Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow

There are 3 different kinds of B-movies. Most of them are just bad. Horribly, painfully bad. Some are just the right kind of bad to be fun to watch. And a select few are surprisingly well done.

Cyborg 2, like the original, falls into the third category. Yes, it has uneven fight scenes and some terrible dialogue, but it also has involving moments. You probably wouldn't want to pay a lot of money to see it, but it's good to watch on TV, especially late at night.

And of course, it feature Angelina Jolie in her debut performance, not counting Looking to Get Out. She does very well with the sometimes spare material, as does Elias Koteas. Both of them always manage good performances with even the worst scripts, and this script is actually decent.

Non B-movie fans should avoid this, but the rest, and I know you're out there, might actually like it.

Cyborg II, sounds like some 2nd-rate movie. Is not. Not at all! I was surprised the very, very nice 'ambiance' this movie has. Good looking, convincing effects and surroundings, very good sound. It has even a nice (though somewhat unsurprising) story with nice characters. For me, 'Blade Runner' sets the standard for this kind of movies. But in some aspects, most notably the overall ambiance and 'sadness' this movie comes close. Let's call this movie very, very acceptable...

When I heard about a sequel for Van Damme's absolute worst film "Cyborg," I rolled my eyes and thought, "Oh no....Why did they make this? To cash in on the success of a movie that WASN'T a success? There's no way this will be good...."

Well....I was eating my words about fifteen minutes into it.

"Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow" is by no means a masterpiece, nor is it an especially inspiring thriller, but I was surprised how entertaining it was. This might be due to the fact that it completely abandoned the plot of the first film and started from scratch, thus it can be viewed as a completely original motion picture. The plot is pretty standard: late into the 21st century, a company calls PINWHEEL have developed cyborgs that look and act just like real humans, even down to emotions. "If God didn't make you, we did," one of the big business men quotes.

But what if one of the cyborgs begins to recognize independence, as Cash (a beautiful Angelina Jolie) does? That's when Mercy comes in. Mercy is a freelance cyborg who, after the death of his wife, has dedicated his life to helping renegade cyborgs beat the system and flee to another country. The part is played by Jack Palance, who actually does a good job, though he spends most of the time on a computer screen with closeups of his mouth.

At any rate, Cash decides to flee, and she takes along a human to guide her (and he also happens to be in love with her...). His name is Colt, a skilled warrior (Elias Corteas, who bears a close resemblance to Robert DeNiro). Pinwheel sends two people to track them, Danny (a chilling Billy Drago) and Chan (the standard oriental-warrior-cyborg chick). So it's a desparate race for the two to survive in an odd, futuristic city.

It's pretty much a standard plot from there, which is predictable and easy to figure out. But at least it HAS a plot, something the first film can't claim. And this film has good qualities in other areas. The special effects are above average, including the awesome shots of a battery-charged city of 2170! The characters are also well drawn out and defined, with nice chemistry between the two leads and a chilling performance by Drago....That man is evil incarnate. Good score, too.... Does anyone know if the soundtrack is available? Lastly, the action is well-choreographed with some nice settings.

Summing it up, the director knows what he's doing, and he managed to make a so-so plot get lifted by an excellent cast, great, memorable characters, top-of-the-drawer dialogue, okay special effects, and good stunts. Recommended if you're like me: I hated the first film. It's worth taping if it ever comes on TV again...I know I will....

**1/2 out of ****

The VERY beautiful Angelina Jolie stars as an android named "Cash" in this exciting, futuristic and fast moving movie. Her "makers" or "god", of course is the famous Pinwheel Corporation; one of the largest android making concerns in the world. Things are very competitive in the future; especially in the artificial human business. Everything seems to be fine until one of Cash's female android friends reveals a sinister plan to eliminate rival corporate leadership; the plan involves injecting an undetectable explosive in her and then detonating it at the appropriate time. Terrified by this knowledge , she enlists the aid of her human martial arts trainer named "Colt". With his help, she battles past armed guards and escapes to the outside world. Jack Palance stars as "Mercy", a renegade android who assists other androids seeking freedom and appears mostly as a mouth on a television screen throughout most of the movie. Billy Drago gives his typically good performance as the tough, greedy and antagonistic bounty hunter sent after Cash and Colt. This movie, while limited in budget, has nevertheless earned a respectable place on my shelf along with the other great "B" movies. Add this one to your collection of fine science fiction films! Two thumbs up!

For those unfamiliar this was Angelina Jolie's very first feature film, and one that she has said on numerous occasions she seriously regrets. In fact in one interview she said she was proud up until the moment she actually watched it, then she rushed hope to be literally sick. Hardly a ringing endorsement for a film that may well have been integral in the progression of her career!

At the tender age of just 18 she demonstrates why she became one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood.

Also starring the legend that was Jack Palance, the excellent Billy Drago and handy character actor Elias Koteas the movie certainly has a competent cast if nothing else.

Glass Shadow is the 4th movie in the Cyborg/Nemesis franchise. The whole series is deeply confusing and poorly put together, they really should have stuck numbers on the end of one title and left it be.

It tells the story of a cyborg who is meant to be used in a plot to force a hostile takeover on a rival company. This cyborg however is in love with her trainer and together they plan on fleeing with the help of a mysterious stranger.

I can see why Jolie isn't proud of this but it certainly isn't THAT bad, it's just another Cyborg movie that fails to impress. Truth be told this is the best one yet (Mostly thanks to the cast).

Just barely passable but incredibly dumb stuff.

The Good:

Outstanding cast

The Bad:

Plot was a tad wasted

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

14yr age differences don't matter when one of you is a cyborg

The problem isn't cyborg or human envy, it's weiner envy!