Röyksopp

Röyksopp’s Top 5 “Girl & Robot”-combos in movies:

Inspired by our ongoing “The Girl & The Robot”-videoshoot, we take a stroll down memory-lane to explore the history of “Girl & Robot”-combos found in movies.
A vast selection of girls & robot-combos have been weighed and judged mainly by three criteria: loyalty between the two, their level of cool and – pardon us for coming across as 14 years old – ability to KICK A$$ & F”#K S#!T UP!
Note: some of these “robots” are actually cyborgs or “robotic organisms from the planet cybertron”, but hey…

Honorable mentions:

Stephanie Speck & Johnny 5 – “Although I haven’t seen the movie “Short Circuit” since it first came out in 1986, I do recollect some fond memories of this particular duo. (However, ‘I suspect a revisit now would make me change my mind.) Johnny 5 is a gentle and inquisitive fella, who comes across as some sort of advanced tri-cycle with a head, constantly requiring “more input” whilst tilting his “eyebrows” in a begging fashion (the Disney-technique that makes people go “aaahhh…”). He also sports a laser on his shoulder, but due to newly accuired self-awareness, he refuses to use it. Sad really, especially considering that Stephanie is fairly forgetable and neither of ‘em particularly cool nor lethal (although Johnny 5 is actually made for military purposes – hence the laser). In addition they are “down” with Steve Gutenberg, which obviously is a discredit. Or is it? Damn, irony can be confusing…”

Dorothy Gale + Tinman – “The leading lady of “Wizard of Oz” accompanied by the Tinman is a definite treat to the eye, and as far as friendship & loyalty goes, they will have each other’s back to the very end! They also score very high on coolness, escpecially if we blend in the term “camp” in our take on “cool” – ‘cause their camp-value is through the roof! Biggest draw-back however, is the the Tinman. He will rust up easily (as seen in the movie) and wouldn’t put up much of a fight. As a matter of fact, I believe Dorothy herself would bust the Tinman’s tin-hide without even breaking a sweat…Next…”

The Top 5:

5. Mikaela Banes + Bumblebee – “Most boys will agree that Mikaela (Megan Fox) brings the goods – her physical assets are indisputable; sexy & cool, and she turns out to be a “gearhead” (not bad) which is a good thing if involved in a robotic affair/team-up. Bumblebee is alright; he can dance, he’s got firepower, he’s loyal (”I wish to stay with the boy…”) and he’s got an interesting taste in music. A great robot in other words, although we actually find him to be at his coolest when he’s a car, only communicating via the radio etc. Love the color (yellow) by the way… Biggest problem with Mikaela & Bumblebee is the fact that they are not really a “duo” – it’s really more about Mikaela & Sam (Shia LeBeouf’s character) with Bumblebee as some sort of sidekick. All though they individually stand to deliver, they are not really a team. This puts them on the 5th spot.”

4. Sarah Connor + Terminator – “In the number 4 spot we find a highly aggressive woman alongside an equally aggressive robot. This team-up took place in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”, where the Terminator is batteling for the good side. Programmed to protect and built to kill, the terminator is definitely on the A-list. He has his minor flaws, mainly in form of poor dressing sense (a thing for biker clothes and heavy leather + plus a fetish for enormously ugly sunglasses) and he delievers extremely annoying taunts before engaging in action (“Hasta la vista, baby…” etc.). Connor is equally hard. She don’t trust anyone and she knows how to fire a gun (or two). Also skillfull with the nightstick and she knows how to handle a syringe (as a weapon, not as a means of self indulgence). Biggest downside with Connor is the fact that she always comes across as a bit angry, which is somewhat unattractive. She’s also not really trusting the Terminator, which is essential in this list (trust itself, that is). Connor is kinda excused for having these qualities, though – after all she knows humanity is coming to an end, and the terminator(s) are to blame for the genocide (well “Skynet” at least, who manufacture the terminators). Still, too much anger, leather and mistrust puts them in the number 4 spot.”

3. Ellen Ripley + Bishop – “The movie “Aliens” sees Ripley in her prime. Gone is the fear we saw in her in the first movie (“Alien”). This time around, she’s out to wipe the alien species off the face of the, well, universe. Independent, caring, innovative, sexy & lethal – I easily see Ripley as the hardest & coolest girl in this list. Only problem with Ripley is that she don’t trust robots. Ripley got shafted (no, not that way) by a robot similar to Bishop in the past, and is having difficulties trusting artifical intelligence. Bishop – played by B-movie royalty Lance Henriksen – has to reestablished trust between Ripley and the robotic breed. He does so by saving her life, thus proving his worth. So, on Bishop’s plussides there is loyalty & dedication, but his ablities as a killer are slim, since he’s programmed not to hurt anyone (human or beast). This, plus the aforementioned initial mistrust, put’s ‘em in the 3rd spot. Shame, really. …If only Bishop came with a killer instinct, a rocket launcher & a chainsaw…”

2. Leia + R2D2 – “A classic combo. Leia’s got it all. Cute, smart and loyal + sexappeal and the ability to put up a fight – hell, she even strangles Jabba the Hut with her own two hands (and a chain) dressed in a leather-bikini! Not bad for a princess… Also gets a ridiculous amount of extra points for impressive/insane wardrobe and equally f#%ked-up hairdos. R2D2 is not too bad himself. Quite a looker, intelligent and loyal to the last. Also packs quite an artillery including hidden lightsabers, flamethrowers and ability to levitate. These two have been friends since day one, and they’ve singlehandedly saved the universe from evil in the first Star Wars movie (or 4th to be precise (we need to keep the trainspotters happy)). So why number 2? Well, the weakest link in this outfit is R2D2. He seems to short circuit in every Star Wars movie, so despite his arsenal of secret weapons, he’s not really much of a fighter. A pity for Leia, really, cause she really deserves a higher ranking.

Hey, just had a thought; do we really know that R2D2 is a boy? It’s not a criteria for our list that the robot is male, but I’ve always somehow seen R2D2 as a boy up until this point… Perhaps R2D2’s a girl??

Nah, he must be a boy – otherwise C3PO wouldn’t have been chasing him so desperately…;)”

1. Officer Lewis + Robocop – “The obvious number one choice for us – they meet all the criteria we intially set: they’re cool, they’re loyal – they’ll kill, maim & destory, all in the name of justice. In this dynamic duo, Robocop brings the sexappeal. Dressed to kill in his silver/black hide, Robocop will make Daft Punk look like Siegfried & Roy without even trying. No puns, no taunting, only dry information escapes Robo’s lush lips. Boy, he’s even does a “cowboy-spin” with his gun after shooting. Lewis will provide additional firepower + an occupational dedication matched only by Robo himself. She also won’t mind watching criminals taking a piss – literally – whilst blowing chewing-gum. Very 80’s, very perfect. All in all an unstopable duo, based on friendship & trust, bound to bring hell to any battlefield – and looking good while doing so. God bless!”

Posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 11:43 pm in Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.