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#650 – Cyborg X (2016)
Cyborg X (2016)
Film review #650
Director: Kevin King
SYNOPSIS: When a computer virus infects the weapons manufacturer X-Corp, it’s drone weapons hunt down humans and reduce the world to ruin. Hiding out in the desert, a group of survivors happen to learn that X-Corp CEO Jack Kilmore has been kidnapped by the cyborgs that now roam the planet nearby. They plan a rescue mission to retrieve him and use the knowledge he undoubtedly has to turn the tide of the war against the cyborgs…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cyborg X is a 2016 film and the fourth film in the Cyborg series of films. That said, the film has no ties with any of the previous films other than the name, and the year it is set would, in theory, make it a prequel. However, nothing in the film itself shows up in the others. The weapons manufacturer X-Corp has developed a new form of warfare in the form of cyborg drones that can implant and control humans, but when a computer virus infects the system, the weapons attack humans indiscriminately, reducing the world to a very familiar post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the aftermath, we find ourselves in a desert in the middle of nowhere: the favourite setting of post-apocalyptic films that have no budget to build sets. A group of survivors are banded together here and discover that the X-Corp CEO Jack Kilmore has been kidnapped by cyborgs nearby and mount a mission to rescue him, figuring he has knowledge that can be used to win the war. A very typical story (a bit too “inpspired” by Terminator at some points) accompanied by a typical cast of mediocre characters leave this film dull and predictable, although you shouldn’t be expecting much considering the obvious lack of budget and wooden acting.
The film has a fair amount of violence and gore, but the effects aren’t particularly great. There’s one scene where a guy wakes up to find the entire lower body is missing, and he just starts crawling with his insides hanging out and shooting cyborgs without any regard for logic and the fact he should be long dead. The CG effects are even worse, and aren’t going to convince anyone. All of the cyborgs have the same look to them as well, which is strikingly similar to Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. It’s a bit odd how the cyborgs are supposed to be humans who have had this drone thing attached to their face and transformed, but they all manage to look exactly the same for some reason, probably just because they could only afford to outfit one guy with the gear. Nothing in this film feels authentic, entertaining or exciting, it’s just another low budget post-apocalypse mess that fails to do anything noteworthy.
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#649 – Cyborg 3: The Recycler (1994)
Cyborg 3: The Recycler (1994)
Film review #649
Director: Michael Schroeder
SYNOPSIS: In the future, cyborgs are hunted by “Recyclers” who dismantle and sell them for parts. Cash, one such android, visits a doctor to find that, for some reason, she is pregnant. This draws the attention of a Recycler who chases her down, leading her to the hidden Cytown where cyborgs take refuge from the hunters. But with them fast approaching, they must prepare to fight and defend themselves…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cyborg 3: The Recycler is a 1994 sci-fi film, and the third in the (loosely affiliated) Cyborg series. Set sometime after the events of Cyborg 2, we see the return of the cyborg Cash, who is played by Khrystyne Haje rather than Angelina Jolie this time, as she visits a cyborg doctor after experiencing her energy being drained to discover that somehow she is pregnant, and a new cyborg is growing inside of her. This whole plot element is really tenuous, and explanations about how it has actually happened barely cover the logic of it all. Nevertheless, she is the first cyborg to become ‘pregnant’ and when Recycler Anton Llewellyn learns about her, he begins to hunt her down for her parts. Cash flees, with the help of one of the Cyborg’s creators, to Cytown, where Cyborgs live secretly and free from being hunted. This leads to a recycled story of the town’s inhabitants having to defend themselves from the marauders in the form of the other Recyclers that Llewellyn has banded together. Yes: it’s essentially the plot of Mad Max 2, recycled for your viewing pleasure, nearly fifteen years after the fact, and with none of the characters, action or the effects that make it work. The film focuses on the villain Llewellyn almost as much as Cash, giving about equal screentime to each. The trouble is there’s not really much to Llewellyn’s character, and nothing to develop, or a backstory to explore. The implication of Cyborg’s being able to give birth is said to “change everything,” but they never really explore this in any detail. The film also ends without the baby even being born, which feels like the film had no real idea how to resolve it.
Aside from all the issues with the plot, you get your typical post-apocalyptic schlock, with goofy looking vehicles and gangs of motorbikes, which always manage to survive nuclear war it seems. There’s some okay practical effects scattered about, but nothing too memorable. Overall, Cyborg 3 is slow paced, lacking in substance, and fails to distinguish itself amidst the plethora of similar films in the genre. The fact that this series of films has made it to the third one is baffling.
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#648 – Cyborg 2 (1993)
Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow (1993)
Film review #648
Director: Michael Schroeder
SYNOPSIS: In the future, cyborgs are a part of everyday life. One cyborg production company takes to take out its competitor by sending a cyborg packed with an experimental explosive to their headquarters. When the cyborg’s instructor falls in love with her, the two escape, aided by a mysterious helper who shows up on screens to guide them to safety…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cyborg 2 (Sometimes called Glass Shadow) is a 1993 sci-fi film and a sequel to the 1989 film Cyborg. Even though it is part of the Cyborg series, it has no relation to the original in terms of story or characters, apart from a brief flashback. Set in the year 2074, cyborgs (or androids, technically) are commonplace in all aspects of life, with cyborg production being dominated by two companies: Pinwheel Robotics in the USA, and Kobayashi Electronics in japan. Pinwheel have come up with a plan of corporate sabotage to put Kobayashi out of business by sending one of there cyborgs there as a spy and packed full of an experimental explosive that will be detonated and level the entire company. The chosen cyborg, Casella Reese, is trained by cyborg instructor Colton “Colt” Ricks, who has fallen for her, and when he learns the plot to send her to her death, escapes with her, leaving to them being hunted down as they flee. The setup of the film is fairly simple stuff, as the two end up on the run and pursued through the futuristic world. There’s nothing that stands out in this respect, as the film moves from setup to setup without much development between. There’s some okay visuals and effects with the cyborgs that just scream 1990’s sci-fi aesthetic, and clearly some thought and expertise has gone into making this work, but yes, it definitely looks of its time. The film is shovelled full of pointless action and nudity like you’d expect too, but maybe that’s what you’d expect from this sort as film as well.
Probably the most notable thing about the film is it being the film debut of Angelina Jolie as the female lead. Being only eighteen years old as well, she seems a bit out of place. It’s not a great film to debut in, but I suppose everyone has to start somewhere. The whole cast is a bit flat with no stand-out performances or characters. You’re not given much of an insight into Colt’s motivations (besides having the hots for the android), and the villains are a bit cartoonish. Everything is shot in very low lighting that probably obscures some of the cheapness, as well as most of what is going on. With all that said, the film is probably still better than Cyborg, because something actually happens, but Cyborg 2 does little to distinguish itself or make itself remotely interesting.
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#647 – Cyborg (1989)
Cyborg (1989)
Film review #647
Director: Albert Pyun
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, the world has become a post-apocalypse wasteland, and a ruthless gang is terrorising what is left of the United States. A female cyborg is sent to retrieve data from New York City and return it to Detroit in order to finish the development of a cure for a plague that is killing the survivors. She runs into a man who is fighting the leader of the gang, and asks him to escort her to Detroit…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cyborg is a 1989 sci-film. Set in the typical post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max ripoffs (and post-nuclear America too, I suppose), a plague is ravaging the survivors, and scientists in Detroit send a cyborg to New York City to get data that can help them complete a cure. While there, a gang tries to capture her so they can control the cure, and she seeks the help of Gibson Rickenbacker to escort her back to Detroit. The whole setup is very typical of this type of film, with the lone lead character who has abandoned his humanity rediscovering it as he is forced to accompany other people on a dangerous quest across the wasteland. There’s nothing that really sets the film apart from the oh so many similar films of the time. There’s some decent action that mostly revolves around Van Damme’s kickboxing expertise, but it’s all fairly par for the course.
In a film where one of the main characters is a cyborg, Van Damme still manages to come off as the last human character: his line delivery is barely audible, and clearly struggling with speaking English at some points. The villain is just your typical unhinged psychopath that doesn’t offer anything interesting, and everyone else is equally as dull. There’s some decent practical effects with the whole cyborg, but nothing too remarkable. The film really fails to embrace its best aspects: the fight scenes, and too much stunted dialogue upsets any sense of pacing. Probably not the worst of these types of movies, but Cyborg fails to really offer anything interesting, and doesn’t capitalise on the few things it does competently.
