Robot Jox (1989)

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.... See full summary »

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

Stuart Gordon (story), Joe Haldeman (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, Paul Koslo

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Graham	...	Achilles
Anne-Marie Johnson	...	Athena
Paul Koslo	...	Alexander
Robert Sampson	...	Commisioner Jameson
Danny Kamekona	...	Dr. Matsumoto
Hilary Mason	...	Professor Laplace
Michael Alldredge	...	Tex Conway
Jeffrey Combs	...	1st Prole
Michael Saad	...	2nd Prole
Ian Patrick Williams	...	Phillip
Jason Marsden	...	Tommy
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Kate
Thyme Lewis	...	Sargon
Gary Houston	...	Sportcaster
Russel Case	...	Hercules

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | giant robot | post apocalypse | future | fictitious sport | 

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Taglines:

The ultimate killing machine. Part Man. Part Metal.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vanessa Williams originally auditioned for the role of Athena.

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Goofs

When Athena confronts Achilles in his room and sedates him, in the ensuing fight when Athena sweeps his leg and then spins around with a flying kick, you can plainly see that it is a stuntman.

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Quotes

Achilles: You're making my beer curdle.
Alexander: And you make my drink taste like blood.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER: MGM's R1 DVD carries the film's original PG rating, but includes instances of violence and gore previously unseen in the U.S. and Canada. After Achilles' robot falls on the spectators, there are more shots of both Gary Graham's 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 for a couple of seconds. Also, when the traitorous Tex shoots scientist Matsumoto in the head, blood sprays on the wall behind the latter. In the old version (released theatrically by Epic and on tape and laserdisc by RCA/Columbia), Tex pulls the trigger and it instead cuts to a recycled shot of an exploding robot on a video monitor; the bloodstained wall is never shown. The bits in question are included on the Japanese DVD, so apparently American and Canadian audiences are only now getting the cut of the movie that the rest of the world has enjoyed for years. The MPAA database indicates that ROBOT JOX was originally rated PG-13, but trimmed to obtain PG. Evidently Epic felt that children were the movie's only audience, which makes one wonder why they didn't also edit out Anne-Marie Johnson's brief nude scene.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Laser Gun Movie Battles (2015)

User Reviews

One of the Great Cheapies

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robot Jox

Filming Locations:

Empire Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$464,441, 25 November 1990

Gross USA:

$1,272,977

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,272,977

Company Credits

Production Co:

Empire Pictures, Altar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1