Scream Factory's month-long 'Shocktober' celebration continues with yet another title announcement. If you dug the giant robots in Guillermo del Toro's PACIFIC RIM then you'll really get a kick out of the battling 'bots in Stuart Gordon's 1990 cult classic ROBOT JOX, which Scream Factory will be bringing our way on Blu-ray next summer.
ROBOT JOX is a post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Gordon (DOLLS, FROM BEYOND) and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo. The film was co-written by science fiction author Joe Haldeman and was produced by Charles Band (TRANCERS). Here's the lowdown:
ROBOT JOX follows Achilles, one of the "robot jox" who pilot giant mechanical machines that fight international battles to settle territorial disputes in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world.
It is post-World War III. War is outlawed. In its place, are matches between large Robots called Robot Jox. These matches take place between two large superpowers over disputed territories. The main character Achilles is a pilot in one of the large Robots. The plot revolves around him and a match for the state of Alaska.
While the film had a hard time making it to the screen (it was shot in 1987 but the bankruptcy of Band's Empire Pictures delayed the film's release in theaters until 1990) and was met with largely negative reviews by critics and a poor box-office gross upon its theatrical run, the film has garnered a faithful cult following in the past few years.
I remember catching this one on VHS back in the early 90's, but can't remember much about it. I'll be excited to revisit it when Scream Factory brings it our way on Blu-ray next summer.