated, are pretty great, and indeed the highlight of the film. (Why they start off just punching when we later see them fighting in space is unclear.) The acting is pretty cheesy, especially the actor who plays Tex. I would love to have seen more of the robot fights and less of the human interaction, which seemed forced. None of the people are particularly likable. How the female lead went on to be as big as she is after this is unclear.
The film began shooting in Rome in 1986, inspired by the Transformers and Macross, as well as "The Right Stuff" (which Gordon used for visual cues). The plot mixed in aspects of the "Iliad" and the story of Achilles, and the cast included Robert Sampson ("Re-Animator"), Hilary Mason ("Dolls"). This was a mix of classic Gordon elements and something all too futuristic.
For the fans of this (or Gordon's career in general), Shout! Factory has packed their new Blu-ray so full they did not even have room to write on the case what it contained. It says "two audio commentaries" and "new and archival interviews", which does not really sum up just how much is on here... you can hear some incredible stories from Gordon, Band, Koslo and others about the Italian crew, the budget issues, and the limits of pre-digital technology. Although the movie itself is not my favorite, the disc is a must-own for any fan.
Perhaps most interesting is the story about the bank that financed all the failing companies (including Empire and Cannon). The financial difficulties of Empire, Wizard and more or less everything Charlie Band touches are legendary. But who knew the problems were tied in with European finance and a handful of other seemingly-unrelated movie companies?
Pick up this disc from Scream! Factory, watch the heck out of it, and then watch "Pacific Rim". Gordon thinks the way the robots are controlled has been borrowed by others, including "Pacific Rim", and when seen side by side it is hard to argue with him. Although largely forgotten, "Robot Jox" is more relevant than ever and it is time to give it the place in science fiction history it deserves.
You're making my beer curdle....
FlashCallahan10 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
50 years after a nuclear war, the superpowers handle disputes in a different way. Giant robots fight one-on-one battles in official matches, each piloted by a man inside, known as robot jockeys.
The contest for possession of Alaska will be fought by two of the best. Achilles for the USA, Opposing him is a Alexander, a ruthless Russian adversary who has killed his previous nine American opponents.
With a traitor feeding the Russians secret weapons information and new, genetically- engineered jox looking to take his place, Achilles faces obstacles at every turn in the hardest battle of his life.....
Like Arena, and Crash and Burn, the movie is cheaply made, badly acted, and choc full of bad effects. But its like a really bad accident, you cannot keep your eyes off the screen.
The film is set in four locations, Achilles Room, the local bar, the holding wing for the robot, and the fighting arena. It ventures off to space once where the Russian can fire a rocket, and that's it.
Its fun when the robots fight, as the actors don't really say anything, but other than that, its pretty pants. Almost like a really poor relation to Rocky IV, in its layout, its novelty soon wears off after a while, leaving you with a film that has nothing new to offer you.
But it is the best film ever featuring a traitor in a Stetson jumping from a height and still screaming long after he landed and died....
The contest for possession of Alaska will be fought by two of the best. Achilles for the USA, Opposing him is a Alexander, a ruthless Russian adversary who has killed his previous nine American opponents.
With a traitor feeding the Russians secret weapons information and new, genetically- engineered jox looking to take his place, Achilles faces obstacles at every turn in the hardest battle of his life.....
Like Arena, and Crash and Burn, the movie is cheaply made, badly acted, and choc full of bad effects. But its like a really bad accident, you cannot keep your eyes off the screen.
The film is set in four locations, Achilles Room, the local bar, the holding wing for the robot, and the fighting arena. It ventures off to space once where the Russian can fire a rocket, and that's it.
Its fun when the robots fight, as the actors don't really say anything, but other than that, its pretty pants. Almost like a really poor relation to Rocky IV, in its layout, its novelty soon wears off after a while, leaving you with a film that has nothing new to offer you.
But it is the best film ever featuring a traitor in a Stetson jumping from a height and still screaming long after he landed and died....
One of the Great Cheapies
zombking5 April 2003
While this movie in no way could be compared to the greats like Godfather or Star Wars, keep in mind that it had very little money. Stuart Gordon does a spectacular job of trying to maintain a big-budget realism with a very small budget. Not only does he do that, but he also makes a fairly entertaining film as well.
I saw this one a long time ago, and have since bought the tape. It really is a true guilty pleasure. While this is not as good as Stuart Gordon's other movies such as Re-Animator, it does beat out the awful Castle Freak. While many say that this is possibly the worst ever, they have obviously never seen a really bad film before.
The plot, which is actually fairly original, focuses on a "Robot Jock (Jox)" that is torn between retiring or continuing to fight for his country in a giant man made robot with specially made weapons to against the interesting, although cliched, Alexander. Add in genetically engineered fighters, and you have yourself one heck of a final fight royal.
The music score, done by some no name composer I have never heard of is actually quite good. I was very very impressed. The score really cought the mood of the action to me.
Overall, it's worth a rental, and if you like it, buy it on tape. I love it, but can see why others would call it average fair. But considering the budget and the company (It was made by the same guys who made Full Moon Studios) it scores pretty high on the zombie meter- 3 1/2 out of five
I saw this one a long time ago, and have since bought the tape. It really is a true guilty pleasure. While this is not as good as Stuart Gordon's other movies such as Re-Animator, it does beat out the awful Castle Freak. While many say that this is possibly the worst ever, they have obviously never seen a really bad film before.
The plot, which is actually fairly original, focuses on a "Robot Jock (Jox)" that is torn between retiring or continuing to fight for his country in a giant man made robot with specially made weapons to against the interesting, although cliched, Alexander. Add in genetically engineered fighters, and you have yourself one heck of a final fight royal.
The music score, done by some no name composer I have never heard of is actually quite good. I was very very impressed. The score really cought the mood of the action to me.
Overall, it's worth a rental, and if you like it, buy it on tape. I love it, but can see why others would call it average fair. But considering the budget and the company (It was made by the same guys who made Full Moon Studios) it scores pretty high on the zombie meter- 3 1/2 out of five
Not as good as I remembered it...
spacemonkey_fg22 February 2006
Title: Robot Jox (1990)
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Gary Graham, Anne Marie Johnson, Paul Koslo
Review: Stuart Gordon who we usually associate with extremely gory horror films such as Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dagon and Castle Freak, took a small detour here and did a little sci-fi flick. I stress the word "little" since this is a very low budget flick, and there in lies its main weakness.
The story takes place in the future. A world in which the great superpowers (that according to this movie are the United States and Russia) duke out their differences not by going on a full blown world war...but by fighting gladiator style battles with gigantic robots. Our hero Achilles must go up against the evil Russian robot fighter called Alexander. Lots of cheap stop motion animation ensues.
Well, the idea is awesome I guess. The great nations settleling territorial disputes with giant robots? Interesting premise and one that could have been handled properly if the proper budget had been available. Unfortunately what could have been a fun movie ends up being an embarrassment for an otherwise great director.
I as a kid loved this movie, and I guess if you want any enjoyment out of this movie, you'll have to revert back to little kid mode to have some fun with it. I showed this film to some of my friends and as the movie progressed my friends where like "what the hell is this piece of crap franco?" And I'm like well this movie is a sci-fi by one of my favorite directors Stuart Gordon?" But as the movie progressed into corny territory I almost felt like pressing stop and not having them go through that torture. I could go through it, cause I loved this film as a kid, and there's still a little nostalgia attached to watching it. But everyone else was just not going to get it.
And I myself realized that the movie isn't really that good. First off. The movie is about giant robots kicking the hell out of each other. And in order to achieve this in a credible fashion you'd have to use some damn good special effects to make it work, expensive effects that would help us the audience suspend disbelief. But unfortunately this being a small scale movie, from a small scale company (Empire Pictures, which went bankrupt after making this film!)the effects only help us giggle and laugh at them. Heck even the sets and some of the wardrobe looks unfinished or half assed.
OK granted, once you accept that you are watching a mixture of moderate stop animation and miniatures well you can sort of give in to the film and even enjoy the big robots kicking the hell out of each other. There are certain scenes when the robots are fighting that are kinda cool, and made me go "thats why I liked thid movie!" But every know and them, some crappy effect will take you right out of that protective little cocoon you were trying to hide in. And boom, your right back into realizing this film just doesn't live up to its premise.
And heres another thing that sort of bothered me a bit about the movie. This movie is basically a movie for kids. You know, giant robots duking it out? Stop motion animation? Hello? But this movies dialogue had a lot of sexual innuendos and the violence gets a little bloody. So I kept asking myself is this a kids movie or not? After a while I just came to the conclusion that basically this was a kids movie with adult sensibilities, which really isn't a good mix.
So for those of you who don't feel that certain naive childlike charm of watching two robots fighting each other and if you don't have a nostalgic connection to this movie (like I do) well Id suggest you steer clear away from this one. Gordons a great director, but this movie he made, just didn't do it for me. Well, at least not now that I'm a full grown adult.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Director: Stuart Gordon
Cast: Gary Graham, Anne Marie Johnson, Paul Koslo
Review: Stuart Gordon who we usually associate with extremely gory horror films such as Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dagon and Castle Freak, took a small detour here and did a little sci-fi flick. I stress the word "little" since this is a very low budget flick, and there in lies its main weakness.
The story takes place in the future. A world in which the great superpowers (that according to this movie are the United States and Russia) duke out their differences not by going on a full blown world war...but by fighting gladiator style battles with gigantic robots. Our hero Achilles must go up against the evil Russian robot fighter called Alexander. Lots of cheap stop motion animation ensues.
Well, the idea is awesome I guess. The great nations settleling territorial disputes with giant robots? Interesting premise and one that could have been handled properly if the proper budget had been available. Unfortunately what could have been a fun movie ends up being an embarrassment for an otherwise great director.
I as a kid loved this movie, and I guess if you want any enjoyment out of this movie, you'll have to revert back to little kid mode to have some fun with it. I showed this film to some of my friends and as the movie progressed my friends where like "what the hell is this piece of crap franco?" And I'm like well this movie is a sci-fi by one of my favorite directors Stuart Gordon?" But as the movie progressed into corny territory I almost felt like pressing stop and not having them go through that torture. I could go through it, cause I loved this film as a kid, and there's still a little nostalgia attached to watching it. But everyone else was just not going to get it.
And I myself realized that the movie isn't really that good. First off. The movie is about giant robots kicking the hell out of each other. And in order to achieve this in a credible fashion you'd have to use some damn good special effects to make it work, expensive effects that would help us the audience suspend disbelief. But unfortunately this being a small scale movie, from a small scale company (Empire Pictures, which went bankrupt after making this film!)the effects only help us giggle and laugh at them. Heck even the sets and some of the wardrobe looks unfinished or half assed.
OK granted, once you accept that you are watching a mixture of moderate stop animation and miniatures well you can sort of give in to the film and even enjoy the big robots kicking the hell out of each other. There are certain scenes when the robots are fighting that are kinda cool, and made me go "thats why I liked thid movie!" But every know and them, some crappy effect will take you right out of that protective little cocoon you were trying to hide in. And boom, your right back into realizing this film just doesn't live up to its premise.
And heres another thing that sort of bothered me a bit about the movie. This movie is basically a movie for kids. You know, giant robots duking it out? Stop motion animation? Hello? But this movies dialogue had a lot of sexual innuendos and the violence gets a little bloody. So I kept asking myself is this a kids movie or not? After a while I just came to the conclusion that basically this was a kids movie with adult sensibilities, which really isn't a good mix.
So for those of you who don't feel that certain naive childlike charm of watching two robots fighting each other and if you don't have a nostalgic connection to this movie (like I do) well Id suggest you steer clear away from this one. Gordons a great director, but this movie he made, just didn't do it for me. Well, at least not now that I'm a full grown adult.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Fun movie
Bungle-93 April 2005
I read somewhere (in a fairly panning review) that this is something of a live-action mecha anime, and I think they're on the right lines. I first watched this movie when I was very young and I've been dying to see it again, and when I finally did just recently all the memories came flooding back. I don't think this is to be taken too seriously - it's just a bit of good old 80's almost-a-TV-movie fun (it is set against the backdrop of a fairly dark future, although this point isn't stressed too much). What I admired most about this movie was that the dialogue didn't sound generic - no clichés, no predictable lines - all in all just good fun! Maybe time hasn't been kind to this little movie, but still I can find appreciation for it in me. It's by no means perfect, but it's entertaining and doesn't try to be anything other than that. Let the nerds and comic-store-guys worry about technicalities - who cares? See it for yourself and make your own decision. No-one else's opinion matters.
Rock N Sock Robots
ironhorse_iv26 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Before there was Pacific Rim, Real Steel, Power Rangers, and others. There was Robot Jox. This sci-fiction fighting robot concept has two federations fighting over territory using giant mechs in a post- apocalyptic world. The two federations are the Russian Confederation & the Western Market after fifthly year after a nuclear holocaust between USSR & USA, open war is forbidden by the surviving two nations. To resolve conflicts, the Market and Confederation hold gladiator-style matches between giant robots, piloted by "robot jox". The most successful powerful robot jox Market has is Achilles (Gary Graham) whom supported by robot designer "Doc" Matsumoto (Danny Kamekona), a walking, talking Japanese stereotype. Talking about stereotypes, there is the strategist redneck, Tex Conway (Michael Alldredge). Tex is the only jock to win all ten of his contract fights, and Achilles is closing in his record. Achilles' tenth fight will be against his bitter rival, the Confederation's Alexander (Paul Koslo) in a desert land. The desert land was created when the nuclear war wasted the ozone layer, causing deserts and drought to pop out. Without much trees to give oxygen, outside the cities, people either have to wear protective clothing or stay under panels. Those rich enough are able to watch the fight in roof bleachers. Front row tickets to see a giant robot death match with stray missiles and lasers. What could possibly go wrong? During the battle, Achilles attempts to intercept a wayward projectile launched by Alexander, and his robot collapses on top of the bleachers full of spectators, ending the fight. This is where, there is two version of the film comes in. After Achilles' robot falls on the spectators, there are more shots of both Achilles' bloody face and of the dead bodies in the stands. The Motion Picture Association of America film rating system database indicates that Robot Jox was originally rated PG–13, but trimmed to obtain PG. In the PG version, these shots were cut. In a post-match conference, the referees decide that the match is inconclusive and schedule a rematch. Achilles, shaken by the accident and the deaths of the spectators, insists the fight was his contractual tenth match and retires, much to the disapproval of his fans. A group of genetically engineered "gen jox" also known by their slang name 'tubies' are breed just to fight. Athena (Anne-Marie Johnson) a gen jox is chosen to replace Achilles. Concerned that she may not win, Achilles agrees to fight Alexander again, which infuriates Athena trying to seek glory. I don't know if this is cause by him having a thing for Athena or just the fact he realizes that a female genetically engineered athlete, Athena, will replace him, and he might be a sexism pig. He just goes ahead and steals the spot light, and take over when Athena is quickly defeated. Without giving too much away, the movie is interested with pseudo-science terms, there seem be a bit of racism conflict between tubies and normal humans. I would love to see more of that, but the ending leaves a bad taste in audience. It's ends when things are not clearly solves and a very cheesy ending with both sides agreeing to not fight each other after what it seems like them nearly killing each other for minutes. The film is supposed to be a science fiction adaptation of the Iliad, but after watching this movie, it is clears it is not. The film seems to be a bit of rip-off of the Battle Tech series from the 1980's. I do like seeing good old fashion stop motion and animatronics. While, it is outdated, it's was pretty good at the time. Check it out if you're a fan of fighting robots with your own risk. While it's a good B-list movie, I would rather play Rock 'n Sock Robots than watch the movie multiply times.
Mech war movie
netkiffing17 May 2006
If you like mech war games it's pretty good. Some of it is cheap but the robot fights is worth seeing. I've enjoyed the mech war field for some time and this is pretty much the only movie I've ever seen that come close to that feeling of what it would be like to pilot one of those huge mechs. If you like the genera then games you like are Mech Warrior Three and four and if you have an Xbox and $350 to spare Steel Battalion. The movie is worth seeing at least once. There really needs to be some more movies on the same theme out there. Less remakes and more original works.
Enjoy
Enjoy
crap x 1,000000
nivek_nailgun7 March 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This is without a doubt one of the worst movies I've seen in my life. My best friend pressured me to rent it simply because he's one of those guys obsessed with 'Mechs' (yes,you guys are still out there....tossing between anime,dungeons and dragons,macintosh computers and mechs). So I rented the thing in the hopes that yea,it might be ok. Well well...it sucks so bad that even HE was laughing his way through it. To summarize....all too typical story,cardboard effects and horrifying acting with a mix of poor stunts *POSSIBLE SPOILER*(everyone see the scene where the chick is sparring and when she does the spin kick they didn't edit well enough hence leaving the MOUSTACHED stuntman doing the kick still on camera in her place?? Hilarious!) I've no clue how stuff like this ever sees film.
Flawed but basically interesting
TVholic12 June 2006
Robot Jox tries hard, but is fundamentally a series of fight scenes strung together -- robot against robot, man against man, man against woman. The premise had potential, but it seems the script wasn't really given the couple of more drafts it needed. Still, it was fairly good, for a science fiction action movie. Part of it was because the script was by Joe Haldeman. For those who aren't familiar with the name, Haldeman wrote the award-winning science fiction novel "The Forever War." It's considered one of the very best powered battle armor novels, right up there with Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" and John Steakley's "Armor." And this movie is really more like a giant powered battle armor movie, rather than giant robots. It's closer to what fans would have wanted instead of the travesty that was Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers," which bore only a passing resemblance to the novel it was based on.
Despite some assumptions, this really isn't based on Homer's "Iliad." A couple of names are all they had in common. Achilles having his robot's foot blown off had no parallel in the Iliad, which didn't include Achilles' death. Nor was the ancient Achilles a noble warrior. He was the mightiest, but also vengeful and petty. Even the robot jock killed off in the first scene doesn't fit. He was named Hercules, while the Greek Iliad would have had Herakles.
The effects were fairly good for the time and the budget. True, it wasn't comparable to "Terminator 2" a year later, but that movie cost ten times as much. The stop motion was almost as good as the robotic walkers in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Better, in fact, than a lot of Ray Harryhausen animation, which is highly regarded, but quite dated.
Don't bring high expectations into this and you probably won't be disappointed. It's better than a lot of other low-budget flicks and even some big-budget blockbuster wannabes that have better effects but far worse scripts.
Despite some assumptions, this really isn't based on Homer's "Iliad." A couple of names are all they had in common. Achilles having his robot's foot blown off had no parallel in the Iliad, which didn't include Achilles' death. Nor was the ancient Achilles a noble warrior. He was the mightiest, but also vengeful and petty. Even the robot jock killed off in the first scene doesn't fit. He was named Hercules, while the Greek Iliad would have had Herakles.
The effects were fairly good for the time and the budget. True, it wasn't comparable to "Terminator 2" a year later, but that movie cost ten times as much. The stop motion was almost as good as the robotic walkers in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Better, in fact, than a lot of Ray Harryhausen animation, which is highly regarded, but quite dated.
Don't bring high expectations into this and you probably won't be disappointed. It's better than a lot of other low-budget flicks and even some big-budget blockbuster wannabes that have better effects but far worse scripts.
Sci fi done right, and by right, I mean really wrong.
byght25 November 2002
This movie is the perfect illustration of how NOT to make a sci fi movie. The worst tendency in sci-fi is to make your theme an awful, sophomoric, pseudo-Orwellian/Huxleyan/whateverian "vision" of "the human future."
Science fiction filmmakers (and authors), as geeks, take themselves very seriously given the high crap-to-good-stuff ratio of their genre. I think other genres with a high CTGSR (yes, I just made it up, relax), like horror or action or even romantic comedy, seem to have a little better grasp of the fact that they are not changing the world with some profound "message."
Sci fi can certainly be successful on a serious level, as numerous great filmmakers have proven. But there is an immense downside to the whole concept, which is represented by "Robot Jox," with its low-rent construction of "the future" (lone good design element: the bizarre, slick-looking billboard ads all over the place that encourage women to have more babies) and its painfully heavy-handed "Iliad" parallels (He's NAMED ACHILLES FOR GOD'S SAKE! I actually didn't pick up on this until I saw the film for like the tenth time, but I went to public school, so the filmmakers are not exonerated.)
Of course, if you're a crazy movie freak like me, this downside has a great upside. I absolutely LOVE movies like this, because bad movies are quite often more fun and sometimes even more interesting than good ones. It's kind of a Lester Bangs approach to movie viewing, I guess.
Note: The lead in this movie (Gary Graham? Is that his name? I refuse to go check.) is really not that bad. He makes a go of it. He's kind of cool, especially when he's drunk/hung over.
Science fiction filmmakers (and authors), as geeks, take themselves very seriously given the high crap-to-good-stuff ratio of their genre. I think other genres with a high CTGSR (yes, I just made it up, relax), like horror or action or even romantic comedy, seem to have a little better grasp of the fact that they are not changing the world with some profound "message."
Sci fi can certainly be successful on a serious level, as numerous great filmmakers have proven. But there is an immense downside to the whole concept, which is represented by "Robot Jox," with its low-rent construction of "the future" (lone good design element: the bizarre, slick-looking billboard ads all over the place that encourage women to have more babies) and its painfully heavy-handed "Iliad" parallels (He's NAMED ACHILLES FOR GOD'S SAKE! I actually didn't pick up on this until I saw the film for like the tenth time, but I went to public school, so the filmmakers are not exonerated.)
Of course, if you're a crazy movie freak like me, this downside has a great upside. I absolutely LOVE movies like this, because bad movies are quite often more fun and sometimes even more interesting than good ones. It's kind of a Lester Bangs approach to movie viewing, I guess.
Note: The lead in this movie (Gary Graham? Is that his name? I refuse to go check.) is really not that bad. He makes a go of it. He's kind of cool, especially when he's drunk/hung over.
What's Up With the Bad Reviews?
winstonsmith_8426 November 2001
This film seems to get bad critiscism for some reason. Probably just by the mass populace. Anyhow, this is actually a very interesting movie. The film is an under-budget sci-fi movie which actually works, due to an interesting storyline and well done scenes.
This movie may not be for everyone though. If there are any Sci-Fi fans reading this, I truly recommend this movie if you like good ole science fiction. The film has crazy ideas. The setting includes nations going to war with GIGANTIC machines which the entire countries invest all it's money in! The world has been divied up into territories. Anyone can challenge anyone else to a war, or rather, a 'robot-duel'. The method of warfare is cleaner than nuclear war, since now everyone is wearing those breath masks. Definetly a movie that makes you think. Intelligent, well written, and good effects for the measly budget.
I tend to like movies which have small budgets and actually work.
This movie may not be for everyone though. If there are any Sci-Fi fans reading this, I truly recommend this movie if you like good ole science fiction. The film has crazy ideas. The setting includes nations going to war with GIGANTIC machines which the entire countries invest all it's money in! The world has been divied up into territories. Anyone can challenge anyone else to a war, or rather, a 'robot-duel'. The method of warfare is cleaner than nuclear war, since now everyone is wearing those breath masks. Definetly a movie that makes you think. Intelligent, well written, and good effects for the measly budget.
I tend to like movies which have small budgets and actually work.
Cheesy and ridiculous and awesome.
Dodge-Zombie27 June 2022
It's not Stuart Gordons best movie but it's still an absolutely fantastic movie. Terribly bad acting. Weirdly placed music. A script that would of killed itself if it was sentient.
All adds up to one of the best movies of the time.
I've often wondered if Ray Harryhausen ever saw this because it's probably one of the last best movies to feature stop motion.
All adds up to one of the best movies of the time.
I've often wondered if Ray Harryhausen ever saw this because it's probably one of the last best movies to feature stop motion.
Early 90s? Looks more like early 80s!
cake-2611 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
What an awful movie! The Idea of robots fighting each other is cool, but the storyline is ridiculous, real human action laughable, acting non-existent and special effects (on which, this type of movie must depend) are archaic. I thought it must have been made around '80-'84 and was amazed to see it was from 1990. That's 5 years after Aliens! OK, lots of people said it was good considering the low budget, but I just think 'what's the point?'. it looks totally unbelievable. I wouldn't mind seeing a remake with modern special effects and a completely re-written story because I still like the idea of huge robots beating crap out of each other.
Cheesy action-drama with cool robots!
FrankTG24 October 1999
This under-budgeted film has the kind of stuff I like to see in sci-fi movies: A cool premise (two factions using giant Mech-warrior type robots to fight for land or politics in an arena), two-dimensional characters and great miniature filming!
The story's about a soon-to-be-retired jock who drives giant robots and slugs it out with the other faction's jocks and robots. He is unwillingly replaced by a novice girl he cares about or something, and she tries to fight the old jock's nemesis. Before this guy kills the girl, the old jock gets a chance to mount a robot and fight his enemy until both robots are done with.
The fight sequence are nice to see, the miniature filming is top-notch, and the story breezes through without been noticed (believe me, it's not important enough to notice)... The space-fighting scene at least has an honest-to-God true fact about space fighting: no sound!! (for the first time in Sci-fi movie history, except of course for "2001: A space odyssey", but they had no space fighting in "2001...").
For sure, a fun grade-B movie.
The story's about a soon-to-be-retired jock who drives giant robots and slugs it out with the other faction's jocks and robots. He is unwillingly replaced by a novice girl he cares about or something, and she tries to fight the old jock's nemesis. Before this guy kills the girl, the old jock gets a chance to mount a robot and fight his enemy until both robots are done with.
The fight sequence are nice to see, the miniature filming is top-notch, and the story breezes through without been noticed (believe me, it's not important enough to notice)... The space-fighting scene at least has an honest-to-God true fact about space fighting: no sound!! (for the first time in Sci-fi movie history, except of course for "2001: A space odyssey", but they had no space fighting in "2001...").
For sure, a fun grade-B movie.
Campy low rent sci-fi with some great stop motion effects
Leofwine_draca3 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A movie released during the imminent downfall of Charles Band's Empire Pictures, which of course would become Full Moon Pictures instead. Fans of films from these studios will no doubt pleasantly enjoy this silly little science fiction flick with an interesting premise, although those who are fans of less obscure fare will find their patience tested by the poor acting and low budget, two factors which combine to make this a less than satisfying experience.
Personally, I enjoyed it, in a kind of lame-brained way. I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic movies and this one starts off well, with a roving view of a barren wasteland. Sadly, this film quickly degenerates into lots of scenes of people shouting at each other and far too much talk, when reliance on the action instead would have made it a much easier experience. The action is this film's highlight, and wonderful it is. Imagine the television series TRANSFORMERS. Imagine those robots increasing in size a thousand times and fighting each other. The image you have in your mind is ROBOT JOX in a nutshell. Forget human gladiators, the fighters of the future are gigantic robots who shoot lasers at each other and smash bits from their enemies.
The robots themselves are a mixture of convincing models and some truly excellent stop-motion animation, which reaffirms my opinion that stop-motion is the greatest special effect ever invented. It even made a totally bad film like THE STRANGENESS watchable. Watching these two robots striding around is truly a cool sight, and it's just a shame that these moments occupy so little of the film (it runs at 80 minutes as it is, and an hour of that time is made up of chit-chat). If this film had been made today with CGI effects replacing the robots, it just wouldn't have been the same.
For the rest of the film, we have some boring plot about honour, justice, and sabotage. To be honest I couldn't care less. A group of actors and actresses you've never seen before emote a lot to little effect. The appearance of Jeffrey Combs ignited a spark of hope in my mind, but sadly he's in it for seconds only, his face obscured by a hood as it is. Gary Graham is the gurning, idiotic hero who looks like a teenager. Anne-Marie Johnson is the irritating female lead. Everyone else in the cast is merely continuing their career in low-budget, straight-to-video trash. I noticed one old woman cast member popping up from a comic kid's TV series broadcast ten years ago in the UK.
So, basically, what I'm saying is that aside from the few robot fights, this is pretty worthless stuff. There are a few okayish fist fights, a fun training scene where the participants have to climb up a giant, shaking metal frame, but not much else in the way of excitement. Unless bad acting does something for you that is. The violence is kept to a minimum although nudity does pop up here and there (the film still managed to scrape in with a PG rating in America; on our shores, the censors saw fit to rate it 15). ROBOT JOX is a wasted opportunity with a fun idea behind it, only worthwhile for viewers with very high tolerance levels.
Personally, I enjoyed it, in a kind of lame-brained way. I've always been a fan of post-apocalyptic movies and this one starts off well, with a roving view of a barren wasteland. Sadly, this film quickly degenerates into lots of scenes of people shouting at each other and far too much talk, when reliance on the action instead would have made it a much easier experience. The action is this film's highlight, and wonderful it is. Imagine the television series TRANSFORMERS. Imagine those robots increasing in size a thousand times and fighting each other. The image you have in your mind is ROBOT JOX in a nutshell. Forget human gladiators, the fighters of the future are gigantic robots who shoot lasers at each other and smash bits from their enemies.
The robots themselves are a mixture of convincing models and some truly excellent stop-motion animation, which reaffirms my opinion that stop-motion is the greatest special effect ever invented. It even made a totally bad film like THE STRANGENESS watchable. Watching these two robots striding around is truly a cool sight, and it's just a shame that these moments occupy so little of the film (it runs at 80 minutes as it is, and an hour of that time is made up of chit-chat). If this film had been made today with CGI effects replacing the robots, it just wouldn't have been the same.
For the rest of the film, we have some boring plot about honour, justice, and sabotage. To be honest I couldn't care less. A group of actors and actresses you've never seen before emote a lot to little effect. The appearance of Jeffrey Combs ignited a spark of hope in my mind, but sadly he's in it for seconds only, his face obscured by a hood as it is. Gary Graham is the gurning, idiotic hero who looks like a teenager. Anne-Marie Johnson is the irritating female lead. Everyone else in the cast is merely continuing their career in low-budget, straight-to-video trash. I noticed one old woman cast member popping up from a comic kid's TV series broadcast ten years ago in the UK.
So, basically, what I'm saying is that aside from the few robot fights, this is pretty worthless stuff. There are a few okayish fist fights, a fun training scene where the participants have to climb up a giant, shaking metal frame, but not much else in the way of excitement. Unless bad acting does something for you that is. The violence is kept to a minimum although nudity does pop up here and there (the film still managed to scrape in with a PG rating in America; on our shores, the censors saw fit to rate it 15). ROBOT JOX is a wasted opportunity with a fun idea behind it, only worthwhile for viewers with very high tolerance levels.
From a time when 'Pacific Rim' wasn't even a glint in Guillermo Del Torro's eye
stevenrotherforth13 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Robot Jox
This movie came from a time long ago when 'Pacific Rim' wasn't even a glint in Guillermo Del Torro's eye and it just can't be helped but to draw comparison to Del Torro's 2013 Robo-blockbuster.
Robot Jox was made in 1989 and is set in the future where humans do battle with each other in giant tower sized robots. War is outlawed and settles are scored by the smashing of metal against metal. The acting and dialogue is woeful but the concept is rather impressive and stop motion effects were pretty good. This film unlike the comparable 'Pacific Rim' didn't have a mega budget and it is commendable how the special effects team have managed to stretch the cash. Made when filmmakers needed to be more resourceful. 'Robot Jox' is lemonade pretending to be Champagne. Whilst the special effects may be ambitious the acting and screenplay certainly are not. Gary Graham stars as our hero. He's a recognisable face but I can't put my finger on just what else I've seen him in. He tries to do his best with the poor script and imitate the whole hero swagger but sadly he's no Eastwood, Stallone or even Van Damme. It comes as a surprise that Director Stuart Gordon almost cast Jean Claude Van Damme in the lead role of Achilles but opted for Graham instead. The fact that the studio went bust half way through filming this movie is just as well they didn't pay big bucks for the muscles from Brussels. Gary Graham is the best of a bad bunch when it comes to the amateur cast. The villain played by Paul Koslo named Alexander is laughably bad but still manages to charismatically add something with his hammy acting and cheesy dialogue. His Russian accent is so over the top that it makes the movie all the more entertaining. Just like this film, he is so bad he's good. This is a movie that can be likened to that old saying "Never meet your heroes!" I loved this as a kid. Robots were big business back then. What with the Transformers cartoon, The Terminator and Robocop. Now as a forty three year old I couldn't help but cringe when I rewatched. That said if like me you can forgive this films flaws there's still fun to be had. Sure it's a product of its time but without this we probably wouldn't have got Pacific Rim. Another interesting fact is that a sequel was planned where Achilles and Alexander team up to take on an invading alien race. Hang on a minute that is the plot of Pacific Rim! Perhaps we did sort of get that sequel after all.
This movie came from a time long ago when 'Pacific Rim' wasn't even a glint in Guillermo Del Torro's eye and it just can't be helped but to draw comparison to Del Torro's 2013 Robo-blockbuster.
Robot Jox was made in 1989 and is set in the future where humans do battle with each other in giant tower sized robots. War is outlawed and settles are scored by the smashing of metal against metal. The acting and dialogue is woeful but the concept is rather impressive and stop motion effects were pretty good. This film unlike the comparable 'Pacific Rim' didn't have a mega budget and it is commendable how the special effects team have managed to stretch the cash. Made when filmmakers needed to be more resourceful. 'Robot Jox' is lemonade pretending to be Champagne. Whilst the special effects may be ambitious the acting and screenplay certainly are not. Gary Graham stars as our hero. He's a recognisable face but I can't put my finger on just what else I've seen him in. He tries to do his best with the poor script and imitate the whole hero swagger but sadly he's no Eastwood, Stallone or even Van Damme. It comes as a surprise that Director Stuart Gordon almost cast Jean Claude Van Damme in the lead role of Achilles but opted for Graham instead. The fact that the studio went bust half way through filming this movie is just as well they didn't pay big bucks for the muscles from Brussels. Gary Graham is the best of a bad bunch when it comes to the amateur cast. The villain played by Paul Koslo named Alexander is laughably bad but still manages to charismatically add something with his hammy acting and cheesy dialogue. His Russian accent is so over the top that it makes the movie all the more entertaining. Just like this film, he is so bad he's good. This is a movie that can be likened to that old saying "Never meet your heroes!" I loved this as a kid. Robots were big business back then. What with the Transformers cartoon, The Terminator and Robocop. Now as a forty three year old I couldn't help but cringe when I rewatched. That said if like me you can forgive this films flaws there's still fun to be had. Sure it's a product of its time but without this we probably wouldn't have got Pacific Rim. Another interesting fact is that a sequel was planned where Achilles and Alexander team up to take on an invading alien race. Hang on a minute that is the plot of Pacific Rim! Perhaps we did sort of get that sequel after all.
#3 on my All-time worst movie I've ever seen in the theater list
p_liles25 January 2006
I actually paid to see this movie in the theater.
It would get a 1-rating, but the fight scenes between the robots are okay, and there's a surprise.
I realize that some movies have larger budgets than others. I don't have a problem with that. Unfortunately, science fiction movies probably suffer the most on a small budget for obvious reasons. But, one way this movie fails is that just about every piece of each set looked cheesy and cheap. I mean, couldn't they even make it "look" good?
The other major reason this movie is horrible is the acting If I watched the movie now and knew what to expect, I might just enjoy it for the cheese-factor, but at the time, I was expecting a good movie and had no clue as to how horrible it would actually end up being.
Thankfully, the experience was over in only 85 minutes.
It would get a 1-rating, but the fight scenes between the robots are okay, and there's a surprise.
I realize that some movies have larger budgets than others. I don't have a problem with that. Unfortunately, science fiction movies probably suffer the most on a small budget for obvious reasons. But, one way this movie fails is that just about every piece of each set looked cheesy and cheap. I mean, couldn't they even make it "look" good?
The other major reason this movie is horrible is the acting If I watched the movie now and knew what to expect, I might just enjoy it for the cheese-factor, but at the time, I was expecting a good movie and had no clue as to how horrible it would actually end up being.
Thankfully, the experience was over in only 85 minutes.
Rocky IV, Top Gun, Thunderbirds, and Transformers are combined into a joyfully silly exercise
IonicBreezeMachine24 April 2021
50 years after a nuclear war, war has been outlawed and disputes between the two superpowers, The Market and The Confederation, are now settled in one on one combat using giant robots piloted by Robot Jox, humans trained from birth to be perfect soldiers. Market Robot Jock Achilles (Gary Graham) 10th and final fight in his contract ends in a draw when Confederation Robot Jock, Alexander (Paul Koslo) uses an illegal weapon that results in the deaths of several spectators. While the match ends in a draw, Achilles resigns having fulfilled his obligation of 10 fights. When a test tube bred Robot Jock is slated to take his place, Achilles suits up and tries to reclaim his honor by taking on Alexander in a rematch.
The fourth feature film from director Stuart Gordon, Robot Jox marked a rather large departure for the man who'd made a name for himself with comedic slanted horror films like Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Dolls. Gordon was apparently inspired by the success of Transformers and wanted to do a movie about giant robots in live action after noticing most giant robot properties were animated. Gordon teamed with science fiction author, Joe Haldeman (The Forever War) to write the script after their success producing a stage adaptation of the Forever War and found themselves at odds over the tone. Haldeman, a veteran of the Vietnam war who often used his experiences to inspired his work wanted to take a more grounded approach to the material, while Gordon was more interested in making something more audience friendly which Haldeman charitably described as "Saturday Morning Cartoon stuff". The clash of ideas is definitely apparent on screen as there's definitely some over the top elements that feel at odds with considerably more serious stabs at the material (including subplots on genetic engineering and espionage, as well a subtext of soldiers being replacable pawns for political superpowers that isn't given the breathing room it needs). When the movie was released in 1990, the Bankruptcy of Empire pictures resulted in the film sitting on a shelf for a year with not only the cold war themes losing relevance, but Transformers was waning in popularity and giant robots wouldn't be in vogue for another 3 years until Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers in 1993. Columbia acquired distribution rights and unceremoniously dumped the movie into theaters via their Triumph label while Home Alone and Dances with Wolves were dominating the box office and disappeared within a week. With that said, Robot Jox is an entertaining silly film that I just can't help but love.
The movie is definitely a very cold war era film, with its two superpowers vying for control of various territories presented in a way that makes Rocky IV's approach to the Cold War look subtle by comparison. Paul Koslo's Alexander is basically the same character as Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago only instead of being playing as a stoned faced stoic he's played as a gleefully sneering sadist who loves destroyed his enemies. Gary Graham plays Achilles as a burnt out stiff who's grown weary of the gladitorial matches between the Market and the Confederation and it definitely has the fingerprints of Haldeman as that was often a trait the soldiers in The Forever War had being conscripts who were away from home and separated from their homes not only by distance but time dilation. It's not a bad performance at all, but the tone the movie strikes with its bright color pallet and silly Sci-Fi designs makes it feel strangely out of place in a world that looks not too dissimilar from one of Gerry Anderson's futuristic worlds. There's also a subplot involving a character named Athena (Anne-Marie Johnson) and she has a kind of sort rivalry/love interest relationship with Achilles that feels like a leftover remnant from what may have at one point been a bigger arc. Considering how often the script was re-written it wouldn't surprise me if there was a version where this character got a better pay off story-wise but as is she feels both confusing and unnecessary and makes you wonder why so much time was spent watching her train and interact with Achilles.
The true star of the movie is definitely the Robots and the fighting sequences. The Robots are absolutely gorgeous in terms of not only their designs but also in the way they movie. There's real thought and care put into how these giant machines work with crazy weaponry, transforming abilities, even the ability to go into space (with strangely accurate science including a lack of sound during the fighting in orbit around the Earth). The stop motion effects to bring the Robots to life is simply incredible and definitely the main reason to watch this movie.
Robot Jox is definitely silly in its execution and dated in its themes and subject matter, but it more than makes up for it with energy and enthusiasm as well as some really good special effects. It's a shame the movie didn't find an audience upon initial release, but it has gone on to develop a cult following and continues to be discovered and appreciated for both its strengths and its flaws.
The fourth feature film from director Stuart Gordon, Robot Jox marked a rather large departure for the man who'd made a name for himself with comedic slanted horror films like Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Dolls. Gordon was apparently inspired by the success of Transformers and wanted to do a movie about giant robots in live action after noticing most giant robot properties were animated. Gordon teamed with science fiction author, Joe Haldeman (The Forever War) to write the script after their success producing a stage adaptation of the Forever War and found themselves at odds over the tone. Haldeman, a veteran of the Vietnam war who often used his experiences to inspired his work wanted to take a more grounded approach to the material, while Gordon was more interested in making something more audience friendly which Haldeman charitably described as "Saturday Morning Cartoon stuff". The clash of ideas is definitely apparent on screen as there's definitely some over the top elements that feel at odds with considerably more serious stabs at the material (including subplots on genetic engineering and espionage, as well a subtext of soldiers being replacable pawns for political superpowers that isn't given the breathing room it needs). When the movie was released in 1990, the Bankruptcy of Empire pictures resulted in the film sitting on a shelf for a year with not only the cold war themes losing relevance, but Transformers was waning in popularity and giant robots wouldn't be in vogue for another 3 years until Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers in 1993. Columbia acquired distribution rights and unceremoniously dumped the movie into theaters via their Triumph label while Home Alone and Dances with Wolves were dominating the box office and disappeared within a week. With that said, Robot Jox is an entertaining silly film that I just can't help but love.
The movie is definitely a very cold war era film, with its two superpowers vying for control of various territories presented in a way that makes Rocky IV's approach to the Cold War look subtle by comparison. Paul Koslo's Alexander is basically the same character as Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago only instead of being playing as a stoned faced stoic he's played as a gleefully sneering sadist who loves destroyed his enemies. Gary Graham plays Achilles as a burnt out stiff who's grown weary of the gladitorial matches between the Market and the Confederation and it definitely has the fingerprints of Haldeman as that was often a trait the soldiers in The Forever War had being conscripts who were away from home and separated from their homes not only by distance but time dilation. It's not a bad performance at all, but the tone the movie strikes with its bright color pallet and silly Sci-Fi designs makes it feel strangely out of place in a world that looks not too dissimilar from one of Gerry Anderson's futuristic worlds. There's also a subplot involving a character named Athena (Anne-Marie Johnson) and she has a kind of sort rivalry/love interest relationship with Achilles that feels like a leftover remnant from what may have at one point been a bigger arc. Considering how often the script was re-written it wouldn't surprise me if there was a version where this character got a better pay off story-wise but as is she feels both confusing and unnecessary and makes you wonder why so much time was spent watching her train and interact with Achilles.
The true star of the movie is definitely the Robots and the fighting sequences. The Robots are absolutely gorgeous in terms of not only their designs but also in the way they movie. There's real thought and care put into how these giant machines work with crazy weaponry, transforming abilities, even the ability to go into space (with strangely accurate science including a lack of sound during the fighting in orbit around the Earth). The stop motion effects to bring the Robots to life is simply incredible and definitely the main reason to watch this movie.
Robot Jox is definitely silly in its execution and dated in its themes and subject matter, but it more than makes up for it with energy and enthusiasm as well as some really good special effects. It's a shame the movie didn't find an audience upon initial release, but it has gone on to develop a cult following and continues to be discovered and appreciated for both its strengths and its flaws.
Crappy sci-fi flick...Corny as it gets
KineticSeoul2 April 2012
I don't see how anyone that is an adult can find this movie to be entertaining. It might have worked as a comedy, but it goes in a serious direction but it's super lame and comedic. And the acting is just plain atrocious and laughable. On the bright side though this movie is only a hour and 24 minutes. There is just so many obvious plot-holes in this movie and the premise is just ridiculous, well at least how this movie executed it all. This movie can get more corny than the Power Rangers and the special effects is even worse. You can literally tell it's robot action figures on screen that duke it out. Even the fight sequences is so cheesy and super choreographed to the point it almost unbearable to watch. This is one of those movies you pop in and nit pick it to death and constantly bash on it while watching, at least than you can get some amusement out of it. Cause sometimes this movie is so bad it can get slightly funny. One of the female character and another male character looks so similar it can get distracting, I don't know I guess I really didn't like that female character in this movie for some reason. I am doing a lousy job of reviewing this movie to some degree cause this movie was lousy and was a waste of time. For a movie that came out in the early 90's this one could have done better in almost every way. The story is basically about robots fighting in a tournament in the future like gladiators except the fighters use robots to fight each other. Anyways during one of the fight Achilles gets in a fight with a cliché villain and by accident ends up hurting 300 spectators while trying to protect them and he goes on a guilt trip. The cowboy sidekick in this is annoying and the dialogue is just corny...Plain and simple. So yeah I give this movie a 3/10 which is being super generous, cause it's unintentionally funny sometimes and might get a few chuckles out of it. Watch this movie with movie friends and bash this movie while watching and you might get something out of it. I try to be open-minded but I really can't understand how anyone can give this movie above a 7. I don't know if they are trying to stand out or something cause this is obviously a terrible movie. And it isn't so bad it's good either, it's just plain crap.
3/10
3/10
Enjoyable Nonsense; the scifi that killed Empire
Aylmer20 November 2009
Empire Pictures is best known for their many low budget horror films of the 1980's, later to become Full Moon pictures around the early 90's with the perfect storm of A) the death of Albert Band, B) the crumbling of the Italian film industry, and C) this financial disaster. At $10 million, this film is and certainly feels like a cheap B-movie, but at the same time was a touch too ambitious and ridiculous to attract the audience necessary to breathe any life into the dying studio.
Oddly enough, if you talk to most people who saw it, they actually look back fondly upon ROBOT JOX. Like with most Empire pictures, it's not so much a good movie as one which engenders good memories of itself years later. Sure, it has colorful cinematography, lots of delicious overacting and cornball dialog, and of course some impressive David Allen stop-motion effects, so its easy to see what makes this innocuous little film so attractive.
Unfortunately when looked at closely, the film is severely hampered by its low budget on numerous occasions; there are only about 5 sets used in the film (notice how they keep coming back to that same bar they used in ARENA). The show-stopping effects are also in dangerously short supply. Much like in PUPPETMASTER or other films Allen supervised, the stop motion is only used as a last resort when the effects can often be achieved much more easily by manipulating the models off-camera. This makes the highlighted robot fights feel pretty stiff as they often just stand around completely immobile, and a special effects movie can't be marketed if its effects are cheesy and didn't even hold up the year it was made in. This is disappointing to me as I could just watch stop-motion robots stomp around all day, especially when they're given that magical "David Allen touch", but you get more stop motion's worth in CRASH AND BURN and (the otherwise quite abysmal) ROBOT WARS.
However this film is a lot of fun owing to Stuart Gordon's fun childlike approach to the campy material. All the players act their parts with tongue firmly in cheek with a lot of fun cameos by low budget Italian genre film staples like Al Yamanouchi, Alex Vitale, Larry Dolgin, Geoffrey Copleston, and even Jeffrey Combs in an odd throwaway bit part. It's edited quite cleanly and the music vaguely echoes Basil Poledouris's work on ROBOCOP.
One of those flicks that just has to "hit you" in the right way when you're in the right mood. Otherwise you might just laugh it off the screen. Gordon came back to similar territory with the just-as-silly but much darker and more 'adult' FORTRESS a couple years later.
Oddly enough, if you talk to most people who saw it, they actually look back fondly upon ROBOT JOX. Like with most Empire pictures, it's not so much a good movie as one which engenders good memories of itself years later. Sure, it has colorful cinematography, lots of delicious overacting and cornball dialog, and of course some impressive David Allen stop-motion effects, so its easy to see what makes this innocuous little film so attractive.
Unfortunately when looked at closely, the film is severely hampered by its low budget on numerous occasions; there are only about 5 sets used in the film (notice how they keep coming back to that same bar they used in ARENA). The show-stopping effects are also in dangerously short supply. Much like in PUPPETMASTER or other films Allen supervised, the stop motion is only used as a last resort when the effects can often be achieved much more easily by manipulating the models off-camera. This makes the highlighted robot fights feel pretty stiff as they often just stand around completely immobile, and a special effects movie can't be marketed if its effects are cheesy and didn't even hold up the year it was made in. This is disappointing to me as I could just watch stop-motion robots stomp around all day, especially when they're given that magical "David Allen touch", but you get more stop motion's worth in CRASH AND BURN and (the otherwise quite abysmal) ROBOT WARS.
However this film is a lot of fun owing to Stuart Gordon's fun childlike approach to the campy material. All the players act their parts with tongue firmly in cheek with a lot of fun cameos by low budget Italian genre film staples like Al Yamanouchi, Alex Vitale, Larry Dolgin, Geoffrey Copleston, and even Jeffrey Combs in an odd throwaway bit part. It's edited quite cleanly and the music vaguely echoes Basil Poledouris's work on ROBOCOP.
One of those flicks that just has to "hit you" in the right way when you're in the right mood. Otherwise you might just laugh it off the screen. Gordon came back to similar territory with the just-as-silly but much darker and more 'adult' FORTRESS a couple years later.
I can't believe how many good reviews there are
Scourgeofomnius2 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
OK this movie had a terrible premise. Be serious according to the movie they had just been through an apocalyptic war yet they have money to buy huge robots and pit them against each other. Each country decides instead of investing into rebuilding their country they would rather fight with robots no one could afford. Here's a better idea, lets rely on our most inept resource,jocks, to fight our battles.
Everyone says what about the director, what about him. He makes a good movie, he makes a bad movie. There is no reason to give this movie some credit just because of the director, maybe he was asleep? I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, because it was so cheesy and ridiculous I had to laugh. I actually had a good time watching it, well except for the cowboy mentor who turns out to be an assassin(trust me no one would see this guy as an assassin, so it is a surprise, however lame) What kind of training exercise is a jungle jim anyway. I was sad to see Mst3k had not done this one. I am giving a two star rating however because nothing could be as bad as "manos the hands of fate."
The budget does not matter either, I have seen plenty of reasonable movies that had nothing for budgets like cube. The storyline was not even plausible and I have seen better acting in school plays. Surly they could have afforded an eleven year old from any middle school play.
Anyway pick it up, it is a fun movie to watch.
Everyone says what about the director, what about him. He makes a good movie, he makes a bad movie. There is no reason to give this movie some credit just because of the director, maybe he was asleep? I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, because it was so cheesy and ridiculous I had to laugh. I actually had a good time watching it, well except for the cowboy mentor who turns out to be an assassin(trust me no one would see this guy as an assassin, so it is a surprise, however lame) What kind of training exercise is a jungle jim anyway. I was sad to see Mst3k had not done this one. I am giving a two star rating however because nothing could be as bad as "manos the hands of fate."
The budget does not matter either, I have seen plenty of reasonable movies that had nothing for budgets like cube. The storyline was not even plausible and I have seen better acting in school plays. Surly they could have afforded an eleven year old from any middle school play.
Anyway pick it up, it is a fun movie to watch.
This deserves a lot more love than it's ever gotten.
I_Ailurophile31 December 2022
I understand that celebrated genre filmmaker Stuart Gordon and screenwriter Joe Haldeman were at odds about the precise direction to take this movie, but it doesn't really come across in the finished product or dull the experience. While some of the humor is needlessly crude (including tawdry racism and xenophobia in the dialogue), there's some noteworthy wit in the screenplay alone. Please note the pointedly sardonic, vomit-worthy name given to the American-affiliated alliance, for example, and we get just enough information about the rules of the games, and the realities of the fictional world (including emphatic sexism, and outright dehumanization of women), to let us blithely soak in everything to come our way. Moreover, the narrative and scene writing is actually very thoughtfully composed; one may well draw comparisons to other titles of one nature or another - this is a sports movie after all, after a sort - but the fact remains that 'Robot Jox' can claim some gratifyingly sharp writing. It's fun, and clever, but also dallies with bigger themes and ideas that reflect the intelligence of those participating. This is pretty great, and frankly well exceeds what one tends to assume of pictures where producer Charles Band is involved.
There's some meaningful depth and complexity to the characters, more than we tend to get in such genre fare - even mostly avoiding the heteronormative nonsense and contrived dynamics we're accustomed to when Male and Female characters are spotlighted. More important still: the tangible creations that are the robots look genuinely fantastic, recalling the work of effects artists in bigger and more prominent sci-fi flicks (specifically, Phil Tippett comes to mind). The same goes for any other practical effects on hand, special makeup, and fight choreography. Visuals added in post-production aren't top of the line, but I dare say they look far better than one might generally anticipate, at least on par with this film's contemporaries if not superior. The production design, art direction, costume design, and props are all splendid. Moreover, Gordon's direction, and Mac Ahlberg's cinematography, are wonderfully keen and attentive, doing much to enrich the viewing experience and keep one engaged. And hey, credit to the actors, including not least Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Danny Kamekona - the material rather forces them into positions of overacting, but they do their very best to fight through those constraints to bring their own measure of sincerity to the proceedings.
Yes, there are instances where the feature becomes a little too over the top or overbearing, maybe a little silly or self-indulgent. In fairness, that kind of comes with the territory of a title about giant robots. For any weaknesses or faults, however, by and large this is significantly stronger, smarter, more earnestly exciting, and all around more entertaining than I'd have ever given it credit for sights unseen. (I say this not least in recognition of Band's 'Robot wars,' of a vaguely similar concept, which would follow in 1993 - itself unexpectedly solid.) Tremendous care and hard work went into the picture to make it a grandiose genre romp, but also something that distinctly rises above the ridiculousness to achieve more honest, deserving heights. The employment of practical effects is paramount, yet the crew broadly put in fantastic work, and this would be nothing without the mindful writing behind it. When all is said and done, I can understand how this has gotten passed over in the past thirty years; the name alone is a bit of a red flag. Yet as far as I'm concerned it deserves far more recognition - this is a sci-fi action flick that's easily a cut above many of its brethren, and many of its contemporaries particularly. 'Robot Jox' is a highly enjoyable, pleasant surprise, and well worth checking out!
There's some meaningful depth and complexity to the characters, more than we tend to get in such genre fare - even mostly avoiding the heteronormative nonsense and contrived dynamics we're accustomed to when Male and Female characters are spotlighted. More important still: the tangible creations that are the robots look genuinely fantastic, recalling the work of effects artists in bigger and more prominent sci-fi flicks (specifically, Phil Tippett comes to mind). The same goes for any other practical effects on hand, special makeup, and fight choreography. Visuals added in post-production aren't top of the line, but I dare say they look far better than one might generally anticipate, at least on par with this film's contemporaries if not superior. The production design, art direction, costume design, and props are all splendid. Moreover, Gordon's direction, and Mac Ahlberg's cinematography, are wonderfully keen and attentive, doing much to enrich the viewing experience and keep one engaged. And hey, credit to the actors, including not least Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Danny Kamekona - the material rather forces them into positions of overacting, but they do their very best to fight through those constraints to bring their own measure of sincerity to the proceedings.
Yes, there are instances where the feature becomes a little too over the top or overbearing, maybe a little silly or self-indulgent. In fairness, that kind of comes with the territory of a title about giant robots. For any weaknesses or faults, however, by and large this is significantly stronger, smarter, more earnestly exciting, and all around more entertaining than I'd have ever given it credit for sights unseen. (I say this not least in recognition of Band's 'Robot wars,' of a vaguely similar concept, which would follow in 1993 - itself unexpectedly solid.) Tremendous care and hard work went into the picture to make it a grandiose genre romp, but also something that distinctly rises above the ridiculousness to achieve more honest, deserving heights. The employment of practical effects is paramount, yet the crew broadly put in fantastic work, and this would be nothing without the mindful writing behind it. When all is said and done, I can understand how this has gotten passed over in the past thirty years; the name alone is a bit of a red flag. Yet as far as I'm concerned it deserves far more recognition - this is a sci-fi action flick that's easily a cut above many of its brethren, and many of its contemporaries particularly. 'Robot Jox' is a highly enjoyable, pleasant surprise, and well worth checking out!
ahhh yeah, ACHILLES!!!
kerry.ramsay30 May 2000
OK, this movie was cool. I don't think it was the best movie ever made but it sure was fun. My brother and I still act out scenes once in a while, and will occasionally yank the movie out of the cupboard, blow off the dust and pop it in. Enjoyable all the way until the end, but a great concept. This is a movie that one has to just forget criticism all together and just enjoy. Judgment is victory for Robot Jox.
More bad than good...
Savant27 October 2007
There are a number of problems with this movie, but the bottom line is that it tried to do too much with too little. The base story is quite good, but the money just wasn't there to do the story justice. The non-existent budget really killed this movie. Stuart Gordon (the writer/director) has writing credit on 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids', which was a box office smash. However, that movie had some serious cash backing from Disney. Honestly, this is a good example of when to not make a movie. Had he waited a few more years, technology would have made it cheaper to do many of the effects. (not to mention he could have found a company with money.)
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