Robot Jox
| Robot Jox | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stuart Gordon |
| Screenplay by | Joe Haldeman |
| Story by | Stuart Gordon |
| Produced by | Albert Band Charles Band |
| Starring | Gary Graham Anne-Marie Johnson Paul Koslo |
| Cinematography | Mac Ahlberg |
| Edited by | Lori Ball Ted Nicolaou |
| Music by | Frédéric Talgorn |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Trans World Entertainment (Theatrical) Columbia Pictures (Canada) MGM/UA Home Entertainment (Home media) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million[1] |
| Box office | $1,272,977[2] |
Robot Jox is a 1990 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo. The film was co-written by science fiction author Joe Haldeman.
The film's plot follows Achilles, one of the Robot Jox who pilot giant mechanical machines that fight international battles in a post-nuclear world. After Achilles' final contracted battle against his primary rival, Alexander, ends in an inconclusive disaster, he retires from the field, only to return again when he realizes that a female genetically engineered athlete, Athena, will replace him. Athena attempts to steal the robot and fight against Alexander anyway, and when she is easily defeated, Achilles reclaims his robot to fight. After a prolonged battle, Achilles and Alexander reconcile and salute each other.
During the writing process, director Gordon clashed with Haldeman frequently over the film's tone and intended audience. Filmed in 1988, the film was not released until 1990 when the studio went bankrupt during production. It earned $1,272,977 in domestic gross, failing to earn its production cost in theaters. The film received negative critical response and little audience response upon its first theatrical run, but has attracted a minor cult following and influenced elements of popular culture since its initial release.
Plot
Fifty years after a nuclear holocaust, open war is forbidden by the surviving nations, which have merged into two opposing super-nations: the American-influenced Western Market and the Russian Confederation. To resolve conflicts, the Market and Confederation hold gladiator-style matches between giant robots, piloted by "robot jox".
Market jock Achilles (Gary Graham) is supported by robot designer "Doc" Matsumoto (Danny Kamekona) and strategist Tex Conway (Michael Alldredge), the only jock to win all ten of his contract fights. Achilles' tenth fight is against his bitter rival, the Confederation's Alexander (Paul Koslo). 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. In a post-match conference, both sides reason that their respective fighter was the victor; however, 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. The genetically engineered "gen jox" Athena (Anne-Marie Johnson) is chosen to replace Achilles. Concerned that she may not win, Achilles agrees to fight Alexander again, which infuriates Athena.
Prior to the final match, Doc confronts Conway in his office. He analyzes Conway's last match and deduces that the "lucky" laser hit that won Conway the match against a clearly superior opponent was in fact delilberately aimed and the match was rigged for Conway to win. He accuses Conway of being a spy who has leaked Market robot information to the Confederation. Conway confesses and murders Doc, unaware that Doc has recorded the conversation. Conway tells Commissioner Jameson (Robert Sampson) that Doc was the spy, and that he committed suicide upon being outed.
On the morning of the fight, Athena sedates and imprisons Achilles in his apartment, forcefully taking his robot to the field. Achilles decides to help her and plays the instructional video Doc had prepared for the new weapons installed in the robot. However, when the video cuts to footage of Conway's confession and murdering of Doc, Conway leaps to his death. On the field, Alexander overpowers Athena and Achilles rushes to get her out of the robot's cockpit. The referees order Alexander to stop fighting or be disqualified, but Alexander destroys the referees' float platform and continues the attack. Achilles takes control of the Market robot and ignores Commissioner Jameson's instruction to stop the match due to Alexander's disqualification. The two jox continue their fight, with both robots eventually being crippled and destroyed. Facing each other without their machines and using wreckage as weapons, they fight in a brutal melee. Achilles convinces Alexander that a match does not necessarily have to end with the death of a jox. Alexander throws down his weapon, and they salute each other with newfound respect.
Cast
- Gary Graham – Achilles/Jim
- Anne-Marie Johnson – Athena
- Paul Koslo – Alexander
- Robert Sampson – Commissioner Jameson (sic)
- Danny Kamekona – Dr. "Doc" Matsumoto
- Hilary Mason – Professor Laplace
- Michael Alldredge – Tex Conway
- Jeffrey Combs – Spectator/Prole #1
- Michael Saad – Spectator/Prole #2
- Ian Patrick Williams – Phillip
- Jason Marsden – Tommy
- Carolyn Purdy-Gordon – Kate
- Thyme Lewis – Sargon
- Gary Houston – Sportscaster
- Russel Case – Hercules
- Stuart Gordon (uncredited) – Bartender
Production
Famed science-fiction author Joe Haldeman wrote the screenplay for the film and co-wrote the story with director Stuart Gordon. The two met when Gordon was hired to film a four-part adaptation of Haldeman's The Forever War, but when the funding for the project was cut, Gordon asked Haldeman to work on a science fiction adaptation of the Iliad instead. The idea would form the basis for what eventually became Robot Jox.[3]
Haldeman claimed his and Gordon's visions for the film clashed: The former wanted a dramatic, serious science fiction film while the latter wanted a more audience-friendly special effects-driven action film with stereotypical characters and stylilized pseudo-science. According to Haldeman, "I would try to change the science into something reasonable; Stuart would change it back to Saturday morning cartoon stuff. I tried to make believable, reasonable characters, and Stuart would insist on throwing in clichés and caricatures. It was especially annoying because it was a story about soldiers, and I was the only person around who'd ever been one." Several times, Haldeman feared that this clash would lead to him being dropped from the project, but producers of the film in pre-production sided with Haldeman. Haldeman says Gordon later recognized that Haldeman was "writing a movie for adults that children can enjoy" while Gordon had been "directing a movie for children that adults can enjoy."[4]
The filmmakers' struggle to find an audience was apparent in the editing process. Scenes deleted from the North American release included instances of violence not previously released to North American audiences. After Achilles' robot falls on the spectators, there are more shots of both Achilles' bloody face and of the dead bodies in the stands. A news broadcast immediately following now opens with a badly burned man screaming in pain. Additionally, when Conway shoots Doc, the new version includes a shot of blood spraying on the wall. The Motion Picture Association of America film rating system database indicates that Robot Jox was originally rated PG–13, but trimmed to obtain PG.[5]
Release
Shot in 1988, the film's theatrical release was delayed until 1990 due to Empire International Pictures' bankruptcy during production.[6] Triumph Films released the film to theaters on November 21, 1990. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $464,441 in 333 theaters, averaging $1,394 per theater. It later gained a domestic total gross of $1,272,977.[2]
Critical response
Robot Jox initially received little media coverage during its initial release, but the professional critics who did review it rated it poorly, remarking on the film's struggle to find a balance between adult and child audiences. By that time the film was released, its Cold War themes had become less relevant to United States audiences and the popularity of Transformers, which the filmmakers had intended to capitalize on, had diminished.[1] The Sacramento Bee wrote that the film "spreads its dubious resources across the world, dealing with the already dated power-mad rivalry between America and the U.S.S.R. for domination."[7] More recent professional criticism, however, has placed the film in a somewhat higher regard. In 2009, Isthmus film critic Mark Savlov wrote that the computer-generated imagery in Terminator Salvation "still can't hold a candle to the stop-motion and very endearing goofiness of Stuart Gordon's 1990 Robot Jox."[8]
Audience response
Since its initial release, the film has attracted a minor following of devoted fans and influenced various elements of popular culture. In August 2012, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema locations in Houston and Austin, Texas held special screenings midnight screenings of a 35 mm copy of the film.[3] Concept artist Robert Simons featured a series of detailed works in 2010 based on designs from the film.[9] Additionally, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails sampled and looped a scene in the film where Achilles looks upon the spectators following his failed heroic attempt to save them from Alexander's attack for the song "The Becoming" from their album The Downward Spiral.[10]
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Frédéric Talgorn, who had previously composed the music the 1989 horror film Edge of Sanity, wrote the orchestral film score for Robot Jox, which was performed by the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra. Since Prometheus Records reissued the soundtrack in 1993, the soundtrack has received generally high acclaim. An editorial review by Filmtracks.com stated that "Talgorn's usual strong development of thematic ideas is well utilized in rather simplistic fashion in this film, perfect for the contrasting characters and their underdeveloped dimensions."[11] In 2004, AllMusic critic Jason Ankeny wrote that "with its dynamic brass fanfares, martial rhythms and bold themes, Robot Jox is a profoundly heroic work buoyed by larger-than-life orchestral rendering."[12]
Home media
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on VHS and Laserdisc formats. The direct-to-video films Crash and Burn (AKA Robot Jox 2: Crash and Burn) and Robot Wars were marketed in some countries as sequels to Robot Jox, but despite the films' similarities and involvement of producer Charles Band, the plots of the three films are unrelated.[3] In October 2005, MGM Home Entertainment released the film on DVD. Though the cover still included the film's theatrical PG rating label, the disc includes the more violent scenes that were cut from the North American release to avoid the PG–13 rating.
References
- ^ a b Fitch, Alex (2010). "Directors: Stuart Gordon". In Berra, John (ed.). Directory of World Cinema. Vol. 2. Bristol: Intellect Books. pp. 336–35. ISBN 9781841503684. OCLC 762158992. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ^ a b Robot Jox at Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b c Saucedo, Robert (2012-07-30). "Crash And Burn. See Robot Jox On The Big Screen At The Alamo Drafthouse". BadassDigest.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ^ Haldeman, Joe. "Interim Report – An Autobiographical Ramble". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Robot Jox". Motion Picture Association of America.
- ^ Bamford, Paul (2002). "Stuart Gordon". In Allon, Yoram; Cullen, Del; Patterson, Hannah (eds.). Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide (2nd ed.). London: Wallflower Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN 9781903364529. OCLC 51480273. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ^ "No Brains, or Heart in Robot Jox". The Sacramento Bee. 1990-12-24. p. SC3. Retrieved 2012-10-25 – via NewsBank (subscription required) .
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Savlov, Mark (2009-05-22). "Terminator Salvation: No Fun, No Soul". Isthmus. Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ^ Anders, Charlie Jane. "Giant Robots Pounding Each Other Have Never Looked So Majestic". Io9.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ^ Kushner, Nick. "Films, Samples and Influences". The Nachtkabarett. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
- ^ Clemmensen, Christian (1997-04-19). "Robot Jox – Editorial Review". Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason (2004-02-14). "Original Soundtrack – Robot Jox". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.