Movie Robot Bracket Game: R2-D2 Vs. Robby the Robot

R2D2 Vs. Robbie the Robot
With Neill Blomkamp’s latest science fiction movie, Chappie, opening March 6, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most memorable robot characters in movie history.  Some of them are good, some of them want to kill us.  Some of them look like humans and others are clearly machines.  Robots have been part of movies since the early silent picture days.  In this bracket game, we pick our favorites.

Robots
I usually start these things off with a brief explanation of how the brackets were chosen.  This time, things were pretty straight-forward.  There are only two omissions that I think people may question.  HAL from 2001 was left off because he is really more of a computer than a robot.  And Robocop, despite having “robo” in his name, is really more of a cyborg.  I could have gone either way on that one.  But ultimately, there were enough pure robots to fill out the brackets that I didn’t feel the need to include Robocop.
With that out of the way, let’s dig into our first match-up.  This one features two legendary cinematic robots; R2-D2 and Robby the Robot.
Everyone knows R2-D2 from the Star Wars movies.  He’s one half of the most famous robot duo in movie history.  R2 was introduced in the first Star Wars movie (which I refuse to call A New Hope).  R2 and his partner, C-3P0 were the audience’s point of entry into the strange world of intergalactic empires and the rebel forces who opposed them.
R2 was one of the first inductees into the Robot Hall of Fame.  Yes, this is a real thing.  It was established in  Pittsburgh in 2003 and R2 was among the inaugural class.  (HAL was also inducted in 2003.  Apparently the Robot Hall of fame doesn’t know the difference between a computer and a robot.)  Inductees into the hall of fame include real-world robots in addition to the movie variety.
Odds are you are less familiar with Robby the Robot.  Even if you don’t know his name or background, there’s a good chance he looks familiar.  Robby was introduced in the 1956 science fiction classic, Forbidden Planet.  The movie was kind of a sci-fi take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  Robby, who towers over his competition at 7 feet tall, was the break-out star of the movie.
Robby was so popular that his career extended beyond Forbidden Planet!  The following year, Robby starred in his own movie, The Invisible Boy.  From there, he went on to appear in countless science fiction movies and TV shows throughout the 50s and 60s.  On an episode of Lost in Space, for example, Robby battled the show’s Robot which was modeled after him.  He appeared on The Twilight Zone three times.

Robby Mork
Robin Williams and Robby the Robot – Mork and Mindy – 1979
As we have seen in the WTHH series, all careers eventually slow down.  Robby was no exception.  But he continued making appearances throughout the 70s and 80s.  In the 70’s he appeared in episodes of The New Adventures of Wonder Woman and Mork & Mindy.  In the 80s, he appeared briefly in Gremlins, Earth Girls are Easy and Cherry 2000.  Okay, now I am seriously considering a WTHH entry on Robby.
Robby was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in 2004.  His class also included R2’s partner in crime, C-3P0.
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frewys
9 years ago

Interesting. Love your work. Missing out on my favorite though, ed209.

daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago

I would consider these to be two very highly-rated robots. The matchup in the first round is most likely due to their similarity in not being terribly humanoid. I actually gave my vote serious consideration before finally choosing R2. That little droid will be hard to beat.

Carl
Carl
9 years ago

Fun idea for a bracket! The list looks good. I went with R2-D2, and I bet anything he wins the whole thing.
I don’t have a problem with the omissions you mentioned except for one thing. You make the argument that Robocop wasn’t included because he was a cyborg. Yet you have the T-800 which is very explicitly described as a cyborg in the movies.
There was another important omission you forgot about. Sico, Paulie’s robot from Rocky IV. Perhaps the most amazing movie robot of all time!

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

God, the Rocky robot! Now that would have been a great addition to the bracket. It’s amazing Rocky IV works even at all when such a stupid silly thing like that robot is introduced early on, isn’t it? Now I want a Rocky IV robot action figure for my computer desk….

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Robocop is sort of like Darth Vader in a way, isn’t he? “More machine than man”? But since there’s still a man in there that removes him from the robot bracket for me.

Jestak
Editor
9 years ago

Another one for R2D2, for all the times he saves the ship from being blown to bits.

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago

R2 for the win, I bet he wins the whole thing too. But I have a real soft spot for Robby the Robot, for sure. I would actually enjoy seeing a mock WTTH article about him, Robby has such a prolific career! Twilight Zone, Gremlins, Lost in Space, etc. etc.

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I find it funny that Robby The Robot has a more prolific career than your most recent write-up, Chris Tucker!
I say if you’re ever in the mood for a purely tongue-in-cheek WTTH write-up one day, just for shits-and-giggles, you should definately do a Robby the Robot write-up. At least I would get a laugh out of it. I’d love to hear what happened in his personal life in those peak years! ha ha
And I bet the personal feud between Robby and R2-D2 was epic.

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