This week in the Deep Hurting Project, R.O.T.O.R. Full disclosure, it turns out the version on Tubi is the Rifftrax version, but it turns out the whole movie is on YouTube, albeit in a copy that looks like it's been dubbed from a VHS.
- (2:06) Murder, rape, robbery, and Arson. That's a strangely generic headline, Bruce.
- (2:31) Robotic Offcer Tactical Operation Research. Who wants to bet the movie's going to forget that acronym?
- (3:00) I legit can't tell whether it's the VHS tape having bad tracking or if the camera's having a petit mal seizure.
- (9:19) October morning just outside Dallas, and it's broad daylight at 5 AM?
- (12:12) Isn't this supposed to be a movie about a killer robot? Why are we going through this farmer's day?
- (14:36) Well, now we're getting to the robot. It only took, what, a sixth of the movie?
- (15:26) So, like Robocop, this has two main robots. There's R.O.T.O.R., the title character, and then there's Willard. And unlike ED-209 or Robocop, Willard is played by APD-2, who was actually a police robot. APD-2 was apparently part of the Addison, Texas police department, working mostly in PR, including leading the Addison Christmas Parade in 1986. Why the fuck can't I find more info about him?
- (16:36) This is the cheesy B-movie version of a movie that's (technically) part of the Criterion Collection, so why is this film the more pretentious sounding one?
- (17:30) Idea for a drinking game: every time you hear a Beach Boys reference in this one scene, take a shot. By the time the scene ends, you will likely be dead of alcohol poisoning.
- (17:46) Well, at least this movement is janky enough that I'd expect from a Robocop ripoff.
- (22:19) Please let this big discussion of the political machinations between the politicians and the roboticists actually mean something, like in Robocop.
- (24:37) Is it weird that I want to see two skeletons fucking?
- (27:26) The robot wants the rest of his partner's fries? I can't be certain that Willard was originally written as a human but made into a robot when they found out there was an actual Robocop in the area and decided to incorporate it into the movie.
- (29:44) Do Willard's arms even work?
- (29:56) Yes it is. Even if it was apparently originally just planned to be a police comedy called Blue Steel.
- (31:31) Why does the Native American guy sound black?
- (32:18) 1) The Blood Eagle is a (likely mythical) Norse method of execution, not Apache. 2) What you're describing is dismemberment, which is a very different method from the Blood Eagle. 3) That's also a European method of execution.
- (37:53) What is it with this movie and timestamping everything?
- (40:48) So, now it looks like ROTOR is doing something.
- (47:17) Yep, ROTOR executed a guy for fucking speeding. Is it weird that the thing that shocks me about this is the victim being white?
- (47:40) So, it looks like ROTOR's disabled by the use of a car horn? And she doesn't even figure this out?
- (49:30) Gee, good thing ROTOR didn't think to use his gun. Also, why isn't he calling for backup?
- (54:23) So, they got far enough in their research that ROTOR can see the fucking past?
- (55:05) So, it's Reserve now instead of Research? And why does the font in this text interface look keep changing fonts?
- (57:42) Justice served, Cash on Demand?
- (62:04) So, Dallas rednecks just hate cops? Though maybe they saw the leather daddy look ROTOR's latched onto and assumed he's gay. Still doesn't explain why they're dumb enough to think attacking a cop is a good idea.
- (64:08) ROTOR moves very slow for some reason. Is that the only way they could think of to remind the audience he's a robot?
- (75:10) Gee, it's almost like creating a robot and adding the tagline "To Protect and Execute" was a bad idea.
- (76:50) Apparently, ROTOR has been on his killing spree for a bit shy of a week.
- (79:20) And they're recapping the last half hour now?
- (81:20) Okay, I have no idea what ROTOR's even saying. They dubbed over half the cast, and they couldn't bother to get someone who didn't sound like he has an entire bag of marbles in his mouth?
Comparing the Universal Oneness of All Life to Yo Mama since 2010.
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.
I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.