RoboCop 2: More Metal Mayhem, But Did it Stick the Landing?

Okay, so I finally got around to rewatching RoboCop 2 after...god, probably 20 years? And yeah, it's definitely got its moments of awesome, especially from a technical standpoint. ED-209 getting upgraded (even if he still falls down stairs, lol) was cool, and the whole Cain robot design was seriously disturbing. The practical effects in that movie still hold up really well – like, you can feel the weight and impact of the metal, which is something CGI often struggles with, even now. Plus, the sound design is just brutal. Every clang, every gunshot, every robotic groan just lands. That said, I dunno... the story felt kinda all over the place? Like, they introduced so many threads with OCP and the Nuke drug and RoboCop's programming conflicts, that it felt like they didn't fully commit to any of them. And while the action sequences were cool, some of it felt gratuitous, even for RoboCop. The bit with the kid injecting Nuke felt like it existed to shock, not to add anything meaningful. I am aware that it was the intention but i felt like it was too much. But when the bad guy is another robot it feels like they could have had more creativity. What did work for me was Peter Weller. He's just so good at portraying the humanity struggling within the machine. The scenes where he's fighting his programming or grappling with his past are genuinely affecting, and they're what elevate the movie above just another shoot-em-up. Without that, it'd just be a mess of cool effects and ultraviolence. Overall, I'd say it's a flawed but fascinating sequel. Definitely worth a watch for the effects and sound alone, but be prepared for a story that's a bit less focused than the original. Anyone else have thoughts on RoboCop 2? What parts did you love or hate?