Cyborg 2 is set during the future in the year 2074 where two companies control the market in cyborg technology. The American based Pinwheel Robotics wants rid of it's main competitor the Japanese based Kobayashi Electronics & develops a virtually undetectable explosive called Glass Shadow which is carried inside a state of the art cyborg named Casella 'Cash' Reese (Angelina Jolie) who is programmed to attend a Kobayashi conference & detonate killing all of it's top executives & leading the way for a complete buy-out by Pinwheel. However Cash starts to fall in love with a martial arts instructor named Colson 'Colt .45' Ricks (Elias Koteas) who also falls in love her, together they discover the truth about why Cash was made & decide to make a run for it before Pinwheel's plan is put into action. They are helped by a mysterious man named Mercy (Jack Palance) who guides them to the outside world & offers them help to try & stay one step ahead of Pinwheel & the psychotic cyborg tracker Danny Bench (Billy Drago) who they have hired to find Cash at any cost...
Co-written & directed by Michael Schroeder this is a name only sequel to the Jean-Claude Van Damme sci-fi action thriller Cyborg (1989) which was alright but nothing special, here the script for Cyborg 2 tries it's hardest to say things but it doesn't come together & Cyborg 2 ends up being little more than average at best. Cyborg 2 is maybe a little bit ambitious for it's budget & the talent available to it, the one scene that works quite effectively is the ending in which while Colt has grown old Cash has stayed eternally young & not aged at all so we are left with the final shot of a young Angelina Jolie caring for an old & decrepit man but other themes such as love, humanity, will power & the replacement of humanity with machines feel half hearted. The future society seen here is rather dull, the Colt hero character is really bland while the story isn't quite quick enough to be a top action adventure together with forgettable set-pieces that show it's low budgeted lofty ambitions. At almost 100 minutes Cyborg 2 could have used ten or fifteen minutes edited out to quicken the pace but it's not the worst sci-fi adventure I have seen although it's nothing special, watchable enough I suppose but lacks any real cutting edge.
The visual style of Cyborg 2 also flatters to deceive, there are some nice shots & some atmospheric lighting in cold blues or warm yellows but it has a rather low budget look as we only get to see one room in an entire building or one street as it's obvious there wasn't the budget to depict an entire futuristic world, just a few rooms. I liked the idea of the 'blade' fight where two people fight each other in front of huge spinning ship propeller's but the action scenes are too far apart & for the most part pretty weak. The technology on show doesn't look that futuristic & while the overhead model shot of the city is quite good it has a red tint that is clearly missing when a scene is actually shot on location. The violence is fairly tame & there's no real explicit gore but there is a little bit of sex & nudity.
With a supposed budget of about $5,000,000 this went straight to video although it wouldn't surprise if it was intended for a theatrical run but wasn't deemed good enough, Cyborg 2 seems to be somewhere between being a low budget disaster & a big budget Hollywood production. The cast is interesting, veterans Jack Palance & the intense Billy Drago are good value although it's the casting of future A-lister & Oscar winner Angelina Jolie that grabs one attention in her first full length feature film. I don't like her, I've never liked her in any film I have seen with her in it & Cyborg 2 doesn't change mu y opinion that she is an awful actress.
Cyborg 2 is an alright film, it's not the best sci-fi action thriller out there but it's not the worst, it tries & on occasion it can be quite effective but it's a little dull & the action scenes are weak which is the ultimate deal breaker. Watchable if your bored or a massive Angelina Jolie, Billy Drago or Jack Palance fan. Followed by Cyborg 3: The Recycler (1994).
Co-written & directed by Michael Schroeder this is a name only sequel to the Jean-Claude Van Damme sci-fi action thriller Cyborg (1989) which was alright but nothing special, here the script for Cyborg 2 tries it's hardest to say things but it doesn't come together & Cyborg 2 ends up being little more than average at best. Cyborg 2 is maybe a little bit ambitious for it's budget & the talent available to it, the one scene that works quite effectively is the ending in which while Colt has grown old Cash has stayed eternally young & not aged at all so we are left with the final shot of a young Angelina Jolie caring for an old & decrepit man but other themes such as love, humanity, will power & the replacement of humanity with machines feel half hearted. The future society seen here is rather dull, the Colt hero character is really bland while the story isn't quite quick enough to be a top action adventure together with forgettable set-pieces that show it's low budgeted lofty ambitions. At almost 100 minutes Cyborg 2 could have used ten or fifteen minutes edited out to quicken the pace but it's not the worst sci-fi adventure I have seen although it's nothing special, watchable enough I suppose but lacks any real cutting edge.
The visual style of Cyborg 2 also flatters to deceive, there are some nice shots & some atmospheric lighting in cold blues or warm yellows but it has a rather low budget look as we only get to see one room in an entire building or one street as it's obvious there wasn't the budget to depict an entire futuristic world, just a few rooms. I liked the idea of the 'blade' fight where two people fight each other in front of huge spinning ship propeller's but the action scenes are too far apart & for the most part pretty weak. The technology on show doesn't look that futuristic & while the overhead model shot of the city is quite good it has a red tint that is clearly missing when a scene is actually shot on location. The violence is fairly tame & there's no real explicit gore but there is a little bit of sex & nudity.
With a supposed budget of about $5,000,000 this went straight to video although it wouldn't surprise if it was intended for a theatrical run but wasn't deemed good enough, Cyborg 2 seems to be somewhere between being a low budget disaster & a big budget Hollywood production. The cast is interesting, veterans Jack Palance & the intense Billy Drago are good value although it's the casting of future A-lister & Oscar winner Angelina Jolie that grabs one attention in her first full length feature film. I don't like her, I've never liked her in any film I have seen with her in it & Cyborg 2 doesn't change mu y opinion that she is an awful actress.
Cyborg 2 is an alright film, it's not the best sci-fi action thriller out there but it's not the worst, it tries & on occasion it can be quite effective but it's a little dull & the action scenes are weak which is the ultimate deal breaker. Watchable if your bored or a massive Angelina Jolie, Billy Drago or Jack Palance fan. Followed by Cyborg 3: The Recycler (1994).