janeann@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (janeann) (10/19/85)
>> Anybody remember 'Death Race 2000'? A truly terrible movie. Some >> game company even came out with an arcade game version of it. The >> object of the game was to drive around and kill pedestrians. The >> game disappeared after a lot of complaints by outraged citizenry. >> Anyway, the movie was pretty badly done. I watched it because >> I like car race & crash movies, but was very disappointed in this. >> The cars were ridiculous, and the director made heavy use of speeded >> up films. > "Death Race 2000" is the ONLY movie I've ever been disgusted enough by > to walk out of. I saw no redeeming value in the 45 minutes to 1 hour > of it that I watched. Haven't you ever heard of Roger Corman? Do you know anything at all about what he and others did with exploitation movies (of which this is an exquisite example)? Let me explain: The idea is to make a movie which will pack 'em in at the drive-ins. Therefore, lots of violence, T&A, fast cars, and action. After that, it doesn't matter what's in there. And here's where his genius comes through: to all that is given above add a lot of subversive social commentary and criticism. Are you aware that the women-in-prison movies, which were *very* exploitative, with all of the violence and sex, were also some of the first movies which showed women in supportive relationships, battling the male power structure together, not just stabbing each other in the back in order to compete for the man? But I digress. . .in this case, you have a movie about the U.S.'s favorite pastime in the year 2000: an automobile race in which the drivers get points for killing people during the race, the more grotesque the better (babies and old people get the most points). Forgive me, but there is IRONY in here somewhere, if you'd just open your eyes. Of course the cars were ridiculous! The object here is make a cheap movie that will make a lot of money. Y'all sound like the types who would throw away an old beutiful photograph because it's faded. And if you had stayed until the end, you would have seen the hero of the car race drive over and kill the President of the U.S., who had supported the race like presidents now support the World Serious, and declare the race over with. Ah, go back and try it again; it's a great, funny movie!