The original Deathrace 2000 involved a homicidal car race in which the general public, you and me, were fair game to be run over. Now the remake apparently limits the pool of victims to an acceptable group of less than humans: prisoners. It's not us versus us, in other words, but us versus them, be they prisoners or terrorists.

So too with the original "Rollerball" versus its remake. In the original, the baddies were U.S. corporations and their henchman, the rollerball teams. Every city had one, and it was a national bloodsport. From what I've read, the remake transferred this made-in-America nightmare to some generic godforsaken terrorsist infested ex-commie Eastern European disposable countries.

Funny how our sadistic exploitation films have moved the perpetrators from our own nation -- us -- to acceptable (meaning deserving) victims. Is it wrong for me to invoke Bush, fascism, Hitler, and Jews?

Revisting remake of the week time once again. And another Jason acts like a stone Statham picture too. I'll pass. Norman Jewison made the one and only original Rollerball, and Paul Martel made the original, one time is all it took mark with Death Race 2000.

Statham is one of Guy Richie Rich's worst acting (if you can call it that) proteges. He should do chewing gum commercials instead of chewing on a cockney accent that sounds like Clint Eastwood meets yer lardship.

If there aren't any original script ideas in Hollywood for science fiction, why even bother?

It's OK to enjoy crap movies as long as there's beefcake in it?

AND THERE'S A MOVIE OUT ABOUT A PLAYMATE JOINING A SORORITY --- WITH NO NUDITY!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry. TGFP.

There's a reason why the corporation-sponsored-violence thing is no longer used as a plot point in movies. Or do you think that people watch NASCAR cause they like to see cars driven fast or the NFL for the athleticism? Yeah, no corporate sponsored violence around here.

And again I ask: where is the gratuitous nudity? Even the "Grind House" movies had no nudity?!? Let me say that again: two movies expressly created to pay homage to 70s sleaze cinema, and not even a stray boob. It's like Russ Meyer never existed!

This guy had two of the best movie monsters in recent decades and made an unwatchable movie. (A v. P).

But something made money 'cause he's still working.

Cos he's still jerking.

AvP wasn't that bad. compared to so much of the genre competition.

I mean, she goes out of her way to pan "The Dark Knight" because of a few minor flaws (never mind that it was miles above the standard summer blockbuster fare), but she actually gives a good review to THIS????

I think Zacharek feels like she HAS to be contrarian. Note how many times her reviews are the exact opposite of the opinion of almost everyone else. Talk about wankery!

(btw, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 34% rating... And the only reviewers who like it are the ones at the bottom of the barrel, who probably have a share in the film's marketing budget).

It's a lot of fun. Sylvester Stallone as one of the villains and David Carradine as the protagonist. Minor boobage, so God forbid any children ever see this film. We all knew that seeing boobs in media leads directly to terrorism(tm).

It sounds like the new version of the film has had all the fun drained out of it and an off-the-shell gritty, grimy look applied. With pretty cardboard players. How nice. I'll bump it up to the top of my Netflix queue. Not.

I have my guilty pleasures and Jason Statham movies are one of them.

No brains, no morals, just fast dumb action, with a good looking guy.

Stephanie I like your style, ever since you got me to "Children of Men" twice. That review was awesome.

Just asking, because we're about 4 years away from needing 'actors' at all. Movies will be photorealistic animation and they won't rely on scripts or directing either. They'll just be synthesized by machines.

He's a prop! When will people stop giving this stubbled sofa speaking parts in movies?

I hear the world is filled with death squads, why can't they start targeting the people who produce brainless knock-offs of perfectly good movies instead of aid workers and journalists? Do something useful with all that aggression…

Particularly Sylvester Stallone's role as Machine-gun Joe Viturbo. But I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to remake this. I'm reminded of one of my late mother's favorite sayings: "I wouldn't take a million dollars for you, but I wouldn't give a plugged nickel for another one just like you." Seems to apply quite well in this case.

I’ll always associate the first movie, Death Race 2000, with sex. In a bad way.

When Death Race 2000 came out on video, my parents did something really unusual. They hooked up the VCR to the downstairs TV. Bought me candy and soda and popcorn and told me I could watch a bunch of videos, by myself. My teenage sister was at the mall, and they’d be upstairs. I had the whole living room to myself!

It wasn’t until years later I realized it. They were occupying the kids so they could do uh…parent stuff. To think I was enjoying onscreen explosions while they were uh, also enjoying “explosions”.

So lets just say movies with a car motif has been somewhat tainted for me. I mean, it took me years to even be able to watch The French Connection.

I won’t be seeing this movie.

A series of video games, the Carmageddon series, provided the cartoonish aspects. If you look at the games, you'll see that the movie borrows the instant replays, the hilarious brutality, the car shapes and weapons and even the closing sequence to the trailer from Carmageddon (I, II, II, III respectively).

Sorry to link to The People's Encyclopedia, but here's a good starter bit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmageddon

Great article!

Just kidding.

In all seriousness, I thought he was quite good in Guy Ritchie's movies. He was witty as hell, funny and a bit nervous. None of it prepared me for his...OTHER dimension, which he pulls off with equal aplomb. Face it, the man can act.