Robot Jox

PG

Released Nov 21, 1990

1h 25m

Sci-Fi

List

40%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Huge robots manned by jockeys (Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, Paul Koslo) fight superpower duels in the post-World War III future.

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Samuel S

It's cheesy b-movie schlock in the best way. Nothing like it. It's been a long time since I laughed as hard as I did during the movie. The plot is fun, the fights are fun, the pace is good, the effects for the robots are great for the period. Even the story surprised me. It's like a b-movie Pacifc Rim, which I feel may have somewhat inspired the latter. Great one liners. Great movie to watch with friends and family. A fun time all around.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Jack L

Ok so it's definitely not Citizen Kane but this movie is whacky and fun. I guess maybe I'm biased because I love giant robots, but then again I didn't think Pacific Rim was awesome and fun like Robot Jox. If you are expecting more than a B movie you probably should have stopped at the title, because that is a big giveaway. I haven't read the other reviews yet so maybe I am missing something but I love watching this movie and showing it to my friends. (Also, I've never actually seen Citizen Kane I just know it's famous for being a masterpiece.)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/23

Full Review

LL E

Guys, this is a parody gold! Once I started looking at it more like the movie Airplane!, but with more subtle winks and nods as opposed to outright playing it as farce, it was one of the most enjoyable movies I had ever seen. It is a joke movie! If you take what they say seriously then you are messing the entire point of the joke! This was hilarious watching as an adult. I saw it once when I was 5. It is hard to remember laughing that much at a movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/06/23

Full Review

Allan C

In the future, wars have been eliminated and instead, world governments settle their disputes with single combat between each country's champion giant battle robot, which is piloted by the titular Robot Jox. I remember being excited to watch this movie when it first came out, primarily because it was from director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, who were coming hot off of RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND. However, I remember ending up being disappointed by this cartoony sci-fi flick. Going from super hard-R gory horror flicks to what's basically a live-action version of a corny kids' show was a surprise, to say the least. It should be noted though that this isn't too out of character because Gordon and Yuzna wrote HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS (which came out this same year), with Gordon originally set to direct, but had to drop out due to illness. But I digress. ROBOT JOX would have worked better if it had a tone more similar to Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS, which was corny and cliched on the surface, but was still crazy violent and had a slyly smart subtext. ROBOT JOX is missing any kind of clever subtext unless the subtext was simply to mock the film stereotypes and cliches the film is purposefully riddled with. The main character is named Achilles, the original flawed hero who doesn't want to fight. However, despite my disappointment, it's still an entertaining film, especially the old-school special effects. The SFX are not exactly PACIFIC RIM, but a major charm of the film is its mix of miniatures, forced perspective, and especially the stop motion effects by David Allen (the guy behind the stop motion effects in THE HOWLING, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, and YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, among others.). Overall, ROBOT JOX has enough charm the make it worth watching for fans of giant-battling robots. Non-giant-robot fans may want to skip this one. FUN FACT! Ron Cobb, who worked on such classics as CONAN THE BARBARIAN, ALIENS, and even RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and STAR WARS, did uncredited work designing the robots and also designed the "Rattle Room" structure.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

Full Review

Brad P

Three-star film full of five-star entertainment.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

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Simon B

For anyone who grew up wishing they'd make a live action Robotech, this is the movie for you.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/29/23

Full Review

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Stuart Gordon

Director

Gary Graham

Achilles

Anne-Marie Johnson

Athena

Paul Koslo

Alexander

Robert Sampson

Commisioner Jameson

Danny Kamekona

Dr. Matsumoto

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

Gordon's saving grace is that the stop-motion animation and model work on Robot Jox looks really cool, even now.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 6, 2015

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

From a Charles Band production, one can expect cheesiness – and this film certainly delivers when it comes to generic dialogue, comically flimsy sets, mismatched futuristic visuals, and laughable villains.

Rated: 4/10

Sep 22, 2022

Full Review

Austin Trunick

Under the Radar

Pacific Rim by way of Top Gun.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 7, 2015

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

It's quintessentially So Bad It's Good.

Rated: 3/10

Jul 15, 2013

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...this is - by and large - irredeemably ridiculous.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 6, 2006

Full Review

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Synopsis

Huge robots manned by jockeys (Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, Paul Koslo) fight superpower duels in the post-World War III future.

Director: Stuart Gordon
Producer: Charles Band
Screenwriter: Joe Haldeman
Production Co: Empire Pictures, Altar Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1990, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $995.8K
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Surround