G.J. Echternkamp's political comedy Death Race 2050 stars Manu Bennett, Marci Miller, and Malcolm McDowell. It's a sequel to Death Race 2000, which was released in 1975. Roger Corman produced both films, describing it as "a car-racing picture with some dark comedy."What is the plot of Death Race 2050?
This is in the year 2050. In the United Corporations of America, which has a problem with overpopulation and an unemployment rate of 99.993 percent, the Death Race serves the dual purpose of providing entertainment and controlling the population. The next round of the Death Race is taking place from Old New York to New Los Angeles, and Frankenstein is the defending champion. Competing against Frankenstein are a genetically modified athlete named Jed Perfectus, a hip-hop star named Minerva Jefferson, a female cultist named Tammy the Terrorist, and a self-driving automobile named ABE that is wicked, black, and artificially intelligent. Each participant in the race is given a proxy, who is a broadcaster who brings the audience into the action via the use of virtual reality. Annie Sullivan, who acts as Frankenstein's surrogate, is instantly offensive to him, and he dismisses both her efforts to interview him and her recommendations that he should let his opponents pass him by.
The rebels, headed by ex-network producer Alexis Hamilton, erected traps all along the East Coast as the vehicles raced across it. When Tammy and Minerva kidnap one other's cult members in order to have the upper hand in a duel, they spark a blood feud. When ABE runs into a rebel trap, it malfunctions, kills its proxies, and leaves the race to figure out what it's meant to accomplish with its life. Frankenstein is ordered to be killed at the first checkpoint by Hamilton once she is discovered as her spy by Annie. She fails in her effort to woo him since he only cares about winning the race, not her. In other places, the Chairman says that Frankenstein has become a burden because of his long life, but Perfectus will urge his loyal followers to die at his hands.
On Day 2 of the race, the drivers go through the country's heartland, which is notorious for its gun-toting people. Tammy sends a suicide bomber to murder Minerva's proxy, Chi Wapp. On another road, Frankenstein takes a shortcut, but his automobile becomes stuck in a cornfield. While Annie is away, Frankenstein fights a gang of Resistance ninjas in order to collect extra points. Annie confesses to being a rebel and tries to recruit Frankenstein at the second checkpoint. Frankenstein, who is apolitical, insults both the rebels and the government, repeating his goal to win the race. Minerva explains to Annie at a bar that she is an educated academic who survives by playing a clichéd hip-hop persona. When Annie returns to Frankenstein's chamber, she protects him from Perfectus, who is envious of Frankenstein's fame and sexual attraction. Meanwhile, Hamilton and the Chairman are revealed to be working together behind the scenes.
To keep the Resistance at bay, the government sets up "authorized" routes on Day three. An injury to Perfectus' right arm forces Frankenstein to change gears with the help of Annie. Tammy's proxy, Minerva, chases after her but jumps off a cliff to avoid her. Minerva's death is a source of pride for Tammy, but a return of the ABE destroys them both. They kill Hamilton's rebels with the help of Frankenstein, Annie, and Perfectus. The car driven by Perfectus goes off the road and crashes into the VR booth. In Frankenstein's estimation, the Chairman is worth a total of 1,000 points before the race even begins. A Death Race is organized for onlookers to participate in after Frankenstein murders the Chairman. As the country spirals into chaos, Frankenstein and Annie advise repopulating it.
Corman's Death Race 2050's teaser
Who are the actors in Death Race 2050?
- As "Frankenstein," a cybernetic veteran Death Race champion, Manu Bennett portrays himself in the film.
- Malcolm McDowell as Chairman of the United Corporations of America, a caricature of Donald Trump with a "slight comb-over in his hair."
- Annie Sullivan, Frankenstein's surrogate, is played by Marci Miller.
- Jed Perfectus, played by Burt Grinstead, is a genetically modified athlete who believes he is the ideal driver.
- Folake Olowofoyeku plays rapper-turned-racer Minerva Jefferson.
- Anessa Ramsey portrays Tammy "The Terrorist."
- Alexis Hamilton, a former network producer who heads a rebel organization, is played by Yancy Butler.
- Charlie Farrell portrays J.B., the male Death Race announcer, in this film.
- Shanna Olson portrays Grace Tickle in Death Race.
- Leslie Shaw portrays Eve Rocket.
- D.C. Douglas (voice) plays ABE, a self-driving racing automobile controlled by AI.
- Chi Wapp, Minerva's proxy, is played by Pierre Paolo Goya Kobashigawa.
- Sebastian Llosa plays Steve, a layman who witnesses Annie's VR Death Race.
- Dr. Creamer, ABE's programmer, is played by Helen Loris.
How did Death Race 2050 come to be?
An Italian journalist told Corman that The Hunger Games resembled Death Race 2000 during an interview. Corman called Universal Pictures, who created the current version, to bring back the original's dark humor. Corman told them, "You did well, but you removed the pedestrian killings and broken-society themes."
The production of the movie started while Roger Corman was far into his 90s and during the presidential election of 2016. It focuses on a successful businessman who is now serving as Chairman of the United Corporations of America. In response to a question from an interviewer, Corman said, "The president does have a hair style which may be approaching Trump's hair style," but he did not want to get too far into the topic since "Trump will come and go and the film will endure."
Was Death Race 2050 worth watching?
"There sure are a lot of Death Races in a movie series about the end of the Death Race. In Death Race 2050, Roger Corman reclaims the director's chair after Jason Statham's three-part Death Roger Corman's Death Race 2050 Race saga from the late 2000s and early 2010s. Despite being excellent films in their own right, they bear little resemblance to the classic Death Race 2000 of the 1970s. That's why Corman has the three-day race that spans a dystopian America, where pedestrian killings get points for their over-the-top personalities! This time, though, the title has a 50 at the end of it." - Decker Shado
The Making of 2050, The Look of 2050, and Cars! Automobiles! 20 March 2017 in the UK.
According to RottenTomatoes.com, the film currently has an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10.
In the words of Chris Alexander, the film is "loud... shrill... spastic... sadistic... stylish... slipshod... stupid... smart. " According to Scott Weinberg, a reviewer for Nerdist, the film is "clunky," "ramshackle," and "kitchy, but that's part of its charm." It has "enough blood, guts, simplistic political commentary, scenery chewing, and terrible special effects to become a cult classic," according to Sebastian Zavala of a website.