Death Race 2050 is a 2017 American political satire, action film directed by G.J. Echternkamp and starring Manu Bennett, Marci Miller and Malcolm McDowell. It's a prequel to Death Race 2000, which was out in 1975. Both films were made by Roger Corman, who characterized the film as "a car-racing picture with some dark comedy."What is the plot of Death Race 2050?
It is the year 2050. The Death Race serves as both entertainment and population control in the United Corporations of America, which is beset by overpopulation and a 99.993 percent unemployment rate. The current Death Race features reigning champion Frankenstein, genetically engineered athlete Jed Perfectus, hip-hop sensation Minerva Jefferson, female cultist Tammy the Terrorist, and the evil, black, artificially intelligent, self-driving car ABE, which spans from Old New York to New Los Angeles. Each driver is given a proxy, a broadcaster who gives the viewers a virtual reality experience of the race. Frankenstein is instantly turned off by his proxy, Annie Sullivan, and dismisses both her efforts to interview him and her advice to let his opponents pass him by.
Rebels headed by former network producer Alexis Hamilton install traps around the sector as the racers sprint along the East Coast. When Tammy and Minerva kidnap each other's cult members for kills, they establish a bitter rivalry. ABE malfunctions after falling into a rebel trap, killing its surrogate and abandoning the race to find its purpose in life. Hamilton instructs Annie, who is revealed to be her spy, to murder Frankenstein at the first checkpoint. Her effort to attract him fails since he is just interested on winning the race. The Chairman says that because of his longevity, Frankenstein has become a burden, but Perfectus will inspire his dedicated supporters to die at his hands.
On the second day of the race, the drivers go through the country's heartland, renowned for its gun-toting populace. Chi Wapp, who represented Minerva, is slain by a suicide bomber dispatched by Tammy. Frankenstein takes a short cut to another tip, but his vehicle becomes stranded in a cornfield. Frankenstein defends against a gang of Resistance ninjas to collect extra points while Annie walks off. Annie reveals to being a rebel at the second checkpoint and seeks to recruit Frankenstein. Frankenstein, who is politically indifferent, criticizes both the rebels and the government, reaffirming his ambition to win the race. Minerva discloses to Annie at a bar that she is an educated scholar who, in order to live, plays a stereotyped hip-hop role. Annie saves Frankenstein's life from Perfectus, who is envious of Frankenstein's notoriety and sex appeal, by returning to his chamber. In the meanwhile, it is revealed that Hamilton and the Chairman are collaborating behind the scenes.
On Day 3 of the race, the government will select "authorized" routes for the drivers to use in order to avoid being attacked by the Resistance. Because to the injury to Frankenstein's right arm sustained after his battle with Perfectus, Annie assists him in shifting gears. Minerva gives pursuit to Tammy, but in an effort to dodge Tammy's suicide proxy, she ends herself falling over a cliff. Tammy takes pleasure in Minerva's demise until an ABE comes back, smashes her against the wall, and then blows itself up, bringing both of them to their deaths. While Hamilton and her rebels are wiped out by Frankenstein and Annie, Perfectus is making his way toward the finish line through a hidden pathway. Both vehicles back and forth until Perfectus loses control of his vehicle and slams into the control booth for the virtual reality experience. Just before he crosses the finish line, Frankenstein sends out a message to his followers in which he implies that the Chairman is worth a thousand points on his own. After Frankenstein has successfully eliminated the Chairman, much to the joy of the onlookers, he then invites them to forgo their virtual reality and begin their very own Death Race. Frankenstein and Annie observe from a distance as the nation descends into violent anarchy, during which time Frankenstein makes the suggestion that they should repopulate the country when the anarchy has subsided.
For your watching pleasure, Here is the Roger Corman's Death Race 2050 movie trailer.
Who are some of the actors who starred in Death Race 2050?
- Manu Bennett as "Frankenstein," the "Death Race" champion
- In this spoof of Donald Trump, Malcolm McDowell stars as the Chairman of the United Corporations of America. The character even has a "slight comb-over in his hair," much like Trump.
- Annie Sullivan, Frankenstein's surrogate, is played by Marci Miller.
- Gene-engineered athlete Jed Perfectus, played by Burt Grinstead, views himself as the ideal driver.
- Minerva Jefferson, a former hip-hop musician turned racer, is portrayed here by Folake Olowofoyeku.
- Tammy "The Terrorist," a religious cult leader played by Anessa Ramsey.
- Alexis Hamilton, a former network producer who heads a rebel organization, is played by Yancy Butler.
- Charlie Farrell as male pundit J.B.
- Grace Tickle, the female Death Race commentator and interviewer, is played by Shanna Olson.
- Leslie Shaw played Eve Rocket, who stood in for Perfectus.
- An malevolent AI-controlled, self-driving racing automobile voiced by D.C. Douglas (ABE).
- This is Pierre Paolo Goya Kobashigawa in the role of Minerva's stand-in, Chi Wapp.
- Sebastian Llosa plays Steve, a regular person who watches the Death Race from Annie's point of view in virtual reality.
- Dr. Creamer, the ABE's programmer, is played by Helen Loris.
Death Race 2050's production.
When being interviewed by an Italian journalist, who made the statement that The Hunger Games was comparable to Death Race 2000, Roger Corman received the idea for a sequel to the first film. The Hunger Games had parallels to Death Race 2000. Corman made contact with Universal Pictures, the company that had produced the contemporary remake (which Corman believed had omitted an excessive amount of the political commentary of the original), and proposed adding back the dark satire that was there in the original. Corman congratulated them and pointed out their accomplishments before telling them, "You did a nice job, but you've removed the murdering of the pedestrians and the ideas of a broken society."
Filming started in Corman's late 80s, amid the 2016 presidential election. It features the UCA Chairman. Corman told an interviewer, "The president's hairstyle could be similar to Trump's, but I don't want to get into that because Trump will come and go and the film will remain."
Is Death Race 2050 a popular film?
"There are a number of Death Races in a movie series about the Death Race that is coming to an end. After Jason Statham's Death Race trilogy in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Roger Corman returns with Death Race 2050. While excellent films in their own right, they bore little resemblance to the original 1970s B-movie Death Race 2000. So Corman gets this out-of-control burning disaster back Roger Corman's Death Race 2050 on track by organizing a three-day race across a dystopian America, where pedestrian deaths earn points for over-the-top personalities! But with a 50 at the end of the title this time." - Decker Shado
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States, along with three making-of documentaries: The Making of 2050, The Look of 2050, and Cars! Cars, cars, cars! It was released on March 20, 2017 in the United Kingdom.
The film has an 88% approval rating on rottentomatoes.com as of June 2020, based on eight reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10.
Chris Alexander called the film "loud, shrill, spastic, sadistic, stylish, slipshod, stupid and smart" Nerdist reviewer Scott Weinberg called the film "clunky, ramshackle, and kitschy, but that's part of its charm." a website's Sebastian Zavala said it has "enough blood, guts, simplistic political commentary, scenery chewing, and terrible special effects to become a cult classic."