History Film / RobotJox

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* EngineeredPublicConfession: How TheMole is discovered.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Averted. It's called Russia in this film, even though it's released in 1990. Then again, Alaska is also independent in the story, so no telling what happened to the U.S. in WorldWarIII, either.
** Also, strictly speaking, Russia was only a ''part'' of the USSR in the Cold War, albeit the dominant part, with numerous other smaller countries such as Ukraine and Kazakhstan making up the other Soviet Socialist Republics.

* InNameOnly: The film has two "sequels", ''Crash and Burn'', which was actually marketed in some areas as ''Robot Jox 2: Crash and Burn'', and ''Robot Wars''. The only connections between the three films are they all have the same producer (Charles Band), and he directed ''Crash and Burn'' while his father directed ''Robot Wars''. Otherwise the three films have nothing in common in terms of story, characters or setting beyond "post-apocalyptic future where we have giant robots", and their connection to ''Robot Jox'' was mostly for marketing uses.

Two different films were promoted as sequels: ''Crash and Burn'' in 1990 and ''Robot Wars'' in 1993.

* InfantImmortality: [[spoiler: Averted. The first fight scene ends with Achilles' robot falling onto the bleachers of the fight's audience, killing many people including multiple children.]]

* InformedAttribute: Tex is famous as the only Market jox (and perhaps the only jox at all) to complete his ten fight contract and retire, and he now serves as their tactical advisor, both clearly implying he is a skilled and intelligent jox. However, the Market is on a losing streak and in Achilles' first fight with Alexander, Tex proves absolutely useless, giving simple and basic directions ("he's attacking you, attack back"; "try that new weapon next") rather than anything useful. [[spoiler:Considering that he's TheMole, this is likely purposeful sabotage rather than incompetence.]]

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Tex.]]

** The ending of the first battle between Achilles and Alexander is meant to be hand-to-hand, no ranged weapons allowed, but Alexander has a RocketPunch on his robot. After the fight the referees don't care and ignore calls from the Market for him to be disqualified.

* {{Jerkass}}: The referees. As covered further down at ObstructiveBureaucrat, they have no interest in actually being fair and are generally rude and unpleasant. This is particularly relevant when [[spoiler:they refuse to stop the match and allow the Market to get Athena out of the robot and Achilles in it as "the identity of the pilot is not our responsibility", and when the Market Commissioner protests, they repeat the ruling and hang up on him.]]

* AfterTheEnd: It's hinted at that WorldWarIII was ''not'' a good experience. Apparently it was so bad that every nation on Earth agreed that open war is no longer an option, hence the jox fights.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Alexander is introduced standing over the fallen, broken robot of his opponent as they yield and plead for mercy. Alexander coldly demands the referees judge the match, and they rule in his favor and tell him to hold his position. Alexander's eyes light up and he turns back to the fight to deliver a FinishingStomp to his opponent. This immediately establishes him as a murderous BloodKnight who has no problem ignoring officials.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Achilles comments, "two legs, two arms... one... *uncovers bedsheet* ow, hangover."
** Another time, Achilles, holding up a tube for "genetic material" he's been asked to donate to the Genejox program, looks at Athena and says, "Could we just skip the middleman and make a direct deposit?"
** In the climax Alexander reveals a giant chainsaw from his groin, and he proceeds to cut directly into the cockpit of Achille's robot lying beneath him, the cockpit naturally being in the approximate location of the humanoid robot's head. Picture that scene for a moment. Not until the internet era would it be realized that Alexander is practically tea bagging Achilles.

** Another time, Achilles, holding up a tube for "genetic material" says, "Could we just skip the middleman and make a direct deposit?"

''Robot Jox'' was a low budget western attempt to exploit the HumongousMecha genre, written by Creator/JoeHaldeman (yes, [[Literature/TheForeverWar that Joe Haldeman]]) and produced by a predecessor to Creator/FullMoonFeatures. In a dystopic future, a nuclear war has devastated the earth. With war outlawed, all territorial disputes are settled through CombatByChampion using giant robots piloted by "Jox", and their battles have become media-televised sporting events.

** [[spoiler:As Achilles flees across the field in the open, Alexander chews up the ground beside him but doesn't hit him. But when Achilles falls Alexander stops firing and starts up again when he's back on his feet, so being Alexander, he's probably just playing with him.]]

** Achilles gets his turn when he [[spoiler:prepares to take back the robot from Athena]] and challenge Alexander:

''Robot Jox'' was a low budget western attempt to exploit the HumongousMecha genre, with screenplay written by Creator/JoeHaldeman (yes, [[Literature/TheForeverWar that Joe Haldeman]]) and produced by a predecessor to Creator/FullMoonFeatures. In a dystopic future, a nuclear war has devastated the earth. With war outlawed, all territorial disputes are settled through CombatByChampion using giant robots piloted by "Jox", and their battles have become media-televised sporting events.

''Robot Jox'' was a low budget western attempt to exploit the HumongousMecha genre. In a dystopic future, a nuclear war has devastated the earth. With war outlawed, all territorial disputes are settled through CombatByChampion using giant robots piloted by "Jox", and their battles have become media-televised sporting events.

* RuleOfCool: Let's face it, ''no one'' would remember this movie if they had done it all the same but without the giant robots.

** [[spoiler:Alexander cannot hit Achilles as he rolls towards him in tank mode, but Achilles is getting too close for him to hit and the display doesn't seem to be prepared for this -- we see Alexander literally shoot himself in the leg because he can't aim properly.]]

* XtremeKoolLetterz: Right there in the title.