Again, the entire earth confuses me. Robocop 2 is absolutely reviled by critics, and I have no idea why. Zero idea. Nada.

I could see if these critics also hated the first Robocop, but they don't. Verhoeven's Robocop was extremely well-received, despite having precisely the same characteristics as its first sequel. I am at a loss. And to top it all off, these same critics go further in praising the third installment of the series, saying that even though it lacked the polish of the first two, it at least had some of the heart and intelligence that made the first such a success. There is no question, in this reviewer's mind, that Robocop 3 is easily the worst of the bunch, as it completely lacks the punch of the first two, and seems more like a direct-to-video production than a valid sequel.

I will also argue that Robocop 2 is easily the best film of the series. I say this not to be controversial and argumentative, but because when I went in to Robocop 2, I attempted to so with an open mind, regardless of what other critics had to say. An untainted view allowed me to see the picture for what it truly was.

I'm sorry, everyone else on Earth, but you are incorrect in your sentiments on this particular film.

Robocop 2 is not only more fun and more violent than the first, it is also more intelligent. It comes at its material with a goal to not only have the heart of the original, but to infuse the story with political and societal statements as well. The fact that it focuses more on the latter is a compliment to the film, as it uses the science fiction genre to its full capacity; emotional and political. Not only that, but it does so while also being an entertaining action picture, which is a nearly impossible fusion of ambitions.

All that is missing in Robocop 2 is Paul Verhoeven's unique directing style. Verhoeven, while completely destroyed by later, weaker directing efforts, used to be among the giants of the film community. After Showgirls, he was a laughingstock.

Irvin Kershner, on the other hand, made Robocop 2 at the end of his career, and I would have to believe that the negative reaction to it effectively finished him off. He was never too highly respected as a director, but did manage to helm The Empire Strikes Back, which well, speaks for itself. I would have liked to see Kershner work a little more in the sci-fi genre just to see what he could have done for it.

It is sad to think that Robocop could have been a long-running and respectable franchise had it not been for the negative critical response to this second installment. It led to a more family-friendly third movie, and was never the same again. At least the Robocop series was made in an era where stop-motion was the accepted form of special effects. The robot design wouldn't have been as memorable had it been done with CGI.