Robotrix is a 1991 Hong Kong science fiction exploitation film Jamie Luk Kin-ming and staring Amy Yip, David Wu, Chikako Aoyama, Billy Chow and Hui Hsiao-dan. The plot centres around a female police officer who is killed only for her mind to be transformed into a cyborg clone. Robotrix is a fun entertaining b-movie that fans that over-the-top cult cinema.
The direction in the film is good. Robotrix has the feeling of a softcore porn film which is intertwined with an actual film and plot with this being a cop crime film. The film also very much has the feeling of a typical Hong Kong film with this being a kung fu film as the film is mixed with sci-fi film elements. The film very much feels like a b-movie, with classic b-movie depictions of robotics and a war against robots being seen as the future of the world. The film is an action movie with interesting idea such as Ryuichi being a robotic Frankenstein. This is further shown with the evil scientist in the film effectively having a James Bond plot were the robots look like humans. The film combines sleazy nudity with interesting idea of Lin having an existential crisis. The film is sleazy and sexy as sexuality and technology mix. The film is somewhat akin to a softcore porn film with robots and sex being the two component parts of the film. The film has a comic element to is with all the sex and nudity as well as a cool techno style. The film is very much an insane b-movie with robot kung fu super soldiers, however the film also has some genuine disturbing body horror to it were they take the victims corpses eyes out in a weird medical procedure.
The film is very much over the top as well as showing interesting parrels with the surgical robot repairs contrasted with the scrap yard robot repairs. The film shows the characters having over the top kung fu agility as these kung fu scenes also have an interesting horror aspect to them. the film is very much an 80s action be movie and at times feels like a terminator rip off. This fun rip-off feel continues with the mad scientist feeling like Frankenstein as this b-movie is further shown as the female characters fight in scantily clad costumes. The climax of the film is also great in an over-the-top b-movie kind of way with the main character seemingly being killed.
The acting in the film is good. Amy Yip does a good job as Ann a robotic assistant. David Wu does a good job as Chou Selena’s boyfriend. Chikako Aoyama does a good job as Selena Lin and Eve-27 a female police officer whose mind gets transferred into a cyborg. Billy Chow does a good job as Ryuichi Sakamoto’ cyborg. Chung Lin does a god job as Ryuichi Sakamoto a criminally insane scientist that transforms his mind into cyborg and commits a series of rapes and murders. Hui Hsiao-dan does a god job as Doctor Sara who transfers Salena’s mind into a cyborg. Ng Kin-chung does a god job as Puppy. Bowie Wu does a good job as the Police Commissioner. Lee Hin-Ming does a god job as Informer Hui.
The writing in the film is good. The film starts with a rich playboy prince in the bath with models as the film introduces Lin the main character in the film and the female police officer who is fed up with him and cleaves. Gas then comes through the vents and knocks them out as the prince is kidnapped and Lin is shot as Lin’s boyfriend Chou comes out the hospital distraught. Two people then come into a robot exhibition that shows high-tech robots from all around the world as these high-tech gadgets can beat people up with ease as it gets into a fight with another robot form another country. The robot then goes berserk and attacks people as another robot comes in and attacks him as it is revealed the person who saved the day is a female robot. The king finds out his son the prince was kidnapped by a mad scientist. The film shows the fear that combing the human mind with robots cannot be controlled as the villain transfers his mind into a robot literally and symbolically killing himself. Ann is also shown to be a robot as the dead body of Lin is transferred into her as her consensus is transferred into a robot. Lin is the same with her memories intact however she is a robot and freaks out because of this. These themes of existentialism are shown with him having an existential crisis as she was brought back as she was a good cop who died as she is on a revenge quest to kill the person who killed her. Chou comes to visit her in hospital not believing she is now alive. The robot guy then hits on a girl and kills the boss as he has sex with his girl and kills her. The women then join the task force to hunt down the killer as Lin and Chou go out for dinner. However, Lin being a robot doesn’t know it’s her own birthday as romance grows between them and they have sex. Lin makes love to a human as her female robot partners are interested by this. Because of this one of them agrees to help the investigation posing as a hooker but she is to popular with clients as it becomes a real brothel that gets shut down by the Sargent, as she empties alcohol out of her system via blood.
One of the women gets into a fight with the enemy robot in the bathroom as the bad guys are trying to take out the competition and control people so they control the market. They take the victims corpses eyes out in a weird medical procedure reminiscent of body horror. As they use the eyes to see what the victim saw before they decide tycoons killed him and its business related. The businesspeople meet with the robot assassins as the detectives watch the robot kill them. The women then go as fight him as they throw a barrel of flammable gas at him and shots it making it explode as he loses his arm. Chou is shown that Lin is a robot by showing her being repaired as they tell him she was shot and died and she is a robot, as this is going on the robot villain repairs himself in a crude space yard way. Chou and Lin visit her grave as she says shews happy, he knows the truth and she loves him, but he can’t as she’s not Lin. The bad robot guy goes after the other robot girls and the male cop in the police chase were the detective guy saves their lives and is killed. The king then wants to collaborate with Sakamoto as they can’t find his and he will give them three days. The bad guy robot then infiltrates the hospital as the police are waiting for him as he kills people but the gets tricked and trapped in an electric cage. He then smashes down the wall to escape as a shoot-out happens as he throws grenades at the cops and gest shot and goes down. They then remove his head in the lab and run an electric current through it to get it to work again as they torture him to find out where the prince is.
The robot bad guys head controls his body who reaches his head and strips and ties up and rapes the female scientist. The others then come in to help her as he attacks them with a flame thrower. They engage in a kung fu fight were stuff gets blown up and one of the women malfunctions as the guy the comes at her with a big power drill as he drills into her as the others rescue her and Salina is seemingly dead. They then go and find the prince who is being held hostage by the terminator guy. Th crane then takes the guy away in the bus as he fights the other robot girl as he then gets caught by the magnet as the guy climbs up there to release the crane and drops him in the compactor as he escapes the shipping container is dropped on him killing him. The two girls then depart as Salinas memories are returned to her like nothing happened.
The cinematography in the film is decent. The film has a good use of slow motion. There are cool shots being shown through a TV screen and red lighting. There is also a good use of blue and green lighting. There is also a cool POV tracking shot of the knife being thrown into a police officer’s mouth killing him.
The special effect in the film is good. The film has good practical effects with people being shot as well as cheesy b movie robot looking costumes. The film as cool looking effect of blue electricity as well as a practical effect of skin stretching to reveal root insides. The film has cool looking sets with the science lab, the film as a practical blood effect bleeding from a dead woman’s vagina as she is thrown out the window onto the car. There is a cool practical effect of a knife being thrown into a police officer’s mouth killing him, as well as a good effect were a guy shoots fire form his hands trapping himself. There is cool piratical effect were a bad guy smashes down a fake wall as well as good use of explosions. There is a cool effect with a robot severed head with wire coming out of it and good fire effects.
Robotrix is a good fun over the top film that fans of b-movie and cult cinema would like.