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Death Race 2000
This is a fun cult classic type of film. It has a bunch of absurd characters, and absurd story line, and a lot of absurd action throughout the whole thing. And that is really what I expect from a film like this.
The story in this film is an interesting one. A no holds barred race across what was once the United States where you get points for killing people as well as for how fast you do it in. This odd idea works well. They also try and create some depth as it is an attack against the government system that has created this bloodlust in the people. But it really doesn't flesh out that story all that well focusing more on the racing aspect and throwing in hints of the depth but without really ever delving into the why, more just stating it as fact, which is disappointing for the viewer.
The characters in this film are odd. Stallone plays a guy named Machine Gun Joe, which is actually a very good role for him, as it really doesn't ask him to do much then act like he normally acts, and for the characters in this film, it is just fine. The main character, Frankenstein is also an interesting character. The mystery that surrounds him and the greatness of his persona in the film are well done. The rest of the characters are interesting and solid side characters as well, but they get notably less facetime then Machine Gun Joe and Frankenstein who are the two main racers.
This was purely an entertaining film, so don't look for more depth in it then that. Even its attempts at adding depth come up rather short, but it is a fun cult classic type of ride on this film. And they are actually making a sequel/second one that is coming out in September of this year with Jason Statham playing the lead. It will be interesting to see how it goes along with the first one, if there is supposed to be any connection or not, but if it keeps true to the absurd style of the first one, it should be fun.
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C
Acting: C+
Audio/Visual: C+
This is a fun cult classic type of film. It has a bunch of absurd characters, and absurd story line, and a lot of absurd action throughout the whole thing. And that is really what I expect from a film like this.
The story in this film is an interesting one. A no holds barred race across what was once the United States where you get points for killing people as well as for how fast you do it in. This odd idea works well. They also try and create some depth as it is an attack against the government system that has created this bloodlust in the people. But it really doesn't flesh out that story all that well focusing more on the racing aspect and throwing in hints of the depth but without really ever delving into the why, more just stating it as fact, which is disappointing for the viewer.
The characters in this film are odd. Stallone plays a guy named Machine Gun Joe, which is actually a very good role for him, as it really doesn't ask him to do much then act like he normally acts, and for the characters in this film, it is just fine. The main character, Frankenstein is also an interesting character. The mystery that surrounds him and the greatness of his persona in the film are well done. The rest of the characters are interesting and solid side characters as well, but they get notably less facetime then Machine Gun Joe and Frankenstein who are the two main racers.
This was purely an entertaining film, so don't look for more depth in it then that. Even its attempts at adding depth come up rather short, but it is a fun cult classic type of ride on this film. And they are actually making a sequel/second one that is coming out in September of this year with Jason Statham playing the lead. It will be interesting to see how it goes along with the first one, if there is supposed to be any connection or not, but if it keeps true to the absurd style of the first one, it should be fun.
Overall Grade: B-
Story: C
Acting: C+
Audio/Visual: C+