Cyber-Tracker 2

Years have gone by since Don Wilson used his martial arts expertise to take down a robot who was programmed to destroy him, he's also married to the blonde reporter (Stacie Foster) who led the rebellion in the first film, now a new conspiracy is in the works, one that involves look-alike droids who frame our two heroes, and a corporation looking to rule the world (There is no plot to back any of this up) and Cyber Tracker 2 becomes a virtual replay of the first movie. I admit that I have bought DVDs from the bargain bin that were made by PM, PM was a company that specialized in cheap-jack action flicks (like this) which had tons of explosions, little story and overall nothing but mean edged action. Some of these titles have been (mildly) enjoyable (Last Man Standing and The Sweeper) however Cyber Tracker 2 is stuck with the casting of the charisma-less Don Wilson. When comparing the protagonists of similar PM efforts both Jeff Wincott and C. Thomas Howell are Oscar nominees when compared to Don Wilson. Another telling sign is that this was directed by Richard Pepin who has none of the flair Joseph Merhi seems to have in crafting action sequences that feel much more expensive than their budgets. Then again though both C. Thomas and Wincott are probably more expensive to obtain. Cyber Tracker 2 is a rip off with a capitol R, there are so many steals from better movies (Robocop, Terminator, Universal Soldier to even Halloween III!) that it's almost as if Richard Pepin is trying to infuse a sense of identity to the pedestrian material yet without the intelligent ideas or at least the mindless zip of great action, Cyber Tracker 2 falls flat. There is literally no good idea that isn't borrowed from a better movie and the supporting cast overact. The only exception comes from Tony Burton who is miles better than the material. Also Stacie Foster looks like she could be better with far better material. However Cyber Tracker 2 comes off mainly as noisy, bland and lackluster as its leading man, however with no real martial arts sequences to fall back on, all there is, is lots of cars tipping over and that alone is no substitute for the bankruptcy of ambition expressed here.

*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)

The first Cyber Tracker was a painful cinematic experience, one so atrocious it was impossible to even laugh at it. I quite literally bugged out on hearing that this follow up existed. I tried to ignore it, but morbid curiosity compelled me to witness it. While not by any stretch good, it outright steals so many scenes from other films that it ends up being bearable.

Watching Cyber Tracker 2 is almost like watching a homage to all previous action sci-fi, because there are so many scenes that have been stolen directly from other films and inserted into this script on a fraction of the budget. That said, they seem to have pushed the boat out for this film as no scenes look particularly awful indicating a reasonable amount of money has been spent on it.

The majority of the budget must have gone into the pyros. Pretty much everything explodes, whether it wants to or not. Even if there's no particular reason why a door should explode, it blows up. This is a movie that would have Michael Bay thinking, "Man, that's a lot of explosions". It's all so overblown that it becomes a lot of fun after a while. If you like stuff blowing up, rest assured you'll have to go no more than 5 minutes before something goes boom.

I was shocked to see that most of the leads have taken some time to learn to act a bit. Steve Burton's still a little wooden as Jared, but not too reprehensible, and everyone else takes their hackneyed roles quite well. While never stopping to mug at the camera, it's clear everyone knows this isn't high art and doesn't take it too seriously. This was another mis-step in the first effort, as everyone played it so straight it sucked all the life out of it, not having the skill or effects to pull off a serious approach.

Theoretically I ought to pan this for managing the unique feat of being far less original that the first, but if you're going to nick a film outright then Alien 3, Terminator 1 & 2 and Robocop are pretty good sources. As such the script seems more replicated than written, although the dialogue is still largely poor. Nothing like as bad as the last one though. Pepin's direction in unremarkable, but there aren't too many ways to motivate his main character, Mr. Explosion.

I'm generally not a big thievery supporter, but imagining the horrors that could have unfolded if they'd went their own way gives me a sense of dread that shakes me to the very core of my being. There are a few amusing moments, and the continual booms mean there's little time for a plot to drag or get in the way of the shooting. The movie moves along fairly logically, and displays an unexpected sense of continuity both internally and with the first film, although I would have disavowed all knowledge of that travesty if I were in charge.

Were I in the business of passing quantifiable judgements, I'd award this 2/5 TippyMarks.

Plot Synopsis: When his wife, a news reporter, is kidnapped & replaced with an android double, Secret Service agent Eric Phillips tracks her down & uncovers a plan by an arms dealer to create an army of invincible androids to assassinate world leaders.

I wasn't expecting much when I first saw this sequel to Richard Pepin's low-budget sci-fi / action hybrid "Cyber Tracker". That film was nothing special, not to mention a blatant rip-off of both "The Terminator" & "RoboCop". This sequel is the same as before, with an all-out action sequence opening the film. There are plenty of explosions, heavy gunfire & a huge bodycount, as well as some martial-arts moves courtesy of the film's star, Don "The Dragon" Wilson. The whole film seems like a series of action scenes strung together with minimal plot. On the acting front, Wilson is a bad actor. He really needs a personality transplant.

The 1994 movie "Cyber-Tracker" from director Richard Pepin and writer Jacobsen Hart wasn't exactly a stellar movie, and I only opted to watch the 1995 sequel because it was readily available, but I harbored no expectations to the movie.

And with good cause, because writer Richard Preston Jr. Didn't exactly conjure up a compelling or interesting script and storyline. Throughout the course of the movie, I sat at the screen with an overwhelming sense of 'why?' and 'just because you can make a sequel, doesn't mean you should'. Yeah, this movie was not well-written or thought-through. And it showed on the screen, as it was a lackluster script and mediocre plot.

I was only familiar with Don Wilson on the cast list, and he even seemed not to be particularly engaged in this movie. Something that I just didn't understand was why the movie makers opted to have 'World Kickboxing Champion' included after Don "The Dragon" Wilson's name on the screen. It was the first time I've seen someone's title in a movie, what's next? The Gardener? Flyfishing Runner-Up? The acting performances in the movie were mediocre.

Visually, then I will say that the movie was a tad better than the 1994 prequel, but without a proper script and storyline, it hardly mattered.

Not a particularly memorable or entertaining movie, if I have to be honest.

My rating of "Cyber-Tracker 2", from director Richard Pepin, lands on a four out of ten stars.

This PM Entertainment production is laced with enough bullets to make John Woo say, "Enough already!" Of course, it isn't nearly as beautiful as Woo can deliver but it gets the exploitive job done in 90 minutes. Eric Phillips (Don Wilson) is an undercover cop in the near future. When his wife is framed for murdering the Governor by a team using a look-a-like cyborg, it is up to Eric to clear her name. Wilson gets to pull Van Damme duty as he plays the heroic lead and his evil cyborg doppelganger. Why the Academy failed to take notice is beyond me. Being a PM production, there are tons of car chases, exploding cars (4 in the first 5 minutes!) and shoot outs. I particularly liked the van that flips in midair before it even comes close to touching an exploding truck. My other favorite bit involved a neighborhood girl coming over to perfect her karate in Don's simulator. It is merely a chance to show off some cheapo LAWNMOWER MAN effects circa 1995.