IR-Rated 90s Sci-Fi Actioner Is The Wildest RoboCop Ripoff You’ve Never Heard Of
Written by Robert Scucci | Published
If you ever find yourself watching RoboCop and wondering if there was a crappier version starring Billy Blanks, I was going to show you the 1993 one. TC 2000. That’s right, young Tae Bo leads a dystopian sci-fi action where his partner becomes a brutal killing machine with only fragmented memories of his past life. Cybersecurity is at risk, government buildings are being repaired, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Thankfully, we get enough montages of flexing muscles and shadowboxing to convince us that, after all is said and done, all will be right with the world.
TC 2000despite its mixed martial arts message, it’s still a fun entry into director TJ Scott’s filmography, and for his first feature-length project, it certainly has legs. Those legs belong to Billy Blanks, who consistently steps up as the action hero no one asked for and fully commits to the scene.
People Vs. Cyborgs Vs … Picasso?
Set in an underground city in the year 2020, TC 2000 focuses on elite police forces designed to protect the wealthy from the remaining outsiders, who are always looking for a way into their highly fortified society. Jason Storm (Billy Blanks) and his partner Zoey Kinsella (Bobbie Phillips) work as Tracker-Communicators, or TCs, whose sole purpose is to stop the riff on the compound. When a military base is breached by civilians just looking for a safe place to rest their heads, Zoey suspects they’ve been given inside intel, which means the city is no longer safe.
In an exchange between Jason and his boss, The Controller (Ramsay Smith), we learn that, with the help of his muscle man Bigalow (Matthias Hues), he plans to replace the TCs with the next iteration of cybernetically implanted enforcers known as TC-Xs.
When gang leader Niki Picasso (Jalal Merhi) enters the city with the intention of capturing any firemen hidden within its walls, Zoey is killed and secretly transformed into a TC-X by The Controller. He plans to gain Picasso’s trust by seduction, intending to join another gang known as the Lifers, who guard the research center he wants to call.
Expelled from the army and framed for killing a comrade, Jason needs training to restore balance and face the Controller properly. With the help of his mentor, Master Sumai (Bolo Yeung), Jason learns that the facility used to be Zoey’s father’s to remediate the environment, but has been turned into a chemical weapons production facility. Now under the watchful eye of Zoey, who is programmed to kill her former partner, breaching the factory seems impossible for anyone but Jason Storm.
Martial Arts Exhibition
While TC 2000 leaves much to be desired in terms of on-screen chemistry, special effects, truly menacing villains, and logical internal conflict between Jason Storm and his superiors, more than makes up for its lack of depth and battle sequences. Billy Blanks tries his best to be a leading man and action hero, and the effort is admirable, but he just isn’t that guy. He can throw hands and roundhouse kicks along with Jean-Claude Van Damme, but he doesn’t have the drive to carry the show alone.
As for the evil forces at play, Picasso may go down as one of the most terrifying figures in the history of cinema. He listens to records and walks around like a boy, but to be honest, I always expected him to clutch his pearls and yell “damn!” upon defeat. My expectations are not too far from what actually happened TC 2000.
If you go to Tubi and burn TC 2000you may find yourself drifting during the scenes that show. If the battles escalate, it’s worth your time if you like good old fashioned cybernetic mayhem. It’s cheesy but adorable. It’s sloppy, but fun. It’s best not to take this one too seriously, as it will spoil the experience.
