Plot: What’s it all about?
There is indeed a certain audience for a film like Death Race 2050 and they know who they are. Really, any review could hardly do it justice to the intended audience. It’s clearly a love-it-hate-it affair. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category, but if you suspect this sort of film is for you, have at it. We can view it as a follow up to the original film, but prior knowledge of that film isn’t necessary as plot is not something on the agenda here. There’s plenty of campy action, gratuitous nudity and blood and violence to please those hungry for it. I admit that those aren’t necessarily ingredients that steer me away, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care one bit about what was happening.
It’s the future and the sport of watching people race each other is changed a bit in that their opponent must be killed. Oy! That doesn’t exactly seem like something I’d like to participate in, but that’s that. The event takes place over a three day period. Of course it’s backed by the government as a means of fighting off overpopulation. There’s also a subplot about a group who intend on stopping the death race for good, but that element feels mostly like filler. This is just an ugly film filled with even uglier characters, none of which I care to name here. I also didn’t find myself caring about a single one of them either. I understand that films like this are often self-aware and intended to be satirical, but the end result simply feels lacking. I didn’t particularly care for the 2008 remake, but it still had its merits. It looks like a masterpiece compared to this garbage. That film at least had the presence of Jason Statham as well. I’d elaborate more, but that would mean I’d have to spend more time thinking about this film and that would in turn keep it in my memory longer than I care to. Just avoid it at all cost and watch the original film or the remake again. Or you could always paint your house and watch it dry. That’d be more interesting than anything on display here.
Video: How’s it look?
Things look quite good, but you can paint a turd gold and it’s still a turd. You get the idea. The transfer displays the turd well enough where we get sharp colors and a fine print. Details are strong as well and there’s not much to complain about since it presents this terrible film in a fine manner. The image is AVC encoded with a 1.78:1 ratio.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD track is also strong. It creates a nice sense of atmosphere for the film and keeps us involved. Again, I’ll never sit down to experience this nonsense ever again, but it did its job. Vocals are fine as well and dialogue is audible. Rear channels remained active and there’s strong bass throughout. The track compliments the film well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- The Making of Roger Corman’s Death Race 2050 – Essentially this is an all encompassing feature that tries to cover all of the bases. We get a chat with Corman, remaking his classic film as well as all of the things associated with doing so.
- The Look of 2050 – The look of the costumes as well as the shooting locale in South America.
- Cars! Cars! Cars! – A look at the rather unique vehicles used in the film.
- Cast Car Tours – Basically a closer look at the above.
- Deleted Scenes – Ten total, though none really seem to offer anything substantial to the movie. They’re there if you want them, though!
The Bottom Line
I can’t stress it enough. This is one lousy film. I do understand there is an intended audience, but it’s hard to imagine even them finding much enjoyment here. The ingredients are here, but the execution is so poor. The acting is bad and there’s hardly a reason to care. Skip it.
