If you dig campy action flicks and haven’t seen 1975’s DEATH RACE 2000 yet you should probably give it a spin. It’s set in a dystopian future where contestants race across the country running down pedestrians for points. Think WACKY RACES meets MAD MAX and you may just be getting the idea here. And it features David Carradine and a young Sylvester Stallone. A recipe for success right!? While I can’t recommend it as a fine piece of cinema, I can recommend it as damn good fun.
Back in 2008, we saw a reboot in the form of DEATH RACE starring Jason Stathem which spawned 2 direct-to-video features. Needless to say, it wasn’t a huge success or the revitalization studios hoped for. Now it appears the franchise is heading back to it’s roots embracing the campiness, the gore, and the absurdity with DEATH RACE 2050.
Legendary filmmaking icon, Roger Corman, is back with his most outrageous film yet in this sensational, action-packed and darkly humorous reboot of the original Death Race 2000! It’s the year 2050 and America is controlled by an all-powerful corporate government ruled by The Chairman (Malcolm McDowell). The masses have been brainwashed with violent virtual-reality entertainment. The event of the year is the Death Race, in which a motley crew of violent drivers compete in a cross-country road race, scoring points for shamelessly running people over and driving each other off the road. The reigning champion and fan favorite, Frankenstein (Manu Bennett), who’s half-man half-machine, wants to take the crown, but his rebel spy co-pilot threatens his legacy.
So yeah, if violent campy dark humor is your thing, DEATH RACE 2050 may just be what your looking for. This trailer makes it look like a damn fun ride.
DEATH RACE 2050 hits home video January 17th 2017.
