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With the remake/reboot movie still very much making a name for itself in the cinema, I decided to revisit the cult classic, Death Race 2000, the film that started it all.
The film is routed very much in the mid-seventies fashion, despite being set in their future. Being a B-movie budget, the futuristic nods extend to a few hand painted background scenes, some clever little animations behind the announcer and the camera/microphone equipment. But for all this, something makes it feel less dated than other Science Fiction films at the time, probably because the idea is timeless and the scenery minimal.
The story revolves around an annual race to the death where points come from running over various members of the public. Women and young children score more points than men, but old people score the most. Underpinning this is the background of the USA under strict rule from a Dictator style President, cutting off all contact with Europe and using scare tactics to keep people under control.
The racers, though varied, match this environment. Matilda the Hun, the Nazi driver with a love for death, Calamity Jane, a red blooded cowgirl with a bull shaped car, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, played by Sylvester Stallone all compete against the people’s champion; Frankenstein.
While this could have led to a simple race story, there is more to it than first meets the eye. A rebel group who want to destroy the race in protest of the corrupt government, interplay between the female navigators and the drivers and even Frankenstein himself is not what he seems.
Certainly, during parts of the film this could be mistaken for Wacky Races for adults, especially considering the film being speeded up to make the cars look faster. But when the racers meet the rebels and identities are revealed it all gets far more interesting. Though the special effects during the killing of pedestrians is laughable by today’s standard it still manages to work and even adds to the film’s entertainment value without making it cringeworthy.
In building a B-movie with a message, Roger Corman has actually managed to provide a memorable classic movie that still stands the test of time today and for entertainment it still beats this year’s Death Race as the ultimate bloody racing movie.
9/10
The film is routed very much in the mid-seventies fashion, despite being set in their future. Being a B-movie budget, the futuristic nods extend to a few hand painted background scenes, some clever little animations behind the announcer and the camera/microphone equipment. But for all this, something makes it feel less dated than other Science Fiction films at the time, probably because the idea is timeless and the scenery minimal.
The story revolves around an annual race to the death where points come from running over various members of the public. Women and young children score more points than men, but old people score the most. Underpinning this is the background of the USA under strict rule from a Dictator style President, cutting off all contact with Europe and using scare tactics to keep people under control.
The racers, though varied, match this environment. Matilda the Hun, the Nazi driver with a love for death, Calamity Jane, a red blooded cowgirl with a bull shaped car, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, played by Sylvester Stallone all compete against the people’s champion; Frankenstein.
While this could have led to a simple race story, there is more to it than first meets the eye. A rebel group who want to destroy the race in protest of the corrupt government, interplay between the female navigators and the drivers and even Frankenstein himself is not what he seems.
Certainly, during parts of the film this could be mistaken for Wacky Races for adults, especially considering the film being speeded up to make the cars look faster. But when the racers meet the rebels and identities are revealed it all gets far more interesting. Though the special effects during the killing of pedestrians is laughable by today’s standard it still manages to work and even adds to the film’s entertainment value without making it cringeworthy.
In building a B-movie with a message, Roger Corman has actually managed to provide a memorable classic movie that still stands the test of time today and for entertainment it still beats this year’s Death Race as the ultimate bloody racing movie.
9/10
Ah, an old favourite of mine, this. Utterly ridiculous and extremely entertaining in equal measure. Nice review :)
With the remake/reboot movie still very much making a name for itself in the cinema, I decided to revisit the cult classic, Death Race 2000, the film that started it all.
The film is routed very much in the mid-seventies fashion, despite being set in their future. Being a B-movie budget, the futuristic nods extend to a few hand painted background scenes, some clever little animations behind the announcer and the camera/microphone equipment. But for all this, something makes it feel less dated than other Science Fiction films at the time, probably because the idea is timeless and the scenery minimal.
The story revolves around an annual race to the death where points come from running over various members of the public. Women and young children score more points than men, but old people score the most. Underpinning this is the background of the USA under strict rule from a Dictator style President, cutting off all contact with Europe and using scare tactics to keep people under control.
The racers, though varied, match this environment. Matilda the Hun, the Nazi driver with a love for death, Calamity Jane, a red blooded cowgirl with a bull shaped car, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, played by Sylvester Stallone all compete against the people’s champion; Frankenstein.
While this could have led to a simple race story, there is more to it than first meets the eye. A rebel group who want to destroy the race in protest of the corrupt government, interplay between the female navigators and the drivers and even Frankenstein himself is not what he seems.
Certainly, during parts of the film this could be mistaken for Wacky Races for adults, especially considering the film being speeded up to make the cars look faster. But when the racers meet the rebels and identities are revealed it all gets far more interesting. Though the special effects during the killing of pedestrians is laughable by today’s standard it still manages to work and even adds to the film’s entertainment value without making it cringeworthy.
In building a B-movie with a message, Roger Corman has actually managed to provide a memorable classic movie that still stands the test of time today and for entertainment it still beats this year’s Death Race as the ultimate bloody racing movie.
9/10
The film is routed very much in the mid-seventies fashion, despite being set in their future. Being a B-movie budget, the futuristic nods extend to a few hand painted background scenes, some clever little animations behind the announcer and the camera/microphone equipment. But for all this, something makes it feel less dated than other Science Fiction films at the time, probably because the idea is timeless and the scenery minimal.
The story revolves around an annual race to the death where points come from running over various members of the public. Women and young children score more points than men, but old people score the most. Underpinning this is the background of the USA under strict rule from a Dictator style President, cutting off all contact with Europe and using scare tactics to keep people under control.
The racers, though varied, match this environment. Matilda the Hun, the Nazi driver with a love for death, Calamity Jane, a red blooded cowgirl with a bull shaped car, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, played by Sylvester Stallone all compete against the people’s champion; Frankenstein.
While this could have led to a simple race story, there is more to it than first meets the eye. A rebel group who want to destroy the race in protest of the corrupt government, interplay between the female navigators and the drivers and even Frankenstein himself is not what he seems.
Certainly, during parts of the film this could be mistaken for Wacky Races for adults, especially considering the film being speeded up to make the cars look faster. But when the racers meet the rebels and identities are revealed it all gets far more interesting. Though the special effects during the killing of pedestrians is laughable by today’s standard it still manages to work and even adds to the film’s entertainment value without making it cringeworthy.
In building a B-movie with a message, Roger Corman has actually managed to provide a memorable classic movie that still stands the test of time today and for entertainment it still beats this year’s Death Race as the ultimate bloody racing movie.
9/10