Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Robot Jox (1990)
0 Playsin 2 days
This week on the Everything Actioncast, Zach and Chris climb into some mech cockpits and discuss 1990's Robot Jox, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
One of the final films from Charles Band's Empire Pictures, Robot Jox is set in a world that was devastated by a nuclear war 50 years earlier. All conflicts between the two factions that control Earth, The Market and The Confederation, are now done via one on one competitions between giant mechs piloted by robot jox. Achilles (Gary Graham) is the main jox for The Market while the bloodthirsty Alexander (Paul Koslo) is the jox for The Confederation. They face off to determine which faction will gain control of Alaska and it's valuable resources. Zach and Chris discuss the interesting world building on the fringes of the movie, how there should be some more safeguards to stop the mech matches, how it may have influenced things like G Gundam and Pacific Rim, the bizarre jox training exercises and more.
You can watch Robot Jox on Tubi. Next week, we enter the ring with Rocky and discuss Rocky IV for its 40th anniversary.
We want to hear your comments and feedback. Send them all to contact@everythingaction.com. Also, let us know your suggestions for movies for us to discuss.
Please subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube.
Check us out on Twitter (@evaction), Facebook (www.facebook.com/everything.action), and Instagram (@everything.action).
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction and Overview
00:00:20
Zach Sheets
Hello, and welcome to the Everything Action Cast podcast week of November 17th, 2025. I'm your host, Zach.
00:00:26
Chris Prime
I'm your co-host, Chris.
00:00:28
Zach Sheets
And this week we're climbing into the cockpit of some mechs and talking about Robot Jocks, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
Release and Studio Background
00:00:33
Zach Sheets
it came out on November 21st, 1990. And one of the final films under the Empire Pictures production company.
00:00:44
Zach Sheets
it went bankrupt while they were making it.
00:00:48
Zach Sheets
Which, you know, the studio, they gave us ghoulies and trancers the troll movies.
Stuart Gordon vs. Joe Haldeman
00:00:57
Chris Prime
yeah They were creative. I give them that. And a lot of them were imaginative stories. And then it had like a lot of their movies were about like these coming of age stories.
00:01:15
Chris Prime
You know, like i enjoy that about that production company, but I think they just did not know how to market this movie, like any of their movies. so
00:01:23
Zach Sheets
but don I don't know. I mean, coming to the there's more like when Charles Band made his weird... He made like a weird like family label after... it was like Full Moon, and then like there was, like a I think, Wizard Entertainment or something.
00:01:35
Zach Sheets
So they made pre-Asteria stuff. It was all like under like the that like family brand. so it those That was post-Empire.
00:01:40
Chris Prime
Oh.
00:01:42
Zach Sheets
Empire was like all schlocky, R-rated B-movies. Like...
00:01:45
Chris Prime
Well, I think they were, like, trying, and then they're like, oh, okay, like, because the messages in this movie isn't bad. A lot of it, like, is I, I watched Robot Jock as a kid. i i like, rented this movie a couple times.
00:01:58
Zach Sheets
No, I think, yeah, this was intentional. Like, Stuart Gordon, and the director, was, like it like, especially saying, like, he wanted us to be, like, an action movie for kids, which which he clashed with the writer who was sci-fi author Joe Haldeman, who wanted to make, like, like a serious, gritty, like, so you know, epic, like, action epic.
00:02:17
Chris Prime
And yeah, you could tell there's like schizophrenia with this movie.
00:02:21
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm. yeah Yeah, Joe Hellman wrote the The Forever War, which is like a classic kind of 70s sci-fi novel.
00:02:23
Chris Prime
Like...
00:02:29
Chris Prime
Like, they really should have talked before they start filming if like what the tone was because you could tell certain parts are like just confusing of is this pro
Plot and Setting
00:02:39
Chris Prime
fighting? Is this anti fighting? Is this is this sort of like a Rocky movie? Yeah.
00:02:44
Zach Sheets
kind is.
00:02:47
Zach Sheets
But yeah, but it's, it's, so we're in a wereary world 50 years after a nuclear Holocaust and the the kind of, the power has, world power has kind of shifted. in now it's like, there's the markets, which is kind of basically what's, what was America and all the kind of Western powers. Then the confederation, which is basically the Soviet union and i like that kind of territory.
00:03:12
Zach Sheets
and They don't settle things with like full-on wars anymore. They have giant robots fight each other, and then the people who those robots are the robot jocks.
00:03:23
Chris Prime
Pretty good concept. Like, it boils down global conflicts and becomes like a sports game.
00:03:30
Zach Sheets
Hmm.
00:03:30
Chris Prime
And, I mean, it was pretty of a far advanced, like, solution. Because this is and written in, like, 89, where, like, Desert Storm was, like, coming down.
00:03:46
Zach Sheets
it's kind of It's kind of crazy. 50 years after like a nuclear apocalypse, they were able to like come up with you know giant robot technology.
00:03:54
Chris Prime
Well, think also it was like leading up to the nuclear apocalypse. This was all probably like battle mechs and then it like escalated to a nuclear war. then they're like, okay.
00:04:02
Zach Sheets
So it was already it was already of the future, and then it's like 50 years past the future.
Influence and Unique Effects
00:04:07
Chris Prime
Yeah, that's that was my understanding is like, oh, cool advanced tech, but it's very like it's not super I guess like the the modern way we would think advanced tech would be like it just would be the escalation of
00:04:08
Zach Sheets
It's like...
00:04:23
Chris Prime
what you think like 80s tech would be bulky and like like again it's hard to imagine unless someone's made it first and it becomes a derivative but this is reasonable to think that okay let's make like's make like a metal gear like essentially is what they're like in
00:04:42
Zach Sheets
Well, I think Kiyo Kojima was a fan of this because apparently you know like the yeah thumbs up that they always give each other, the crash and burn thumbs up is like in Death Stranding. I don't think they say crash and burn, but I think they do the same kind of like thumbs up and like touch each other kind of thing.
00:04:56
Chris Prime
I mean, yeah, you you could tell like this was something that Japanese mech fans were like, holy shit, look at this. Because I think at that time it's just been like kaijus.
Key Characters and Factions
00:05:07
Chris Prime
So like, you know, robot fighting, I mean, that's been around since like the 70s, but no one's done it like this style in a Western audience that was at least coherent.
00:05:18
Chris Prime
You know what I mean? like it It's got puppetry, it's got claymation, it's got stop motion, it's got all the effects kind of wrapped into this movie. Except there isn't a scene of some dude who could tell is like cardboard, like walking around in the desert.
00:05:34
Chris Prime
But that would have saved some production time because I feel like they wasted... For a robot fighting movie, there's only three scenes of robot fights.
00:05:43
Zach Sheets
Well, do appreciate right off the bat they have robots. They don't make you like wait until halfway through to be like, alright, you waited enough, here's a robot.
00:05:46
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:05:50
Zach Sheets
It's like, right off the bat, you get a giant robot stepping on a guy.
00:05:55
Chris Prime
Well, the only problem is that
00:05:57
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:05:58
Chris Prime
necessarily The only problem is that that's one of the three scenes used. Like, it is...
00:06:02
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:06:05
Chris Prime
They don't even do a training montage with the robot by itself. You know, like, there's no... Like, preamble of... the mech like guy getting into it and then just kind of doing cool robot stuff by himself or like seeing like armor upgrade, like, you know, like what you expect in a, even a Top Gun, like you see the plane more in a Top Gun movie.
00:06:30
Chris Prime
And in here it's like, maybe we'll see some other team robot. Like I get like this, is it just like the only two teams left?
00:06:40
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they're the two like world powers now.
00:06:43
Chris Prime
Okay, so other...
00:06:44
Zach Sheets
so
00:06:44
Zach Sheets
So they each control like half the planet or whatever, whenever they have like a dispute about land, which in this case, in Robot Jocks, the main battle is who controls Alaska.
00:06:44
Chris Prime
other
00:06:55
Zach Sheets
And it's it's it's the confederation has Alexander... who's like their champion, who's like this bloodthirsty maniac who basically kills everyone he fights and has won nine fights.
00:07:07
Zach Sheets
And then the hero is Achilles for the market, who is also fighting his it fight nine nine fights. If you fight ten fights, you get to like not be a real robot jock anymore.
00:07:19
Chris Prime
Well, yeah, like, well, because I think Robot Jacks were just select it and then for their fighting proudness.
00:07:27
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:28
Chris Prime
And then it seems like they can't read.
00:07:34
Chris Prime
There's like a line in this where it's like, oh, like, you know your contract. And it's like, you know, he's like, someone says it to Achilles is like, you can't read it.
00:07:41
Zach Sheets
Achilles?
00:07:45
Chris Prime
Like, maybe he can't physically read it or like he can't read. But.
00:07:49
Zach Sheets
Or he's just like, alright, sign it, whatever. i don't There's no lawyers the in the future.
00:07:54
Chris Prime
Yeah, it seems like just things happen. There's no personal like liability. you know you Whatever is your sponsor, and at that point it's just everything, the government sponsor.
00:08:06
Chris Prime
Your designation is you're the robot jack. And it has a weird message about that, because the robot jacks seem like they get away with a lot. But for robot jacks, they should be under watch more.
00:08:21
Zach Sheets
Probably, yeah, because they're like, only way you're going to like be able to like increase your power in the world is to have a good robot
Societal Themes and Issues
00:08:29
Zach Sheets
jock. Probably.
00:08:30
Chris Prime
And I feel like the Robot Jack should have an entourage.
00:08:32
Zach Sheets
Probably.
00:08:33
Chris Prime
i mean, don't treat him like prisoners, but because first off, they are not treated like prisoners. But for for like for the kind combining of your super soldier, mech pilot and celebrity and also, i guess, your spokesman. Like, that's a lot for one person. And then he is just free to get hammered and do whatever.
00:09:00
Chris Prime
on his off hours and then no one knows what everyone's up to. you know like
00:09:07
Zach Sheets
i think I think when he was getting hammered, i think that's after he quit. Because that was like after like he had the second fight that was like the draw.
00:09:18
Zach Sheets
He's like, that was my 10th fight! Fuck you, I'm out of here!
00:09:21
Chris Prime
But, you know, like they were just like, okay, yeah, sure. Oh, he said he quit. So that's it. Well, technically, like he fulfilled the contract, so...
00:09:31
Zach Sheets
well i think I think they're like, we we want you have to win 10 fights. He's like, no, it's only you have to be in 10 fights. So there's this like kind of legal... but What you but is it? like The technicality of what it is.
00:09:44
Chris Prime
So, it's it's funny to think that they didn't have, like, good lawyers. Like, that market didn't...
00:09:51
Zach Sheets
to
00:09:51
Chris Prime
didn't, like, make that in the wording.
00:09:55
Zach Sheets
We spent our money on green lasers and test tube babies.
00:10:00
Chris Prime
Tar oil, whatever they said real quick.
00:10:02
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:10:04
Chris Prime
But I'm just saying, like, still, you would want to make sure your, like, athlete, whoever's, like, celebrity agency they are under would just not have a freakout like that unless they specifically, like, escaped.
00:10:22
Chris Prime
You know, like, they... He broke out of, like, watch and then went on a bender of drinking, like, something like 23 drinks.
00:10:31
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:10:32
Chris Prime
Not even 23. I think he got to, like, S. He got to 19 drinks, I think.
00:10:38
Chris Prime
That one night at the bar where he got to a fight with Alexander. But, uh, yeah, now I'm skipping ahead little bit. But I'm just thinking, like, for a movie where the the soldier celebrity person...
00:10:50
Chris Prime
Jack is like everything's on the line they are just doing what they want like it the test tube people are like way more like diligent but I also think that their training was way better
00:11:04
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm. Well, they're they're but kind of being trained is like the future of Robot Jocks because they're you know they're bred from birth to be Robot Jocks. Although, we because we because we never we never really get we never really find out how Achilles became a Robot Jock. he's just like He's at the end of his career, basically, when we get to this movie. Yeah.
00:11:24
Chris Prime
Yeah, so it's just like years of battle. Like, at least... If you think it, they're probably solving one conflict a year.
Themes of Deception and Integrity
00:11:32
Chris Prime
Maybe? Maybe?
00:11:34
Zach Sheets
I mean, there's like, it seems like there's like two or three fights within like sort of succession of this movie. but guess i guess Because like one of them ended a draw, so they did like do a redo, but yeah, I wonder how many like actual like, know, like border conflicts they're like need to like solve.
00:11:49
Zach Sheets
Because cause like
00:11:53
Zach Sheets
I guess the Confederation was like, oh, we want Alaska. And they're like, well, we have Alaska. And that's how like the fight starts. Because you not invading you're not and you're not invading another country. You're invading like a different area. yeah i guess you're basically saying, we want that. and So let's fight about it
00:12:10
Chris Prime
Yeah. So they're just like, alright, time to fight, but between then it's like, go get drunk at the Robot Jock bar that everyone can get to. And that's another strange thing about this movie.
00:12:22
Chris Prime
every Every, like, warring, the two warring nations or whatever, they all live in the same area.
00:12:31
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it's just there, yeah.
00:12:31
Chris Prime
Like, alexander visit yeah Alexander visits the Robot Jock bar, and there's way more, like, teammates and crew that like we never see. like we again or like you know it's just like Everyone's rocking their color.
00:12:45
Zach Sheets
I assume that bar was in the market. feel like this movie takes place in the market territory. We don't even want to go to the Federation.
00:12:53
Chris Prime
no yeah and i
00:12:57
Chris Prime
I kind of wish that you did see more or more maybe like quick insert shots of what the Confederate area is, because they it seems like they were winning the last few years. or conflict.
00:13:08
Zach Sheets
well Well, because they have a spy in the ranks of the market who is giving them top secret information that helps them in each battle.
00:13:18
Chris Prime
And it's been like at least nine fights or seven fights from the opening because the last death is Hercules, this other champion that yields And Alexander's like, nah, I'm cruel as hell.
00:13:33
Chris Prime
But like there should be rules in the fight. like It's not like always to the death. But it's like it's it's like very optional. just like Sometimes it's to the death, sometimes it's not.
00:13:45
Zach Sheets
i feel I mean, there are refs. There are refs flying around in a little like pod. it's So it is like... is There is like like sports kind of like elements to it. There's referees, there's like announcers, there's spectators that go watch it.
00:13:59
Zach Sheets
But like I feel like yeah that like Hercules yielded it. I feel like one of the refs is like, it's stop, Alexander, he yielded it. Stop. And then he's like, no, it's we we go to the death.
00:14:11
Zach Sheets
And he squashes it and we're like, all right, whatever.
00:14:13
Chris Prime
Yeah.
00:14:14
Zach Sheets
There's no disqualification, no fines. It's like, listen to us next time, I guess.
00:14:20
Chris Prime
So there's no punishment. There's no like penalty. i You figure maybe like, okay, it's like, oh, you won. But because like you didn't show mercy, because another thing this movie stresses that like.
00:14:35
Chris Prime
Any death outside of the robot jock. fights are like, oh no, because like the human population is like declined.
00:14:45
Zach Sheets
Yes, there's some there's an interesting kind of like on the fringes of the movie, the world building where you see posters for like prenatal and it's like they're really pushing people to like have like as many children as possible.
00:14:59
Chris Prime
I mean, because I feel like a lot of the human population declined in that nuclear war. So that's why they're like, oh, we don't have like
00:15:05
Zach Sheets
Probably.
00:15:09
Chris Prime
the numbers, like, everything's gonna, like, be barren. But then, like, john don't let the robot jackets get killed.
00:15:21
Chris Prime
Because, like, even when it's like, okay, like, when Hercules' death happens, it's very, you know, cinematic for the time. But you figure the market team would be like, oh, we yield, like, stop this.
00:15:33
Chris Prime
And then the refs have to step in and say, all right, we're going to shut the robots down.
00:15:38
Zach Sheets
Yeah, we were talking before we started recording, like, they should have, like, a... Like, the refs should have a kill switch that stops both robots and be like, alright, the fight is over. Like...
00:15:46
Chris Prime
Unlike, like, human boxing, where it's like, you get in the zone, you don't hear, like, you know, your your focus is, like, airtight. Robots are computer systems. You can just disable power.
00:15:58
Zach Sheets
the ref The refs should have a giant robot of their own. Like a giant ref bot that can shoot EMPs or something. like
00:16:04
Chris Prime
Yeah, like, it should be the best robot fighter. If things go bad, then, like, the robot fighter steps in.
00:16:13
Zach Sheets
Like on... yeah You ever watch Robot Wars back in the day, Chris? Where they had like the house bots?
00:16:19
Chris Prime
I've seen it. haven't really, like, watched it.
00:16:21
Zach Sheets
They had like
00:16:21
Chris Prime
Isn't that just, like, helper sometimes?
00:16:23
Zach Sheets
they were they were like They would, like, attack the other, like, it'd be, like, two robots for each other, but then it'd be, like, the house bots that, like, are also, like, and they're just, like, attacking all of them.
00:16:32
Chris Prime
Yeah, they're just like annoyance, but they weren't as cool as the main robots.
00:16:32
Zach Sheets
So it's, like... Yeah.
00:16:36
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm. Well, they had, like, Sir Killalot, who's, like, a giant, like, tank, like, bigger than any other, like, Robot Wars for robot. He had, like, a giant spear and stuff.
00:16:42
Chris Prime
I didn't see that.
00:16:44
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm. But that's at the refs in this movie needed. like a like a like the yeah Like the coolest, most deadly robot. And you won't mess with them when they give their rulings.
00:16:55
Chris Prime
Or even like, you don't even need like another robot. You just like... blow up the command center of the other team.
00:17:03
Zach Sheets
Or just say like, yeah, like the arena has like like ion guns or something that like disable the robot. Like you turn those on and shoot the robot.
00:17:13
Zach Sheets
Because there's like there's no there's absolutely no safety features in these like but the arena, which is a giant like you know like dirt desert field.
00:17:25
Zach Sheets
But you find out there's like nothing protecting the spectators in the stand. The stand is like like just normal bleachers.
00:17:34
Zach Sheets
And there's not even an energy field like like protecting them. It's just like if a stray rocket or like a machine gun fire or something like goes in the stands, like they're dead.
Politics and Ethics of Robot Jocks
00:17:45
Zach Sheets
or Or a giant robot falls on them.
00:17:48
Zach Sheets
which Which happens in the the the second like the the first big battle between Achilles and Alexander.
00:17:57
Chris Prime
Yeah. I mean, that fight was hyped up. There's a lot of people doing bets and stuff. And then they don't show that again. Like, there's... Maybe it's implied that there's still, like, a whole market of people betting on robot jocks and doing sponsorships and whatnot.
00:18:16
Chris Prime
But... It's just hinted at at that one fight. Like, or shown, and then that's it. Like, like This is where like the Empire production just sort of like was cutting money. They're like, we're going to afford this many extras.
00:18:29
Zach Sheets
You get one crowd shot.
00:18:32
Chris Prime
Yeah, because like even the spectators and all that from the second fight, the third fight is just like nothing. It's really just like 10 minutes of that fight.
00:18:40
Zach Sheets
Well, it's basically like, there's no spectator this time after what happened.
00:18:44
Chris Prime
Right, but no one at home is watching it. There's no like people at the TV rooting for it or like the bridge like you know crowding around something.
00:18:50
Zach Sheets
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Because he's like, family.
00:18:51
Chris Prime
Not even... Yeah, yeah like they're interested. Or at least they don't cut too away to them.
00:19:01
Zach Sheets
like all like Or like the yeah other like test tube jocks. like They're not even watching you like in their dorm room or whatever.
00:19:09
Chris Prime
Yep. They they could completely exit the movie after that one shaky scene.
00:19:14
Zach Sheets
The shaky scene. The crazy jungle gym training exercise. Where it's like, yeah, yeah climb to the top of this like modern art sculpture and get to this hole. And then whoever gets climbs to the hole is the new robot jock.
00:19:31
Zach Sheets
And then it's like spraying like like lubrication, like like slimy goo out, and they're getting hot, and everything's shaking.
00:19:39
Chris Prime
And then the crazy thing is like that has nothing to do with the fight. It's approved
00:19:43
Zach Sheets
but yeah What does that have to do with being a robot jock?
00:19:48
Zach Sheets
I guess you're like you your your strategic skills, I guess.
00:19:48
Chris Prime
approved
00:19:52
Zach Sheets
It's like you figure out the best way to climb that like structure.
00:19:55
Chris Prime
guess? Because there's like random things that just happen.
00:19:56
Zach Sheets
And how...
00:19:58
Zach Sheets
and how like ruthless you are, because like it's every for themselves.
00:20:03
Chris Prime
Well, they they all want to be the top, but I feel like it's just the seven of them, so they'll just take all seven.
00:20:09
Zach Sheets
mean, you think but like eventually like they would probably... guess i guess we don't know how often the fights are, but eventually either either someone they're going to die or they're going to do 10 fights and like you're the next person up.
00:20:21
Zach Sheets
Unless they just keep making more test tube people.
00:20:24
Chris Prime
Yeah, wouldn't you stagger the the group so it's not just, like, all of them, like, around the same age?
00:20:32
Zach Sheets
Also, if if if they can make test tube people, like why don't they just like use that like use that to help the population, too?
00:20:39
Chris Prime
I think it takes a lot of resources to make the...
00:20:39
Zach Sheets
like maybe Maybe, yeah.
00:20:42
Chris Prime
maybe. But, like, we'll never know.
00:20:43
Zach Sheets
It also...
00:20:44
Chris Prime
The movie introduces these really cool concepts, but, like, we don't see more of them besides just sort of the general, like, idea.
00:20:51
Zach Sheets
It seems like the test tube jocks are like a new thing because they're worried that the confederations also like started to make like test tube jocks. And so they would want, they want theirs to be like, they want to make sure like that doesn't leak out to them or like their process of making them.
00:21:04
Chris Prime
Yeah, but, like, just because you were engineered in a lab, it doesn't guarantee you being the better fighter. That was, like, the message, like... Even Alexander's sort of, like, classic, like, guy, just, i love to fight, you know? There's no, like, my genetics or whatever, or my training.
00:21:23
Chris Prime
Mm-hmm.
00:21:24
Zach Sheets
Yeah, you so you can't be experience. Experience always triumphs over like like raw skill or something.
00:21:26
Chris Prime
And then...
00:21:31
Chris Prime
guess, uh... And then even then it's like, well, Alexander's team kept cheating with like upgraded mechs each fight.
00:21:39
Zach Sheets
Well, yeah, could they yeah so they say they the Confederation knows what weapon the market's going to like utilize. Because it seems like every fight there's like a new weapon that they come up with. But then there's spies telling them what weapon it's going to be, so they have like a countermeasure to it.
00:21:55
Zach Sheets
so like in the in the big the first big Alexander-Achilles fight, like Achilles has like this like green laser as the new secret weapon. But then Alexander has like a shield or some sort of shielding that blocks it, so it's like useless.
00:22:09
Zach Sheets
and then And then, it's also, it's interesting, like, during that fight, you find out, like, there's, like, this kind of like, stages of the fight where it's long range first, and then they when they close the gap, they can't use, like, long range weapons anymore, so you have to just, like, pound each other with with their fists.
00:22:25
Chris Prime
Yeah, there's rules. There's like even more form rules. But then, oh it's like killing is still like optional.
00:22:32
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:34
Chris Prime
So what if the long range wins? And it's like, oh, yeah, you shot him. Like, cool.
00:22:38
Zach Sheets
like Yeah, like first, right off the bat, like someone gets like a lucky shot with like a rocket and blows up the other guy like guy's cockpit or something. It's like, well, you won.
00:22:47
Chris Prime
I guess because it's like always a fight to the death initially that then it's like
Achilles' Personal Journey
00:22:51
Chris Prime
no rules. So that's just, death is sort of like, yeah, I can take it or leave it.
00:22:56
Zach Sheets
And then, and the bit but yeah, the big thing that happens in that fight is that, uh, Alexander, like, Achilles is, like, kind of, like, gets the upper hand and, like, knocks Alexander down, but then Alexander launches, like, he his his robot's fist is, like, a rocket, so he launches it at Achilles. it's He launches it, and it's, like, going toward the stands, and then Achilles, like, puts his mech in front of the rocket, and then that but that, like, makes his, like, mech fall into the stands and kill everybody.
00:23:25
Chris Prime
I think people said that, like, the fist wouldn't be as bad as the mech.
00:23:29
Zach Sheets
Yeah, I think that would have caused less damage because it would have hit like a smaller area. just kills the everyone in the stands because his mech is so giant.
00:23:39
Chris Prime
Well, it's like 300 people, like, casualties from the mech falling on the stand than the fist, if it just plowed into part of the stand.
00:23:45
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:23:51
Chris Prime
I don't even know.
00:23:52
Zach Sheets
And i I think it was explosive because it explodes later in the movie, but maybe.
00:23:57
Chris Prime
I think that's an upgrade, maybe.
00:23:58
Zach Sheets
baby yeah but If it wasn't explosive either, then that would yeah just let that thing go. Or try to hit it, maybe punch it or kick it or something.
00:24:09
Zach Sheets
don Don't like like Secret Service bodyguard like yourself and like get like hit and fall into the stands.
00:24:16
Zach Sheets
So that's kind of like because's like like... That that is like breaks him. He's like, I'm done. I killed a bunch of people.
00:24:24
Zach Sheets
I'm going to be able to stay with my brother and his eight kids.
00:24:28
Zach Sheets
And was his brother just like his job is to read stuff or something? Like, I don't know. But like, he's like weird.
00:24:34
Chris Prime
Well, yeah, so that's what I'm saying.
00:24:34
Zach Sheets
like Because he's he's he's a weird like glass office in his house and or his apartment.
00:24:36
Chris Prime
i don't think a lot of people read because they're just like either workers or fighters. Or technicians.
00:24:47
Zach Sheets
That's just like, oh, you're a reader.
00:24:52
Chris Prime
Maybe he's like transcribing the old texts into like new things. or sort of you know This is before the internet, so... he just read these things and then just tell people what he read?
00:25:05
Zach Sheets
because it it doesn't seem like it's a dystopian it doesn't seem like the market's like the government's bad i mean there's it's not the running man we talked about last week where it's like like a dystopian police state that's like horrible it's just
00:25:14
Chris Prime
see, yeah, that that's a crazy thing. It's not like
00:25:22
Chris Prime
It's just that like they are so focused on robot jocks that a lot of the mundane stuff seems to be like turned into more marketing, like consumerism.
00:25:36
Zach Sheets
and there's And there's still kind of, seems like there's still kind of like fallout and like consequences of the the the nuclear war because there's something where like the air is bad because you everyone has to wear masks when they're outside.
00:25:47
Chris Prime
think that's just like nuclear air.
00:25:48
Zach Sheets
Fallout, there's still like radiation or something.
00:25:49
Chris Prime
Yeah. And then why are people then going outside?
00:25:51
Zach Sheets
And then...
00:25:53
Chris Prime
It's like, okay, well, this is very dangerous. it's like, cool, I've got this paper mask. It's fine. Like, what?
00:25:57
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yep.
00:25:58
Chris Prime
You need a radiated suit.
00:26:01
Zach Sheets
And then there's some sort of like food shortage, or like at least like meat, because when Eccles goes to his brother's house, he's like, oh, it's special, meat tonight.
00:26:10
Chris Prime
Sister's house.
00:26:11
Zach Sheets
And then it's like, oh, it's like a hot dog.
00:26:13
Chris Prime
Is his brother or sister?
00:26:15
Zach Sheets
It's his brother, is is then but you know it's his sister-in-law and all his laces nephews stuff.
00:26:18
Chris Prime
Oh.
00:26:20
Chris Prime
Okay.
00:26:21
Zach Sheets
But yeah, his sister's all like, oh, we're having meat tonight.
00:26:21
Chris Prime
Well...
00:26:24
Zach Sheets
It's like one like weird sausage hot dog stew.
00:26:26
Chris Prime
Hot dog.
00:26:29
Chris Prime
It's funny, because, like, that's how much clever the world-building was, and I bet you the writer was like, there was so much more, but then they wanted to focus on, like, a forced romance plot.
00:26:44
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it's it see it seems like the both governments are kind of like, they' yeah they're totally focused on robot jocks, and they're funding all the resources, like the mechs and teams and everything, thing and then everyone else kind of is like it's getting a little bit ignored, but they're not like they're not like evil, they're just like kind of like like busy with other things. Yeah.
00:27:05
Chris Prime
Well, they're busy with, like, media hype.
00:27:08
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:27:09
Chris Prime
And then, from what i from what we see more of, like, drinking?
00:27:15
Chris Prime
Seems like every night they're all at that bar. Like, almost everyone in the movie's at that bar. Or, they're doing, like, weird bets.
00:27:25
Zach Sheets
Yeah. people like the People who probably don't have like a lot of money are like betting all their money on who's going to win. They're betting all their credits.
00:27:34
Chris Prime
And the movie doesn't even delve into that. It introduces that that but concept and a few few extras who have speaking roles. And then we never see them again.
00:27:46
Chris Prime
It's a shame because it seemed like a cool idea. There's a cool side characters and stuff they can really delve into. But the budget just couldn't allow it.
00:27:59
Zach Sheets
but But yeah, so Achilles is like, oh, what he's like, I'm going to be a, I'm a civilian now. I'm not, a I'm not a robot jock anymore. But then he finds out that Athena, who is like, yeah, kind of been like,
00:28:09
Zach Sheets
Slight, like, kind of like, is introduced, and he's, like, attracted to her, like, right off the bat. like he made He and, like, his, like, his like coach Tex makes some, like, you know, nude comments about her, and then... But but she she she wins the Shaky Room Challenge, and she's she's gonna be the first, like, female robot jock.
00:28:27
Zach Sheets
And then, like...
00:28:27
Chris Prime
Wait, wait, wait.
00:28:27
Zach Sheets
Yes!
00:28:28
Chris Prime
Let's go back to when Achilles like meets the the like next generation, where they all try to beat him up.
00:28:39
Zach Sheets
part Yeah, cause you have to because if you're a robot jock, you have to be like an actual like good like martial arts or like karate fighter.
00:28:46
Chris Prime
And I forgot what the actor's name is, like Gary something.
00:28:50
Zach Sheets
gary Yeah, Gary... I think it's Gary Graham.
00:28:53
Chris Prime
He's not bad in this movie. It's just not what you think of, like, a martial artist.
00:28:57
Zach Sheets
No.
00:28:59
Chris Prime
I don't know if he's got, like, a dancer's background, but that's it's, like, the one... He's got, like, maybe three physical fight scenes in this movie. And it starts pretty strong, like, with them trying to fight him, and then he's just, like, kind of doing karate moves, like, at everybody's...
00:29:17
Zach Sheets
i idea I do appreciate that like they're coming at him in like groups, not like the standard like one at a time thing.
00:29:22
Chris Prime
Yeah, that's what makes it, like, stand out to me. If it was just, like, one-on-one fight where they all just, like, circle around him and wait for one guy to fall, then, like... Mm-hmm.
00:29:32
Zach Sheets
him and punches them in the face and the next person runs at him.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
00:29:36
Chris Prime
At least this was different.
00:29:37
Zach Sheets
It cut... Yeah. But then, I feel like it's like being a good karate person doesn't really translate to you like controlling a giant mech, because you can't do like elaborate karate moves in a mech.
00:29:48
Chris Prime
They could if they made the robots like more fluent. and and like i mean It takes years for that to happen for like Pacific Rim style
00:29:58
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Well, it it is it is interesting. like Pacific Rim definitely... like Gilmar Taro definitely saw this movie, too, because the way they control the robots in this movie is if it's like you haveh yeah you actually have to walk on this like special like platform and then you have to move your arms.
00:30:14
Zach Sheets
so Which Pacific Rim, you to like yeah act everything out, too, in the Jaegers.
00:30:22
Zach Sheets
This is definitely an inspiration, probably, for but some of the Pacific Rim. <unk>ic gri
00:30:29
Zach Sheets
Although, they you yeah add like the you had to have two people in the Jaegers.
00:30:37
Zach Sheets
They didn't have the drift yet in the Robojox.
00:30:39
Chris Prime
yeah
00:30:42
Chris Prime
So, because even the robot technology, it just seems like you do most of everything with your hands. Your feet are just bolted, or like just rigid in place of the cockpit.
00:30:52
Zach Sheets
Well, you're walking. You have to walk to walk the mech. It seems like you're high enough, you're kind of strapped in high enough where your feet are just barely touching the ground, and so you walk on that metal platform, and then that's moving the mech's legs.
00:31:09
Chris Prime
Oh, okay. They don't really go into the science of that, I guess. But it does it does help later that Pacific Rim really took the idea to the next level.
00:31:12
Zach Sheets
No. Mm-hmm.
00:31:20
Zach Sheets
And then, yeah, you you move your arms, then that kind of moves the arms, but then you also there's kind of... you on your On your hands, you have, like, dual joysticks, and you have, like, different buttons that, like, activate different weapons and stuff.
00:31:33
Zach Sheets
Which, yeah, they don't really they didn't really explain anything. They don't explain, like, how of that works. Even... even you know they're going to have like a new robot jock with Athena. they don't be like I guess because they've been trained to be jocks their entire lives, there's no like introduction of like, alright, you're a new jock, here's so here's how you work this thing.
00:31:52
Zach Sheets
There's no intro training to like be like like how it actually works. it' like You know, you've been trained for this your entire life.
00:32:01
Chris Prime
Even as the audience, it's sort of like, youve you've got a vague understanding of robots, right? Alright, cool.
00:32:06
Zach Sheets
You know how robots work.
00:32:08
Chris Prime
That's what this is. like You use your hands in this power glove suit to control the robot. Okay, is there any special fluids or like
00:32:21
Chris Prime
robot to help you? Nope, you are the robot. Okay. okay But even though like the team has to like go through the drills, so everyone, the command, I guess, has to hit toggles and stuff in order for the robot to operate a few things.
00:32:37
Zach Sheets
Yeah, there is there is kind of like a like NASA ground control kind of like station that like is monitoring the the jocks too kind of giving them like tactical advice.
00:32:50
Zach Sheets
Because that's like like Texas is like, oh, yeah, it's it's a team effort. you don't The jocks don't win by themselves.
00:32:56
Chris Prime
But what does Tex do?
00:32:58
Zach Sheets
he He won 10 fights. He was a jock. He won 10 fights and then didn't have to be a jock anymore. So then became like like coach, basically.
00:33:06
Chris Prime
What? No, right. But like, what does he coach in there besides scream? You got this. you You know, like you're doing none of it. Sounds like he actually gives any tactical advice or, or like, okay, like we got to break out this.
00:33:19
Zach Sheets
Punch! Punch him!
00:33:20
Chris Prime
Yeah. Like,
00:33:23
Zach Sheets
Yeah, he's he's it's not even like a buts i mean like boxing device. like Body blow. like you Give him an uppercut, kid. like right Watch the jab. like
00:33:32
Chris Prime
Yeah, that's where I've got my question of why is he there?
00:33:38
Zach Sheets
I think part partially because he's like a celebrity because he's like the only person who ever won 10 fights. and then And then he's like trying to like like he's using an experience to like help the the new jocks.
00:33:48
Zach Sheets
which Which then you find out he's not really because he is the spy. but da. da
00:33:55
Zach Sheets
Which, i I love how they they definitely they definitely try to do like the the big swerve. and They try to make you think that Dr. Matsumoto, who's like the guy who develops all the weapons for the robots, is the spy. Because there's all the scenes of him looking sinister.
00:34:07
Chris Prime
Yeah, they they really hyped that up.
00:34:09
Zach Sheets
And then there's there's a a big reveal where Matsumoto's in his office and Tex comes in. then Matsumoto is like, I know, it was you.
00:34:19
Zach Sheets
so they have a big like standoff. And he gives that he's that weird speech about like, i know, it's like every man, it's the person they used to be, the child they used to be.
00:34:31
Zach Sheets
i Find the child used to be, Taxi's like, alright. And looks like like saying he's about to shoot himself in the head, and he's like, I know, it's like, this is this is the man I am. And then he shoots Dachi Matsumoto in the head.
00:34:43
Chris Prime
Yeah, it's like, this is the, hey, I'm the real Tex. I'm really, like, an evil man.
00:34:47
Zach Sheets
Yeah, this is the real me. Yeah. I'm making money. i guess.
00:34:54
Chris Prime
Is he? mean, wouldn't wouldn't they, like, figure out, like, Tex is awfully, like, rich these days. Like,
00:35:01
Zach Sheets
There's a lot lot of weird like deposits going to his accounts from some weird Confederation accounts.
00:35:09
Chris Prime
I just think it's funny that like there should be a weird scene where Tex gets more and more blinged out as the movie keeps going.
00:35:17
Zach Sheets
yeah After every fight, he has like a new hat or giant gold chain or something.
00:35:24
Chris Prime
You see him with like more meat rations.
00:35:28
Zach Sheets
And i guess I guess the reason he works for the Confederation is that because he... don't... They gave him the like inside info to win his last fight. like They told him where the weak spot was their robot.
00:35:44
Zach Sheets
And so like... it it was like It was kind of like a one in a million shot that he made. it's in He's always said, it's like, oh, it's a lucky shot. I got lucky that day. But it's like, he actually like knew exactly where to shoot.
00:35:54
Zach Sheets
That was like Matsumoto's evidence that he like knew where to shoot. So he had like insider knowledge.
00:36:01
Chris Prime
here's the thing. We don't know how far back his wins are because it wasn't like the last fight he was going to lose, but without that insider info.
00:36:10
Chris Prime
And that's what corrupted him. I think he's always been like a spy and it's been fixed in order to
00:36:21
Chris Prime
get him in there. Like, you know, i mean, like it's a true spy. He wasn't turned
00:36:26
Zach Sheets
Oh, okay, yeah.
00:36:28
Chris Prime
But it would be interesting if that was the development. You're right. If the last fight was, oh shit, I'm going to die. And then they broker a deal with him where it's like, listen, this is your last fight.
00:36:40
Chris Prime
If you work with us, right, you get out of this.
00:36:41
Zach Sheets
We'll help you win so you don't have to be a jock anymore, but then you have to help us. Yeah.
00:36:45
Chris Prime
Yeah. And we'll take care of you. And then maybe that's something Achilles could have been tempted by too. Because he's like, he doesn't want to keep doing this. You know, he's afraid of dying. They all are. That's what gives them the edge is that they're always afraid.
00:36:57
Chris Prime
But like, don't show it.
00:36:59
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:36:59
Chris Prime
The thing is, all like, it's not just being afraid.
00:36:59
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:37:02
Chris Prime
It's also, like, doing the, like, honorable thing where Tex is like, I don't care. I just want to live and get rich and whatever. Where Achilles like, I'll fight for, like, a good cause. You don't risk my life.
00:37:14
Chris Prime
You know i mean? Like, it's the difference. And the movie doesn't really say that, but I bet you that's what the original intention was.
00:37:22
Chris Prime
Like, the nullization.
00:37:23
Zach Sheets
yeah in in the, the, the Alderman, the Alderman, like the Joe Alderman version.
00:37:28
Chris Prime
Right, because wouldn't there be a thing where, like, it'd be funny if, I mean, not funny, but, like, it'd be a better story where before the final fight, the Confederacy, like, contacts Achilles and offers him, like, hey, yeah, like, some crazy deal.
00:37:40
Zach Sheets
The same, the same offer.
00:37:43
Chris Prime
And then it's like, oh, why are you doing that? goes, well, like, we did it, you know, we have our ways. That's the, like, oh, shit, like, which one, which one... and don't know maybe it's, like, too obvious that he's, like, Tex... Maybe, like, Achilles can do this to go tell Tex about, like, hey, they're doing this, and Tex is like, take the deal.
00:38:00
Chris Prime
Like...
00:38:00
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:38:04
Chris Prime
Okay, something crazy, but has to do with robots. I think that's the same plot of Herbie, the first Herbie movie.
00:38:15
Chris Prime
Where, like, uh... The, like... The, like... the sponsor of Herbie is the Japanese company where like the rival company offers them money to like dissuade and stop sponsoring Herbie.
00:38:31
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:38:32
Chris Prime
And the Japanese guy goes, hey, like you're going to lose anyway. Like, so we took the money and we aren't going to help you do the final race. So if you watch that Herbie movie, like it's all about the courage of them doing it regardless if they win or lose. Like they just wanted to prove that Herbie could race.
00:38:48
Chris Prime
It's a good message, man. Like, I don't know why, i mean, I know why I thought of it, because it's like, it's a good plot structure. It's like, listen, we don't know if Achilles has this final fight in him, because he's just been getting hammered and not training.
00:39:02
Zach Sheets
he I mean, he flip-flops back and forth so many times. like He's like, I'm done! then he finds Athena is going to fight, he's I'm back in!
00:39:11
Chris Prime
I got like a horrible night's sleep in the living room. i had meat for dinner. like
00:39:15
Zach Sheets
Yep.
00:39:16
Chris Prime
It is so funny to think that... The events of... Of the second act is so long.
00:39:27
Chris Prime
It is, like, the longest part of the movie. Where... Achilles is like sort of hanging out with Athena and like training her or sort of giving her advice and then sees her naked and he's like cool and then leaves he hangs out with his family for like one night and he gets pulled back into the program because I think I
00:39:51
Zach Sheets
i can't let I can't let Athena become a jock because if she so you might get killed. so ill i'll i'll fight I'll return and fight and get my last fight.
00:39:59
Chris Prime
Right, right, oh because she won the Shaky Room contest.
00:40:02
Zach Sheets
Yes, yeah. so She's going to be the new like robot jock.
00:40:04
Chris Prime
And I guess everyone else gets terminated? Like, I...
00:40:07
Zach Sheets
yeah maybe
00:40:08
Chris Prime
So...
00:40:09
Zach Sheets
I don't think afford to yeah kill anybody, but...
00:40:13
Chris Prime
But then... yeah But, like... I get it, like, he cared for just her. None of the other guys, because none the other guys were, like, nice to him.
00:40:23
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they're all jerks to him. It's get out here, old man.
00:40:24
Chris Prime
But... But, like...
00:40:29
Chris Prime
It should have been a thing where he came back and then before he could even like put on the champion mantle he has to fight everyone again. Right? No, as like a training thing where it's like Yeah, like yeah wouldn't that be like an interesting subplot?
00:40:38
Zach Sheets
let's say yeah yeah earn weight you got you You gotta win shaky room.
00:40:46
Chris Prime
But instead it literally is just like him just like putting back on the suit and just alright back to work la la la like it I think they go back to the bar at some point after that too.
00:40:59
Zach Sheets
what Well, at a certain point, like i guess like it's like right before the day of the fight, Athena shows up in Achilles' room and then tranquilizes him.
00:41:08
Chris Prime
Yeah, well, that was a nice little twist where she's like, oh, yeah, I just want to make sure you could fight. I think he still has, like, the head injury. Like, he's not fully recovered from the last weak fight.
00:41:18
Zach Sheets
Yeah. What was that weird part where after he got trashed, like Athena brought him home and like stripped him down and put him in bed, but he's like, what I studied your body while but you were like i was, like, undressing you.
00:41:31
Zach Sheets
and don't understand how you're such a good fighter.
00:41:34
Chris Prime
Oh, but then like the next day, he's he's got like that band-aid wound and it's bleeding again. So it's like something I noticed, but I was like, maybe because his wounds didn't heal all the way.
00:41:47
Chris Prime
It could also be like a cool thing where during the end, like his old injury comes back
Final Battle and Unresolved Questions
00:41:52
Chris Prime
or something. And it's like, oh no, like you're playing with a handicap. And he's like,
00:41:56
Zach Sheets
Yeah, he should have had like a bad like a bad knee or something, and then like Alexander knows about it, and starts bashing like the Roast knee or something, and that damages his knee.
00:42:06
Chris Prime
See, now you're making it more like Pacific Rim.
00:42:08
Zach Sheets
I
00:42:08
Chris Prime
It's like way too, like...
00:42:10
Chris Prime
I get it. If they got that, holy crap would this movie be way better because it's like the robot feels damaged so you feel damaged.
00:42:17
Zach Sheets
i guess i guess in this movie it had to be a to be like an arm injury, because like you you actually like are like hooked into your the arms, yeah.
00:42:22
Chris Prime
Boxing. Yeah, but... Okay. That's another thing about this movie. This movie is implied that all the robots should be like humanoid, but there's nothing in the rules they had to be.
00:42:35
Chris Prime
They could just be robotic.
00:42:36
Zach Sheets
anything.
00:42:37
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:42:37
Chris Prime
Yeah, they could been tanks.
00:42:40
Chris Prime
They could have been like just straight up, not even like a cockpit in the way of like a robot fighter, but just like a ship, like just flies in and destroys the robot jock who's like walking.
00:42:51
Chris Prime
You're like, who says I can't do that?
00:42:53
Zach Sheets
they have They have hover technology. They have hover cars. So yeah, but you add some hover, have like a hover bot or something.
00:43:00
Chris Prime
have it always be flying. Yeah, like you said, just hover feet.
00:43:02
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:43:04
Chris Prime
Why does it, all the robots basically have to use physical terrain to walk? Unless they open crawl, goes, okay, we, you you cannot make basically an aircraft because it just goes against the policy of basically making your robot into a giant missile, which by proof was like what happened in the stand.
00:43:25
Chris Prime
The robot became like worse because it became like falling projectile.
00:43:31
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:43:32
Chris Prime
So ban it from leaving the arena from like flying or now. Because you know, again, this is now coming to the end, where at some point in the movie, they take the fight into orbit.
00:43:46
Zach Sheets
Yeah, so Athena tranquilizes Achilles and and it takes over and then like takes over the fight. She
00:43:55
Chris Prime
Like trots.
00:43:56
Zach Sheets
just start see she she starts the fight and they can't stop her. so there But the tranquilizer wasn't that great because he like wakes up pretty soon afterwards and escapes but by like piloting his car into like the wall of his apartment and smashing through it.
00:44:13
Zach Sheets
And then he gets into the like the control room. And and and i think that's when everyone finds out that Tex is the is the the spy because they're playing... Matsumoto record a secret briefing about what his new but weapon was.
00:44:28
Zach Sheets
But then it splices in the footage of Tex shooting him in the head. Which, I don't know how he edited that or got that created. you created after his death, but it's the evidence everyone sees.
00:44:41
Zach Sheets
then, they try Rex text and he throws himself down mech, like, elevator chute shaft and he's, and he's dead. He's He's basically just like, a I'll see you in hell! And just jumps off into the elevator shaft.
00:44:56
Chris Prime
It is pretty crazy because it doesn't even do that like... I thought going to pull a Doctor Strangelove or he rides something. Like a true text move.
00:45:04
Zach Sheets
Oh! Mm-hmm.
00:45:07
Zach Sheets
Nope, yeah, he just like, yeah, hurls himself that three however many stories down. and And then no one no one kids like kind of cares, just like, alright, he's dead. Alright, back to the fights.
00:45:16
Chris Prime
That was the spy? oh that's weird.
00:45:19
Zach Sheets
And they then Achilles is trying to like kind of coach Athena, and she starts out winning a little bit, but then, yeah, Alexander just starts, he pulls out his mech has like a like like a drill like a jackhammer fist and just starts smashing the cockpit.
00:45:34
Zach Sheets
and also And also his mech has gotten like a... like the The market's robot hasn't changed at all. and and Every fight we've seen is the same robot. But the Confederation now has like a spider bot, basically. like his legs He has like six legs.
00:45:48
Zach Sheets
Which is like, it's like totally different than the the first robot he was piloting in the first fight.
00:45:53
Zach Sheets
And yeah so he he yeah, so Alexander's getting the upper hand drastically, and then he he basically wins because Marcus's robot is disabled, Athena's knocked dead cautious, and so the refs are like, hey, you won, stop. And he's just like, no!
00:46:09
Zach Sheets
and And he smashes the ref's pod and gets disqualified.
00:46:14
Chris Prime
So then the whole next part of the movie is sort of like a like unsangy fight.
00:46:18
Zach Sheets
Unsanctioned grudge match, yeah.
00:46:19
Chris Prime
Yeah. And instead of like cutting the fee or just like cutting the power sources or even just sort of like getting more robot jobs to stop these jocks from fighting because you figured they'd have like another robot somewhere.
00:46:36
Zach Sheets
somewhere yeah
00:46:37
Chris Prime
But now they just let this kind of like unfold. And I'm not even sure what they were trying to do like, what each side was kind of like, yeah, chief, because they're just sort of like, let's just see where this goes.
00:46:44
Zach Sheets
achieve because now the market the market won basically because they disqualified the confederations win because they attacked the refs so now the market won they won alaska that's all they wanted but then now it's now it's yeah it's a grunge match between achilles and alexander
00:47:02
Zach Sheets
And then, yeah, killes so Achilles takes over the robot and then reveals that they can fly. They can have jet boosters in their legs and they can fly into space.
00:47:12
Zach Sheets
But then that turns out to be, like, you think it's going to be this big, like, tactical move? Like, oh, this is some, like, great strategy from Achilles. Like, he's he knows some way to like, get the upper hand in space over Alexander. But, like, no, he gets, Alexander chases him down, shoots him in the leg, and blows up his leg, basically. And then he, like, crashed, Achilles crash lands into back and into Earth.
00:47:36
Zach Sheets
And so, that like, flying into space achieves nothing. Like, less than nothing. He gets even more damaged.
Potential for Sequels and Alternate Plotlines
00:47:43
Zach Sheets
but then But then you find out that his robot, Achilles' robot, can transform into a tank, which we would say, like, why is there like like not, like, a tank robot? Which, apparently it is. This this one is, as long as it's, like, like, it's blown up or something.
00:47:56
Chris Prime
okay, so them going into the transforming and then basically becoming hovercrafts, like that could fall in another place now. like Now you've moved beyond the mobility of legs to now, okay, you can destroy this like robot that can then fall out of atmosphere and crash land back on Earth somewhere.
00:48:21
Zach Sheets
Well, it's insane that they are able to fall back exactly where they took off from.
00:48:26
Chris Prime
Yeah, the Earth orbits, so...
00:48:29
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:48:29
Chris Prime
where Did they just like fly in a circle, like a really tight pattern, and then came right back down?
00:48:36
Zach Sheets
but Yeah, they they literally crash into the arena they came from, which is like I think is literally impossible. Yeah.
00:48:44
Chris Prime
It's like an anime thing, when like DBZ, they do that a lot, like they'll fight in one zone and somehow come back to it, but...
00:48:50
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:48:53
Chris Prime
I was just thinking, like didn't they flew pretty high in the atmosphere. and That's like miles.
00:49:01
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they were like... they were i mean they were in space like if they were in space, they were like in like the absolute edges of the atmosphere
00:49:11
Zach Sheets
but
00:49:12
Chris Prime
yeah Yeah, so like like i said, like that's a new problem to worry about because if they ever did a sequel, which they didn't,
00:49:12
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:49:20
Chris Prime
space fighting becomes like a new thing and now you've got like a whole new set of problems if your robot goes into space and now you're worrying about like debris and and whatnot raining down
00:49:30
Zach Sheets
And also, like do they have like an like an oxygen supply and in the mech? Like, if they're in space for a centimeter or a time?
00:49:37
Chris Prime
I mean maybe because you kind of want your pilot to breathe that they can't breathe in a sealed box so there has to be an oxygen
00:49:37
Zach Sheets
Because they're still...
00:49:44
Zach Sheets
Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:45
Chris Prime
and that makes sense. You just can't have, like, no air support, like, no ventilation. But, uh... I mean, we never saw these... See, there's this, like, missing part of this movie where if the Earth is kind of little barren and you're fighting for cool, like, set pieces, the opening scene takes place in a, like, ruined battlefield of previous fights of robot pieces scattered around.
00:50:12
Chris Prime
And it's like, it's at least, like, a snow setting. And then the movie just goes to a desert for like almost all the fights.
00:50:18
Zach Sheets
Both the last two yeah both both Achilles and the enemy fights are just in this like desert area.
00:50:24
Chris Prime
I would have liked it if they fought underwater. They fought in a jungle or like a ruined city.
00:50:27
Zach Sheets
a jungle or something.
00:50:30
Chris Prime
Whoa, even better.
00:50:30
Zach Sheets
A volcano.
00:50:32
Chris Prime
See? like What I'm describing is essentially what G-Gundam is. If you ever... Zach, I know you don't watch a lot of Gundam stuff. G-Gundam was essentially this movie. like to the extreme.
00:50:46
Chris Prime
And I grew up watching G Gundam. And G Gundam was all the countries in the world and space and the space colonies, they got together and then they designate also certain also like certain like earth becomes like a battlefield and those who live here are just sort of like eh like it's like a wally future and every country left earth and started their own like orbital like colonies and then in order to like determine resources from earth and all these other areas they do a robot fight then earth becomes like uh an arena so then you battle duke it around you duke it out with different uh robots and
00:51:09
Zach Sheets
Mm-mm.
00:51:29
Chris Prime
Until there's basically just like one left to say, like okay, I get decide how to handle the resources. like Our nation gets to decide. Really great series. America did not like it.
00:51:42
Chris Prime
Japan loved it. But like it essentially is Robot Jack. And the thing is that every robot had a quirk. different and Some of them were not good. like A lot of them were kind of racist.
00:51:56
Chris Prime
But it at least did something different. In this movie, like, the Federation was just generically evil. oh Not even evil. I think just the pilot was evil.
00:52:07
Zach Sheets
Yeah, they chose a psychopath for their for their an effective psychopath for their pilot.
00:52:13
Chris Prime
Because even at the end, they're kind of like telling their pilot, like, hey, man, like, you don't need to do this. We don't need this. This is bad publicity.
00:52:19
Zach Sheets
Yeah, like like they're like they're like Baron Harkonnen leaders. Like, alexand what are you doing, Alexander? Stop this! You won!
00:52:27
Chris Prime
I'm surprised the Baron Harkonnen villain didn't try to do like, oh, we could do more, like, target, like, kill Achilles' girl. Like, you know, they're very like, oh no, it's still like a business.
00:52:40
Chris Prime
Like, this is a bad look.
00:52:44
Zach Sheets
Blow up their control tower.
00:52:48
Chris Prime
But yeah, so...
00:52:50
Chris Prime
yeah want Let's talk about the last fight where basically Achilles sort of just does that like but like was Empire Strikes Back move where he just mounts the robot to disable it.
00:53:07
Zach Sheets
And he, uh, yeah, he, and the and he's able to like climb it up it and then but was yeah he blows up one the legs or something like,
00:53:17
Chris Prime
thought it was like an arm.
00:53:18
Zach Sheets
Yeah. And then he... Because Alexander launched... Athena managed to cut off like one of the robot-launching fist launcher when she was fighting Alexander. And so that's like lying on the battlefield, and Achilles is able to get to that arm and basically use that as like a missile launcher.
00:53:39
Zach Sheets
And he launches it at Alexander blows up his close up the entire like robot. But then, don't know how it ejects or something, because you don't see him escape the robot, but then of a sudden he's on the ground fighting Achilles.
00:53:56
Zach Sheets
and that And his robot explodes. like It's like absolute total destruction of his robot.
00:54:01
Zach Sheets
And then he's just and because he like yeah he like jumps behind him just like, uh-oh.
00:54:08
Chris Prime
I
00:54:08
Zach Sheets
but now now's Now it's a it's like a when like the like the knights doing a joust fault their horses, now it's like a hand-to-hand duel. Yeah. Yeah.
00:54:18
Chris Prime
i mean, it's cool.
00:54:18
Zach Sheets
but like
00:54:19
Chris Prime
It's a good, like, it's like no longer are the robots more important. It's just the jock. So it's like man to man, which I appreciate.
00:54:25
Zach Sheets
yeah
00:54:28
Chris Prime
Didn't see that coming in this robot fighting movie.
00:54:34
Zach Sheets
but Which, think we were talking about like before, like if it if it gets to this point, I feel like they should like like just end the fight, because now it's not mean like a robot it's not a robot fight anymore, it's just like two dudes fighting each other.
00:54:44
Chris Prime
Which is not, like, what they want to see. the
00:54:46
Zach Sheets
Yeah.
00:54:47
Chris Prime
The whole big thing was check out how cool these robots are.
00:54:49
Zach Sheets
yeah the yeah The whole spirit of like the robot jock fights is we're trying to avoid human-on-human conflict. Yeah.
00:54:56
Chris Prime
But I guess maybe the message was that, like, it devolved into that and shows the folly that even though no one likes to watch human-on-human fights, it's still human-on-human fighting in the robots.
00:55:09
Chris Prime
So then... why... Also, they fight like just like they're in Star Trek.
00:55:15
Zach Sheets
yeah yeah I was waiting i'm waiting for like a muck time to start playing.
00:55:16
Chris Prime
Even though these are supposed to be like top fighters.
00:55:21
Chris Prime
Yeah. I mean, literally one of them grabs a rock. So...
00:55:25
Zach Sheets
ye
00:55:26
Chris Prime
I don't know where the training comes in, but it seems like you don't need much as long as you find heavy object and just swing it wildly.
00:55:35
Zach Sheets
Yeah, all that all that combat training we saw earlier is like goes out the The wreckage of the robot is like...
00:55:39
Chris Prime
Yeah, I... I swear to God, if there's a scene at the end where it's the shaky room, like a like like another representation of it, like... Yeah. And it, like, it vibrates and the guy's like, haha, I'm the best at this.
00:55:55
Chris Prime
But we don't even get that. There's no callback to, like, any of their training. And maybe it's like, alright, well, it's so raw that basically Achilles wins by being pissed.
00:56:08
Zach Sheets
but Yeah, like, he smashes the head with a rock, but then he's like, he's like, you could we can live, we don't have to kill each other.
00:56:18
Chris Prime
That was always an option if you got to this far in the fight, right? like
00:56:22
Zach Sheets
yeah yeah Alexander was just like a bloodthirsty maniac. He could have like let everyone live.
00:56:27
Chris Prime
Yeah. this I mean, granted, maybe the Confederacy would have been mostly dominating the world, but it didn't matter if that he killed them or not. like It was such an option because I don't think this solves the robot jock wars. Yeah.
00:56:43
Zach Sheets
know
00:56:44
Chris Prime
it It ends so quickly at the end because we have like there's so many other questions that happen and the movie's just like, the end! They're friends!
00:56:52
Zach Sheets
well yeah because like you you find it like like alexander has like kind of this like nihilistic philosophy like we're already dead we're robot jocks and then it's like oh it's like we don't have to be it's like does it doesn't have to be this way it's like all right yep i believe yep
00:57:08
Chris Prime
Well, you were gonna kill me, so, okay. Because they should have ended with like like accepting that and then him trying to still go after Achilles with Little Rock.
00:57:19
Zach Sheets
but yeah they they do like they do the crash and thumbs up to each other and that yeah and they make they make peace and then that hard cut to the end hard cut the credits
00:57:29
Chris Prime
Just before you have any other like questions or world building, the movie
Conclusion and Next Episode Preview
00:57:33
Chris Prime
just ends. And then i'm pretty sure they all get shot at the end for a court-martial.
00:57:41
Zach Sheets
I mean, it's it's got it's either it's either the market won because the confederation attacked the refs and disqualify themselves, or it's another draw again and they have to fight again.
00:57:50
Chris Prime
Or they the Confederates was like, this is all part of their plan. Distract everyone with the fight, and then they'll assemble an army and then like just invade.
00:58:00
Zach Sheets
Yeah, cause because both robots are destroyed now, so it's like, now we go back go back old school. It's old school style. We're back to actual wars. like actual wars
00:58:10
Chris Prime
Yeah, like, it didn't solve anything. We've got, like, new... ha like The problems still exist.
00:58:17
Chris Prime
See, I understand the end it's like, oh no, both nations came together. they You open our eyes. like We're all friends now, whatever.
00:58:25
Zach Sheets
Mm-hmm.
00:58:25
Chris Prime
that's That's like, okay. like it's a It's a quick resolve, very like plot device-y. But at least you won't have any other lingering questions. Because, I mean, if anything, the people of the market who like were harassing Achilles' family for quitting, I'm pretty sure they're going to like, oh, we're good not going to stop harassing you for not killing Alexander now.
00:58:57
Chris Prime
And so, wait, did Alexander is free from his 10 fights or because he rejoined, it's like he has another 10-year contract, 10-quit contract?
00:59:04
Zach Sheets
If Akira's like a screwed himself, it's like, well, but restart, like you quit. So that contract's done. Now it's a new contract. You got to fight 10 more fights. You got to fight nine more fights.
00:59:14
Zach Sheets
Well, guess they were like there was talking about, they were talking about like an actual sequel to this. And it would have been Achilles and Alexander teaming out to fight like fight an alien invasion with their mechs.
00:59:24
Chris Prime
what alien? There's like...
00:59:27
Zach Sheets
<unk> it's Yeah, that's that's according to like Stuart Gordon. Apparently, that was like his idea at one point. But there there were there were two like totally not related but like unofficial sequels.
00:59:42
Zach Sheets
There was Robot Wars and there was Crash and Burn, which were like, oh like full those were full moon productions. They're also featured giant robots, but they had nothing to do with the Robot Jocks. But they got marketed as like Robot Jocks 2 and Robot Jocks 3 in some areas.
00:59:57
Chris Prime
So, i mean I don't remember if see those movies. I think I might have. I think Robot Wars is definitely on, like, Mystery Science Theater 3000.
01:00:08
Zach Sheets
I know they're and they're definitely I think they're all on like Tubi or Prime Video like I think one of them has like the full moon collection I think it's Tubi it's like every full moon movie because because yeah because Robot Jocks was like it was Empire but then some other like production company like picked up the rights because Empire went bankrupt because they finished shooting Robot Jocks in 1987 and then it didn't come out until because of the whole like bankruptcy thing
01:00:34
Chris Prime
So there was a movie called Robot Wars?
01:00:36
Zach Sheets
Yeah, there's movie called Robot Wars that was like a... Charles Band directed that one. i Albert Band directed that one.
01:00:42
Chris Prime
Okay.
01:00:42
Zach Sheets
Charles Band himself directed Crash and Burn, which is sometimes called Robot Jocks 2.
01:00:47
Chris Prime
Yeah, okay, because I definitely have seen Robot Wars. I didn't know basically it was spiritual sequels. I mean, they are very similar, and it's like the next level of what do you think?
01:00:59
Zach Sheets
Yeah, it's it's it's it's it's the same stop-motion giant robots fighting each other.
01:01:00
Chris Prime
He's like...
01:01:05
Chris Prime
like i
01:01:05
Zach Sheets
and like people
01:01:06
Chris Prime
I always thought these were different like ideas. I didn't think it was like the same people sort of related behind them.
01:01:14
Zach Sheets
yeah i think like uh like dan danny danie kamakana who plays uh dr matsumoto is in robot wars as a different character
01:01:23
Chris Prime
I think Robot robotbo Warriors is the famous one because James Raynar is in it and then James Raymar and like Stuart Gordon it's like his direct writing.
01:01:34
Chris Prime
I'm not sure if Robot Wars it's still Stuart Gordon's writing.
01:01:38
Chris Prime
Nope.
01:01:38
Zach Sheets
No, I don't think Sturgorn had anything else to do with any of the other full robot movies. row up movies
01:01:49
Zach Sheets
But yeah, obviously it had some influence on like, we were talking like Pacific Rim and Death Stranding and some other like giant robot movies or games or G Gundam.
01:02:01
Chris Prime
G Gundam. G Gundam came out like four years after this.
01:02:06
Zach Sheets
And yeah, it's its I mean, yeah, roadja iss it's it's a cult classic. I mean, it's you know it's it's definitely like, if you're a fan of giant robots, it's yeah I'm sure you probably have seen it already.
01:02:17
Zach Sheets
it's its I think I had Blu-ray couple years ago. i don't think there's a 4K yet, which I think we need we need a 4K of like all three of those. There's probably some licensing thing between Robot Jocks and the other two because they're different structure companies, but we need that we need the 4K of Robot Jocks.
01:02:35
Chris Prime
Yep. I mean, just so we could really appreciate some of the Shake Room visuals.
01:02:41
Zach Sheets
Yes, and the the giant stop-motion robot fighting each other which is it's it's it's it's charming it's charmingly like you know practical like it's it's fun practical old school like like Ray Harryhausen style it's like like these like two stop motion things punching each other
01:03:02
Chris Prime
Which I didn't mind. Again, like it's very innovative at the time. I think it's just the plot is weak. But it's definitely not a bad It's just not... It's not what do you think it's going to be based on like modern robot movies.
01:03:21
Zach Sheets
No, yeah. yeah If you're expecting modern, kind of like you fluid Pacific Rim style, then adjust your expectations. This is like like slow, slow lumbering giant robots punching each other. It's not even like Power Rangers. love like Power Rangers is is's more fluid than this because it's like guys in suits, but...
01:03:45
Zach Sheets
Yeah, definitely. But yeah, it's definitely still still a super fun kind of 90s cult classic. And I think it's on... I think just i think it's on Prime Video right now is where I i saw it.
01:03:59
Chris Prime
i
01:03:59
Zach Sheets
But this one... feel like this one...
01:04:00
Chris Prime
I watch this on Tubi.
01:04:01
Zach Sheets
Yeah, I feel like this one like floats into Tubi frequently. This is like a perfect Tubi movie.
01:04:09
Chris Prime
But I remember catching this movie in like TBS or like one of those local stations and just, hey, it's like Sunday movie day.
01:04:18
Zach Sheets
Get ready for robot shocks.
01:04:22
Zach Sheets
So, uh, yeah, so I think they'll do it for this week's podcast. Uh, come back next week. We're going to be, uh, talking about some more fighting. We're going to be talking about Rocky four, which is celebrating its, uh, 40th anniversary.
01:04:34
Zach Sheets
it came out right, but like, I guess right around Thanksgiving in 1985. So, We'll be getting getting into the ring with Rocky and Ivan Drago next week. And head over everythingnation.com. We got all of our usual stuff up there. We got news, reviews, trailers. I got a review of The Running Man. You know, we talked about the original Running Man last week on the podcast. I got a review of the new one up on the site.
01:04:57
Zach Sheets
And all of our usual stuff is up there as well. So head over and all that stuff out. And yes, for Chris, I'm Zach. And we will see you next week.