Plot: What’s it about?
Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein) is a gifted athlete, but when his drive for extreme sports lands him in some legal issues, an old friend offers some sage advice. His friend is Marcus (LL Cool J), who rides up just in time to save Cross from a police chase and to make him an offer, to join him overseas in Rollerball. This sport has taken the world by storm, with a frenetic pace and endless action, as millions upon millions of fans watch. The premise of the game is simple, to score by throwing the rollerball into the goal, but with an arena loaded down with enemies, that task is harder than it sounds. The other team has motorcycles, chains, armored costumes, and all sorts of other tools, all used to keep the score from being made. Of course, your team also has these elements, so it is a fair, but harsh battle to engage in. But when rating skyrocket after a horrific accident, league owner Petrovich (Jean Reno) sees that blood enhances his viewership, so he begins to bribe some players to increase the violence. Will this new, even more violent Rollerball wind up a smash success, or can Cross and his teammates shut it down?
As a fan of the original Rollerball film, I was distressed when a remake was announced, especially with stars like Chris Klein and LL Cool J. Although I did wind up going to see it, I was even more let down when I heard the film was trimmed to a PG-13 version, in order to be open to more audiences. In this DVD edition, MGM has restored the R rated cut and while it doesn’t make the movie a classic, it adds a meaner streak, more violence, and yes my friends, some scenes of breasts that add fun to the experience. So if you want emotion, character development, or a complex storyline, Rollerball simply won’t suffice, but if you’re more after a fast paced, visually dynamic popcorn movie, it would make a solid choice. I liken this picture to those fun old B movies, where you know the movie is bad, but it knows what you want to see and piles it on, which is just the case with Rollerball. No, this is not a good movie and the original is still superior, but like I said, it does offer some positive elements. I commend MGM for giving us the R rated version, as well as loading on some cool extras, so if you’re interested, give Rollerball a spin.
This isn’t the kind of movie to watch for classical acting, but for the sake of this review, I’ll highlight Jean Reno. I think if Rollerball were to be remade to the letter, Reno would be a good choice for the James Caan role, but in this case, he is given the part of the owner of the league, an unscrupulous lot, of course. He is pretty limited in what he can do here, since his screen time is middling and his character is so basic, but Reno adds to the film with his presence and as such, he was a wise choice. I wouldn’t call this his worst effort, as he does make the role as interesting as possible, but with his hands tied by the screenplay, even a gifted actor like Reno can only do so much. Other films with Reno include Leon: The Professional, La Femme Nikita, The Crimson Rivers, Ronin, and Godzilla. The cast also includes Chris Klein (American Pie, Say It Isn’t So), LL Cool J (Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (X-Men, The Intern), and UFC star Oleg Taktarov (15 Minutes, Air Force One).
Video: How does it look?
Rollerball is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. This is a superb looking visual treatment, with no major flaws to discuss in the least. The print looks clean, as is expected from such a new release, while the sharpness is excellent, this is one great looking presentation. The bright & vivid color scheme is preserved here, with rich red hues, cool blues, and the all other shades, all of which look terrific in this transfer. The black levels are just as impressive, with flawless contrast and no visible detail loss, superb work all around. A minor issues do surface, but not enough to distract and as such, I am giving this an almost perfect score.
Audio: How does it sound?
As expected, Rollerball packs a powerful Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but sadly, no DTS option has been included. This mix is good though, with enough juice to keep the neighbors awake and in a movie like this, that’s what we want. The surrounds will light up a Christmas tree, with almost constant presence in the rears, while the subwoofer will be working overtime, as this is one powerful, loud audio presentation. Whenever the action heats up, every speaker will going full blast to keep up with all the sound effects, taunts, and hard rock musical soundtrack. But this mix doesn’t bury the dialogue, as the vocals come through in fine form and nothing is ever muffled or overpowered here. This disc also includes French and Spanish language options, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I like how MGM has designed this disc, as the widescreen version and all the extras are on a dual layered side of the disc, while the worthless pan & scan edition is on the flip side. This means we never have to flip the disc to enjoy the supplements, which is great news and I hope MGM continues this practice. The main draw here is an audio commentary with Chris Klein, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, and LL Cool J, also known as The Horsemen Commentary. This session is hilarious, as Klein and Romijn-Stamos offer a more humorous look at the picture, including some dirty talk from Romijn-Stamos to keep the track interesting. LL Cool J was recorded apart from the other two and in truth, he seems to be on some kind of narcotics, as he enjoys himself far too much. This is easily one of the more entertaining tracks I have heard, but be forewarned, LL’s comments can be unusual, energetic, and very promotional. The Stunts of Rollerball is a well made look inside how the in game scenes were created, via cast & crew interviews, clips from the picture, and some behind the scenes footage. The piece runs about twenty minutes and is not as promotional as I expected, a solid little behind the scenes featurette. This disc also includes a Rob Zombie music video, interactive Rollerball yearbook, and the film’s theatrical & teaser trailers.
