WHAT IS DEATH RACE?
Within the authentic sequence (2 motion pictures and eight comedian books), Loss of life Race 2000 is a dystopian world the place a handful of driver/navigator associate groups compete in an internationally televised competitors. Each motion pictures have Roger Corman because the producer, whereas the unique featured the abilities of a post-Kung Fu David Carradine and pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone and its sequel included Malcolm McDowell, Manu Bennett (Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in Arrow and Azog the Defiler in The Hobbit trilogy), and cleaning soap actor Marci Miller. Combining motor racing in garishly designed vehicles with The Most Harmful Sport as they race from coast-to-coast in customized vehicles, choosing up factors for the people that they run over, maim, and kill alongside the way in which. The bloodsport is a nationwide pastime, and the winner is rewarded with a private handshake from Mister President. Consider a world of informal violence, celebrated homicide, and informal politics for laughs.
The 2000s remake sequence (4 motion pictures below the Loss of life Race banner sans date) is an actioner about criminals racing vehicles inside a for-profit jail. It’s nonetheless a televised (streamed) occasion, nevertheless it’s not a country-wide race to rack up kills. As a substitute, it’s a brief observe race meets demolition derby that’s as a lot about survival as it’s about kills. The reboot sequence options actors like Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, and Joan Allen below the route of Paul W. S. Anderson within the authentic and Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Sean Bean, and Danny Glover within the sequels. The brand new sequence trades the unique’s satire, laughs, and sensible results for 2000s spectacle with actors taking this absurdity severely in black and charcoal coloured vehicles with power-up components stolen from video video games.
I LOVE ME SOME ROGER CORMAN
After I want enjoyable movie trash, Roger Corman is my man! I’ve coated his Deathstalker movies (right here and right here), so now it’s time for an additional juvenile film with “dying” within the title. Roger produced tons of of LOW price range movies leading to tons of of stinkers and a few winners. Nonetheless, if one million monkeys get to typing, in the end they’ll produce Loss of life Race 2000, one among Corman’s “good” motion pictures.
In case you’ve by no means seen a Roger Corman flick, let me qualify that “good” designation. Roger’s productions usually are not excessive artwork, as a substitute they’re micro-budget schlock meant to capitalize on an present or upcoming movie or pop craze. As with a lot of Roger Corman’s motion pictures, Loss of life Race 2000 is tacky, foolish, violent, didn’t age properly, and stuffed with frivolous nudity. However the movie strikes at a fast tempo – auto racing pun – and all the display screen time is devoted to Nineteen Seventies satire. It’s not boring, and when you’re a toddler of that period, the unique film lampoons components of The System. Mixing enjoyable and subversion makes Loss of life Race 2000 a Corman traditional.
Why did Roger Corman produce Loss of life Race 2000? As a result of William Harrison’s 1973 quick story, “Curler Ball Homicide” was being tailored into the 1975 James Caan automobile, Rollerball. Corman had a historical past of speeding motion pictures to capitalize on a significant studio launch.
Produced by United Artists, Rollerball value $5 to $6 million to movie and the image’s field workplace ranged from $6.2 million to $30 million based mostly on totally different experiences, which implies a 1x to 5x return on that funding. Rollerball was a drama a few sport the place you staff curler skated, scored factors, and killed the opposite staff. Rollerball was, to my restricted consideration span, boring. Killer curler skaters? I ought to be laughing, as a substitute I’m on my cellphone.
Simply as Rollerball was based mostly on a brief story, Loss of life Race 2000 was loosely based mostly on Ib Melchior’s 1956 quick story “The Racer”. Loss of life Race 2000 value round half one million to make, but generated $8 to $14 million (a 16x to 28x return). The story centered on auto races and laughs; it made cash because it entertained even because it offended. After I watch Loss of life Race 2000, it holds my consideration with its mixture of violence and absurdity.
SEQUELS, REBOOTS, COMIC BOOKS, AND MOCKBUSTERS
For such a minor, low-budget grindhouse B-movie thought, there’s quite a lot of movies that draw on the unique Regardless of requiring automobile stunts, there are fairly a number of motion pictures, some comics, and unofficial spin-offs that grew out of the primary film.
The unique Roger Corman Loss of life Race 2000 sequence:
- Loss of life Race 2000 (1975, directed by Paul Bartel and produced by Roger Corman)
- Loss of life Race 2050 (2017, directed by G.J. Echternkamp and produced by Roger Corman)
This continuity consists of the Loss of life Race 2020 comedian e-book sequence. Revealed from April to November of 1995 by Roger Corman’s short-lived Roger Corman’s Cosmic Comics, this sequence performs with the concepts of the unique movie, whereas constructing a bigger, extra bombastic world of car carnage.
Among the many unofficial spin-offs based mostly on the primary continuity, there’s the online game Carmageddon, which got here from a failed deal to make a online game adaptation of Loss of life Race 2000. There’s an unlicensed fan novel on Amazon, Loss of life Race 3000 by Jon Lange.
Rebooting the unique thought, there’s Paul W. S. Anderson Loss of life Race (no 12 months) sequence:
Paul W. S. Anderson directed the 2008 Jason Statham automobile (ha!). With the satire deliberately stripped out to make the film extra 2000s (i.e., much less enjoyable), Statham solely seems within the first movie as Jensen Ames / “Frankenstein”. The three direct-to-video sequels within the sequence have totally different leads: Loss of life Race 2 (2010, starring Luke Goss as Carl “Luke” Lucas / “Frankenstein”), Loss of life Race 3: Inferno (2013, additionally starring Luke Goss) and Loss of life Race: Past Anarchy (2018, starring Zach McGowan as Connor Gibson).
The Anderson/Statham Loss of life Race impressed a mockbuster that very same 12 months, 2008’s Loss of life Racers starring the Insane Clown Posse {and professional} wrestler Scott “Raven” Levy. As a result of it’s a mockbuster, it’s nearer to the camp and grindhouse nature of the unique Loss of life Race 2000, however with out the satire, humor, or any of the unique’s attraction.
Final and least, there’s a mockbuster starring DMX that tries to drag in Quick & Livid followers in addition to Loss of life Race followers with an insincere title. Launched in 2020, Quick and Fierce: Loss of life Race is extra Quick & Livid, however there are automobile chases and the like, although not within the Loss of life Race vein.
Completely unrelated to those movies however very a lot on this wheelhouse, there’s 2017’s Blood Drive, starring a pre-Reacher Alan Ritchson. It’s a Cannonball Run motor race throughout a fuel-less dystopian America utilizing vehicles that run on blood. The tone is hilarious carnage and darkish humor within the vein of Loss of life Race 2000. This TV sequence feels just like the grindhouse, over-the-top motion, mid-way level between the primary Loss of life Race movies satire and the second sequence’ action-centric strategy. Created by James Roland, it has a lightweight tie to the second Loss of life Race sequence within the type of Roel Reiné, who directed Loss of life Race 2 and Loss of life Race 3: Inferno in addition to two episodes of Blood Drive.
There are numerous automobile carnage ideas, however I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Twisted Metallic video video games (1995 to 2012) and the streaming sequence of the identical title (2023 to current). They’ve the automobiles, the mayhem, and the tacky humor to make for a enjoyable time for followers of the Loss of life Race motion pictures.
THE FINISH LINE?
That is fertile floor for a tabletop sport; competitors, violence, and a objective past merely successful the race. Within the subsequent article, we’ll have a look at some tabletop video games from Goodman Video games, ninth Stage Video games, and Steve Jackson Video games that might and will affect a hypothetical Loss of life Race RPG in addition to some authentic choices to construct out a sport.
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