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Rollerball

Rollerball

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The phrase "What were they thinking?" comes to mind.
Review: The good news about John McTiernan's remake of the 1975 science fiction classic "Rollerball" is that it's every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor was. The bad news: Norman Jewison couldn't squeeze one ounce of interest out of his muddled futuristic thriller, and now, McTiernan has added insult to injury, concocting a film that is all glitz and no glamour, all style and no substance. Even the style of which I speak can't hope to save the film from its murky decent into camp territory; in fact, it adds to the problem.

This newly-envisioned remake isn't so much like unsuccessful remakes of other films in that it captures everything that the original embodied: a sense of unimportance, a lack of energy, joyless action, and a stupefying, ludicrous story structure. The transfer of the '75 version to modern audiences is, without a doubt, impeccably well-done, but that's hardly anything to shout about.

The film opens with an empty-headed, no-thrills police chase that introduces us to trouble-maker Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein), and his longtime buddy Marcus Ridley (LL Cool J), who offers Jonathan a placement on his team in the sport of rollerball. At the head of this largely-popular event is wealthy man Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno), who gets his jollies and a boost of ego by calculating injuries during the game to boost television ratings. Of course, our less-than-likely hero finds out, teams up with Marcus and the standard foreign sexpot Aurora (a cliché for this type of movie if there ever was one), and sets out to put a stop to his methodical tactics.

John McTiernan, who was responsible for the ultimate name in action, "Die Hard," seems to have lost all capability and knowledge of what makes a movie of this sort enjoyable, or even serviceable. From the very start, one gets the feeling that nothing important is going on, as McTiernan bombards the audience with a frenzied, unrelentingly banal series of quick cuts between news casts, regular filming, wide shots, and tight shots, none of which produce one inkling of intensity.

As with the previous film, this one recycles the same action sequences, the same ruthless tactics in the playing of the game, and a set of rules that basically state "there are no rules." Once again, we have the cross between motorcross, football and hockey, transplanted into the new millennium with little more than an anticlimactic whimper. Instead of improving on the action scenes that were the centerpiece of the original "Rollerball," this film recreates them right down to the very tedium that ruins the experience.

Add to this the script by Larry Ferguson and John Pogue, which makes one want to flee the theater before losing all sense of good taste and reasoning. Ferguson and Pogue's attempts to update the chilling nuances of Jewison's futuristic world are apparent, from the ongoing surveillance of team members in every corner of the city, to the similarities between the corporation in the '75 version, and Reno's character in the remake. But what has been updated has not necessarily been bettered; the material is cloyed and ludicrous, leaving us nothing but the empty spectacle of its arsenal of action set pieces.

As for the cast, the phrase "What were they thinking?" comes to mind. Klein makes for an unsatisfactory hero figure, proving that once you make your mark in the comedy genre, it's next to impossible to branch out (if you don't believe me, compare Shannon Elizabeth's performances in "American Pie" and "13 Ghosts). LL Cool J never finds the comedic uplift that made his character in "Deep Blue Sea" amusing, while Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is the movie's biggest cliché. Reno turns out to be the biggest surprise and disappointment all in one, playing a character so hammy and unbelievably bad, you wish it were someone else prostituting their acting for a paycheck.

There's one scene In "Rollerball" that sums up everything I want to say about this film: during a chase sequence involving Marcus and Jonathan's flight from the madness around them, McTiernan incorporates the use of "night-vision," casting everything into a green hue. My question is, what's the point? What does it have to do with what's going on in the scene? Better yet, what does the story have to do with anything that's going on onscreen, or vice versa?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not as bad as it may seem...
Review: Ok, I'll admit it, the movie wasn't exactly the best I've ever seen, but it also wasn't the worse. Ya, at times the plot hit a hole (like with the whole apartment thing???), but overall it wasn't that bad. And the editing was not so good too, you could tell where it was cut (most likely for a PG-13 rating), but it wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. And the ending was a good one, left you feeling good (unlike many other movies where everyone dies...the end). So, I would recommend going to see it if you have the time.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not the worst, but close, very very close
Review: Rollerball is not the worst movie ever created, that would be Battlefield Earth. The plot was shaky, I'm still not entirely sure what it was. There were children in the theatre while I saw it and that slightly disturbed me. I usually don't mind violence but there were instances I had to look away. I know it's rated PG-13, but what to ratings mean anymore. And yes this is my own opinion because I am voluntarily submitting this review. All in all, see it when it comes out on video, definately not worth paying for it in theatres.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good action movie
Review: This was not a bad movie at all. Everybody is going along with everybody else because they are scared to say there own opinion. This is a fun action movie with not a great plot but the action makes up for it. The only think i did not like was the night vision sequence. It was a coll idea but it was just to blurry.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: THIS MOVIE ...
Review: If your a big wrestling fan like myself then you will probably go see the movie because it has Paul Heyman and Shane McMahon in it... Shane is only in one part and all he does is stand there and watch them fight and Paul is the announcer.Or you might go see this movie because on the previews they make it seem sooooooo awesome but TRUST ME ... And on top of that I got absolutely no sense out of it . I recomend that you go spend your [money] on something else.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Action- Packed!
Review: This movie is awesome! Its bone-crushing sequences are great! Everything you go to the movies for.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not much of a story; game action the only real draw
Review: After hearing the news that the 1975 sci-fi/action classic 'Rollerball' was going to be re-made, I awaited this new rendition's release with high hopes. I was hoping it would be at least good enough to leave me decently entertained. In the end, I was somewhat entertained, but only by the game-action scenes, which there is a great deal of here (more than the original no less). Sadly, there wasn't much of a storyline couched around these high-gear sequences besides a less-than rousing botched combination escape/revenge plot with a bit of risque romance and plenty of overblown Generation X/Y attitude. Also, the pace was a bit too fast at times, and tried to show too much in too short a time. In some parts, most notably the climactic final game/riot scene, things whizzed by so fast I couldn't figure out exactly who was doing what! Throw in a few moments here & there that borrow from the original film as well as a kinda sappy feel-good ending, and you've got a movie that doesn't really stand out as anything unique or particularly original.

Unless you're a hard-core extreme sports aficionado, someone who likes to make comparisons between original movies and re-makes, a die-hard McTiernan action-flick fan, or a Warhammer 40K geek looking for some design ideas for your army, I doubt you'll find this flick particularly interesting. The hard-hitting soundtrack featuring the works of several loud alternative artists (most notably Rob Zombie) was pretty good, though, so there's at least one redeeming quality to this movie!

I've also heard rumors that 'Rollerball' mark 2 was originally R-rated, but alluva sudden was dropped to PG-13. This leads me to believe there's a special-edition DVD in the works featuring some extra-tasty cutting-room bits when this movie eventually hits the video shelves. If that's the case, I recommend you wait 'til then. If that isn't the case, however, wait for it to come out on DVD anyway, and give 'er a rent. Or, if you're really impatient & you just gotta see it (no ifs, ands, or buts),hit the multiplex during a midweek matinee for a cheaper admission price.

'Late

Post Script: Just in case you're wondering: No, James Caan does NOT make a cameo appearance here. Not that it would've helped this flick anyway...

'Late (for real this time!)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: THE WORST MOVIE EVER CREATED
Review: I love action movies. I love action movies done well, even if they have zero plot and zero acting. Unfortunately, this movie had none of those things. The plot was something a 2 year old could do better on. The acting, well what acting? But the part that really made me hate this movie was the crap action scenes. They were done so poorly that a homemade film would look like it had higher production values. And the fact that they were so incredibly poorly conceived that they really had nowhere to go did not help. If you see this movie playing at your local theater, RUN, dont walk, as fast as you can to get away.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Lion does not roar.
Review: The Lion being MGM who has not had a good/qualiy film made in what seems like forever, and the ever declineing film making skills of John McTiernan who has also not made a good film in at least 12 years. This turkey of a film is set in the future where people are reduced to playing games in a deadly arena and the loser ends up losing their lives if they don;t win. Between the wooden acting and the bad music soundtrack, this film is not even worth the money it took to film it on 35 milimeter film. Shame on you MGM.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Action-Packed!
Review: This is an excellent film, that serves as both a showcase for Jean Reno and Chris Klein as well as director John McTiernan. The scoial message is NOT left out and it still manages to get its point across while throwing action packed scenes at you! The end is AWESOME! I loved it, and highly reccomend this excellent movie to anybody!


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