NateWatchesCoolMovies The fact that Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow has almost nothing to do with the first Cyborg is probably a good thing. I've seen both, and the first one is an ugly, grimy early starring vehicle for Jean Claude Van Damme that plays like an episode of American Gladiators on PCP. This sequel, however, is a scrappy little sci fi delight. It takes plays in a futuristic B- Movie realm where maniacal corporations wage war on each other for the control of lucrative artificial intelligence, cyborgs who can be programmed to be slaves, soldiers or whatever you want. Angelina Jolie is Casella 'Cash' Reese, a gorgeous warrior Cyborg held under the watchful eye of the Pinwheel corporation, ruled by a hammy Allen Garfield. Her trainer, a mercenary named Colton Hicks (Elias Koteas) starts to fall in love with her. In this particular B movie universe, it's implied that there are fragments of what may resemble a soul that begin to grow inside the cyborgs, and gradually Cash falls for him as well. They plan their escape, and embark into a delightfully cheap looking metropolis of the future, seeking an oasis far away that's basically a non extradition zone for robots. Pinwheel sends some dangerous bounty hunters after them. There's fighting. And running. And shooting. And Cyborg sex including a 17 year old Angelina going fully topless, which makes me wonder how the filmmakers ducked the authorities on that one. Not that I'm complaining. Aside from baring her chesticles, she makes a pretty solid action heroine at that age, and even before making a name for herself she carries the film pretty well. Koteas is pretty much capable of anything as far as acting goes, breezing through this one in his sleep whilst still keeping one eye open to give Hicks a vulnerability and desperation that the film hardly deserves. Character actor Billy Drago gives a scene stealing performance of sheer unbridled lunacy as Danny Bench, a terrifyingly unhinged contract killer who pursues the pair and has an absolute smackdown of a fight sequence with Koteas. That old salty dog Jack Palance even shows up for an amusing, warmhearted supporting role as a mysterious hacker who helps the duo out and in turn gets his own retribution. Get one thing straight right now: this a B movie. If you go into one of these with your critic's brain shovelling coal into the fires of cynicism, you're gonna have a bad time. These films are overtly cheap, chock full of deliberate plot holes and speckled with acting that could wilt flowers. But I love them anyway. I grew up watching an endless stream of direct to video horror, sci fi and thriller flicks that maybe ten people on planet earth besides me have seen. I love them, they are amazing and they exist in a realm far, far outside film 'criticism'. It's best to gear your brain into fun mode before hitting play, then just relax and enjoy. If you're the type of person that can do that, you'll love this kind of stuff. If not, steer well clear. Cyborg 2 is the perfect example of a B movie done right, and I'll be the first to admit that there's plenty that are made with the kind of lifeless ineptitude that doesn't even deserve a place in the genre. This one's cheaply made, doesn't have much of a budget to its name, yet admirably creates it's own little world with what it has, spinning a story of action, romance, robots and Angelina Jolie. Honestly, who can say no to those things? You, that's who.

Leofwine_draca Although set in the same world as the Van Damme original, CYBORG 2: GLASS SHADOW is a low rent, low budget B-movie that has very little to do with the story, look, or feel of that action film. Instead this is a movie that models itself closely on BLADE RUNNER, with a dark and moody look of shadowy buildings, rain-lashed streets, and fluorescent lighting.The erstwhile hero of the piece is a youthful Elias Koteas, who finds himself on the run with a young female cyborg when she's assigned a suicide bombing mission. Angelina Jolie plays the cyborg, which will be the most interesting thing for today's viewers; this was her debut adult role and she's surprisingly decent playing a robot conflicted with human emotions. This is a Jolie before she was encumbered with extensive tattoos and plastic surgery; at 17 years old she brings a breath of freshness to her role, one which would be missing just a few years later in her career.Sadly, the usual shortcomings of the B-movie genre are here: action scenes ruined by poor choreography, a clichéd story, poor dialogue, and a general cheapness to the production. Koteas gives an assured performance but it's not enough to save the film. There are supporting parts for familiar players like Ric Young, Arnie double Sven-Ole Thorsen, and the underrated Billy Drago playing a typical villain. Jack Palance is also here, albeit briefly, chewing up the scene in an over the top cameo. Fans of robotic stuff will find the sci-fi elements kept to a minimum although there's at least one good fight scene to enjoy when Koteas and Drago go mano-a-mano late on in the proceedings.

Vomitron_G How many sci-fi/action B-movies from the '90s featuring cyborgs do you know of that are actually any good? "Cyborg 2" is a shamefully underrated sequel to Albert Pyun's original from 1989 and it actually succeeds in surpassing its predecessor. The story has more heart & thought put into it (you get a little bit less action sequences because of this), the production values were decent and the special effects quite impressive for this type of production (especially the wide shots of a futuristic, post-apocalyptic city are well-crafted, echoing some of the visuals seen previously in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"). It wasn't until producers read the script of "Glass Shadow", they decided to turn it into a sequel to Pyun's film. But "Cyborg 2" is pretty much a standalone film, merely just referencing the first film by adding some footage of it. A female cyborg (Angelina Jolie) and her trainer (Elias Koteas) form a leading duo we actually care about, while they're on the run from the corporation that employed them. Being hunted down by a bounty hunter (Billy Drago) and another female cyborg assassin (Karen Sheperd), the mysterious entity Mercy (Jack Palance) guides them through the city. There are many far worse cyborg movies out there, which usually revolve around showcasing some martial arts & blowing things up. "Cyborg 2" has some of that too, but still manages to be a little different.

Son_of_Mansfield It's a kinder, gentler Cyborg movie with a love story. Awww. It's not as bad as it sounds. The action, when it is there, is decent and Jack Palance, Elias Koteas, and Angelina Jolie are always dependable. It's the fact that this is a sequel to the terrible Jean Claude Van Damme film, or is that the capper to the Masters of the Universe trilogy? I'm still confused about that. Either way, there was really no need for this movie. What was there a need for? Angelina Jolie. She may play an assassin robot that can explodes mid-coitus, but, what a way to go and even though this is her first movie, she still has the presence that made her an award winner.