RoboWoman

Director - Dustin Ferguson (Angry Asian Murder Hornets, Ebola Rex)

Starring - Dawna Lee Heising (Apex Predators, Lake of Shadows), Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre, October Moon), and Mel Novak (Tales of Frankenstein, Game of Death)

Release Date - 2019

Genre - Sci-Fi/Horror

Tagline - "Your future is terminated"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     In October I did my annual horror movie binge where I watched as many horror movies as I could.  As I prepared for my month long binge I collected several movies that I had never seen before to watch and review.  Some of those films were from indie filmmaker Dustin Ferguson.  I liked a couple and a few wasn't for me.  I may not like all his films but I definitely respect his hussle.  Sometime ago I received a couple press releases for his sci-fi film RoboWoman starring Dawna Lee Heising.  It looked like a movie I would really enjoy so I waited for it to get a release date.  When I saw Wild Eye was releasing it I had to see it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows Vivica (Heising) on her last day at work.  She decides to go out with a co-worker to a friends birthday party and is soon raped by him and his friends.  They leave her for dead and she is rushed to the hospital.  A doctor proposes to her friend a radical treatment to save her using cybernetics.  Her friend agrees and she is treated.  Now, half human and half machine, she goes about her daily life trying to forget what happened but can't.  That's when she decides to use her new body to get revenge on those that raped her. 

     I was really looking forward to checking this one out.  A sci-fi flick that pays homage to RoboCop with a rape/revenge is absolutely brilliant.  Ferguson may not always knock one out of the park with me but he is extremely fucking clever.  RoboWoman has a few moments but the overall film just didn't work for me.  The acting in this one is very uneven but I wouldn't say it was bad.  I've seen Heising in other films and she does a solid job but she is not really convincing in her role as RoboWoman.  The way she delivers her lines and carries herself made the film feel more like a Fred Olen Ray nudie picture more than a sci-fi rape/revenge flick.  The supporting cast is pretty solid.  The characters had some great personalities and did not fade into the background.  The story for this one is a homage to RoboCop while mixing in some exploitation rape/revenge style vigilante action.  As I stated earlier, this is a brilliant idea that I absolutely fucking love but the execution doesn't quite make it as fun.  We get a lot of slower scenes that serve no purpose to the actual story.  All they do is extend the film's running time while distracting the viewer from the actual story.  If the film was trimmed down a bit and we got a little more of the action side added it would be an unforgettable indie flick.  Finally, the film is not a bloodbath like I was expecting.  We do get some great make-up and prosthetic effects but if you are looking for a gory sci-fi flick you will be very disappointed.  Overall, RoboWoman is an amazing idea on paper but not executed.  There is talks of a follow up when the pandemic is over and you can bet your sweet ass I'll be ready to see it but I pray that it does not follow in the same steps as this one.  It defininetly misses the mark.