This is an awesome, yet underrated movie. In the mid-nineties as a college undergraduate my dorm mates put this on in the lounge one evening, expecting a 70's SF cheese fest. Instead, they found themselves drawn into serious character driven drama, and moved by James Cann's understated yet excellent performance as a blue-collar everyman so oppressed that he can't ideologically even understand that he's being oppressed, yet who somehow resists anyway. They watched, hypnotized by the relentless movement of the plot towards Jonathan's seemingly inevitable tragic destruction in the final match. Then came the dramatic intensity of the twist of the actual ending as both teams are annihilated ... except for Janathan, the archetypal individual, indestructible and invincible, making his victory lap, around and around the flaming wreckage of the ring littered with the corpses of the other players. Then the cut with Bach's fugue, sinister and ambiguous. The end, with everyone's jaw on the floor in surprise at having seen a good movie.
Agreed - this is a much under-rated movie. I remember a snooty film review - BFI I think - saying that in the 70s there was this odd idea that corporations would take over everything and be more significant than nations. Yeah, look how that turned out.
@@Julius_HardwareThis film has aged well in many respects. There's also the uncomfortable but maybe intentional meta that the game scenes were bread and circus for both the audience in the film- and the film audience. Then, now and for the foreseeable future. A knowing irony (as the cherry on the cake) from underrated writing built to last.
One of my favorite 70's flicks, along with Alien, Logans Run and The Omega Man. Never had a problem understanding what he was saying, and the whys and what for's were pretty apparent to me. The Corporations rule is absolute as long as the people are distracted, and no one is bigger than the corporations. Jonathan's popularity threatened to make him more powerful than the executives, like the one that took his wife.So he had to go, but he was too popular to just kill off. Just like Hitler gave Rommel the option of suicide because his popularity was such that a trial would be very unpopular. They didn't want a Martyr on their hands.
Totally agree with this reading. Jonathan being last man standing at the end is a symbolic victory of the individual over corporate dictatorship. If anything, I always thought it was a bit too blatant.
Agree. As for the missing satire - see the tree burning sequence. Its one of the few scenes without Jonathan E or Rollerball, and its one of the most important.
This is a great movie. It's not a thriller or just speculative fiction. It's serious science fiction. Great science fiction is always about people and how they interact with each other. It makes points on life, humanity and society.
I suppose Caan's quiet delivery is meant to get across that he's no one special beyond playing Rollerball. The only influence he will ever have is as a symbol, not as a person with any real ideas or answers. This film is a lot like 'Logan's Run'. Just a very immediate hook with little worked out plot or momentum.
Saw this at the cinema back in 1975. This was the first futuristic-dystopian games movie that started them all. Yes, even Death Race 2000 which Roger Corman quickly churned out to compete with Rollerball was rushed into production after this movie was green-lit. Loved the rollerball sporting segments but the futuristic cityscapes, politics and clothes were definitely mired in the 1970s and didn't feel at all futuristic.
Seriously, why this is the best movie ever: *It's about a sport with a ball--very relatable. *The players resemble football players on roller skates--very relatable *Although the game is highly contrived, it's quickly understood. *Its theme, a guy fighting the system so he can survive is a popular narrative. *Fantastic cast, featuring legendary theater actors. *Everything you see in the movie is real. The track is real and its systems are real and work. *Its soundtrack is classical music, which is relevant throughout the centuries--avoids dating the movie. *Unique camera work, remarkable focus at high speeds. *All the skating is real--actors and stuntmen skating on a 30° bank track at 30 to 40 mph in a circle. Freakin' amazing. *First movie to give screen credit to stuntmen. *It inspired a violent/death sport film genre. So there.
What do you mean "we never learn why they want him out??" It's stated very clearly to him that the game is constructed where no one player can rise above the others, thus serving as a symbol of conformity that the corporate overlords want the masses to identify with. The fact that Jonathan E is this uber-hero messes up that whole message, so they want him out and they are going to kill him in the games unless he retires. He wins the last game as the last man standing as the entire crowd, both for his team and the opposing team, chants his name over and over. In a sense, Jonathan E is the unwitting symbol of a revolution that has not come yet, but the film indicates with the crowd reaction that it will. They are no longer cheering for the corporation, they are cheering for the individual. They are no longer standing for their "corporate anthem", they are standing for Jonathan.
exactly, this is the whole point of Rollerball, there's no subtlety about it. The game is a construct to keep people docile and conforming, the suppression of the individual being the goal, so when Jonathan becomes this singular point of hero worship eclipsing the loyalty the population have for the companies they have to stop him. They know full well they are pulling a long con, that people strive for their own identity, but they also know the way to control them is to keep that down. Jonathan isn't Neo, he has no real lofty goal other than to resist being squashed, and his only weapon is being himself. Which is lucky because at his core he's a guy who really likes rollerskating and smashing peoples faces in , he's just trying to live his best life.
Sure, that's the plot outline but it still doesn't make any sense. Why would a multinational corporation not want a superstar leading its franchise? The whole point of transnational enterprise and consumerism is having the ability to adapt to the market place and tailor yourself to what the consumer wants. As a matter of fact, we're seeing in real-time what happens to corporations that go against the people's wants and needs with the backlash against woke marketing today.
@@SmartCookie2022 Exactly. Rollerball is Capitalism weaponizing Communism... in order to sustain Capitalism. Shit, then I read your whole paragraph. I'm sorry you're an idiot. What you're talking about is market penetration and only idiots complain about marketing not aimed at them... which gets worse when their worldview is merely a pinhole. "But we're winning the culture war!" No, you're the ones WAGING the culture war, most people don't care, they're too busy living their own lives to muck about in others.
Yeah, that's always been the theme of the movie and most reviews pretty clearly call it out. It's the individual vs. collectivism. Stam dropped the ball (pun intended) on this one.
Rollerball is a superb movie. The 4K looks stunning on a OLED TV I recall going to the Magnet Maidenhead leisure centre in the early 80s as a kid for roller disco nights. I was Jonathan E when I went down the subway ramp, although to be honest as I reached the bottom with a speed of about 15 mph I was shitting my pants.
I saw this years ago, but I seem to recall the movie explaining that Rollerball was in part bread and circuses, but also social programming. The idea behind Rollerball was in part that individual effort meant nothing, it was only through team effort that a person could excel, and that Jonathan E being this grand champion for so many years was counter programming, giving the population a figure to latch onto as proof of possible individual success. Of course, knowing how corporations work, Maude Adams could have accidentally let her corpo boss know that Jonathan E was hung and THAT guy decided to fire him for no other reason. I will always remember how casually it was mentioned that the 13th century was lost. Backup your shite.
I remember watching this when I was too young to appreciate it. The scene were they shoot trees with a gun that blows them up is something that stayed with me
When anyone asks, "Whats your favourite movie?", I always say, "Rollerball". Futuristic ultra-violent Sport. Anti-corporate messages. Groovy 70s vision of the future. Love It!
The closest thing to the "collectivism vs individualism" theme presented in Rollerball is the current state of WWE wrestling. In the past Vince McMahon was all about creating mega-stars such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock. Nowadays it's all about the brand. There are no more mainstream superstars and the championship belts are basically just portable billboards showcasing the WWE logo. No wrestler is allowed to be bigger than the corporation. There are no Jonathans in wrestling anymore.
Another fun one along these lines is Salute Of The Jugger, which is basically Rollerball crossed with Mad Max, but with a more rugby-like game. It's very much a B-movie, but it's well done and has a surprisingly good cast - including Rutger Hauer, Vincent D'onfrio, Joan Chen, and Delroy Lindo. It even inspired some small real-life Jugger leagues. Btw, do NOT watch the US edit, called The Blood Of Heroes, because it cuts out ten minutes and changes the ending.
Salute of the Jugger is a hidden masterpiece of post-apocalypse sci-fi, and one of the best Rutger Hauer movies almost no-one's seen. And you're right, the international cut is the far superior version, but it's almost impossible to find.
I watched this when it first came out, and re-watched it recently. I had forgotten about Jonathan's mumbling. Shane Rimmer stands out, he takes his role in this film 100% seriously and and it shows.
One thing I don't think is obvious at first glance: the blandness of the music is arguably intentional. The good music is mostly from the distant past. The new corporate anthems are dull and boring. The world is intentionally dull, drained of almost any energy. You don't see the lives of other people because there is almost no sense in which anyone has lives. One of the reasons for the crazy behavior at the party is the sheer boredom of the people, and the excitement they get at being violent is a sharp contrast. Rollerball is itself a focal point for all the base instincts of humanity, channeled into a group sport, in which the participants and the fans are defined almost entirely by their colors and their participation as a group.
There are many things in this film that are not obvious at first glance. As Norman Jewison said in the director's commentary, he was able to make a film that had more depth and grace, back then. Most reviewers, and many others who watch the film now, miss most of the points you have made: instead, they want a film that spells everything out and tells them what to think. Which is ironic, being that is how the characters in the film are portrayed.
I always loved this movie! The Corporations were worried that Jonathan could just call the whole thing off and use their tyrannical control systems against them and declare himself "President" or "King" or whatever. Their biggest success was not allowing him or anyone else to understand the past well enough to know how to revolt, or think critically.
Seventies Science Fiction is my favourite movie subgenre. It's so anachronistic, and much of it is orange, white and beige. Rollerball is one of my favourites of this particular era. There are some good points raised in this review but nothing to sway my personal opinion of the film. Love it.
This movie is older than I an but I still have vague memories of it on channel 4. I love how you blend your genuine love for film and TV with cheeky humour, I really bring your videos to life.
One of my top 10 all time favourite movies. Watched on late, late movie when I was 12 or so and was mesmerized. The music is spectacularly well chosen, especially the lost love theme using Albinoni's Adagio - my absolute favourite movie score.
Just like the Running Man was a short story by Stephen King and turned into a successful movie. And they did say why they wanted Johnathan out, he had grown bigger than the game. Kind of interesting, the NBA got more popular by promoting Michael Jordans greatness. The NHL on the other hand had the same opportunity to convert more people into hockey fans with Wayne Gretzky but they sort of went the same route as the executives in Rollerball. They didn't want one player to be bigger than the game.
Funny, James caan delivers his lines clearly in Mickey blue Eyes but mumbles here, and John Houseman was the mad scientist of the Fembots in Bionic woman.
EEEEEEEEEEE, I love this movie, I have since I first saw it when it came out (I was all of eleven years old)! One of James Caan's finest roles. And Norman Jewison & my mum shared the same natal date.
The original story was "Rollerball Murder" by William Harrison. I remember that... I think it first printed in Playboy? Or Omni? Don't remember, but the story left an impression on me, now I have to find it... and read again. Thx for the review...
Having watched the movie many times, some things do become clear later with many views. The game Rollerball serves to excite the masses, giving them something they do not normally get to see (violence), but it also acts as a way of establishing the corporate mentality. The teams contain players who are expendable, but the team is not. Jonathan E threatens this by proving that one man can matter more than the team. Bartholomew is almost certainly the person who initiated the process of forcing his retirement (though he claims it was others, part of the typical corporate shellgame of deflecting responsibility for unpleasant decisions). The world is a dystopia in which everyone is well cared for but few people have any agency, and men like Jonathan E are a dangerous threat to that system. The video commentary with the DVD is interesting, because you can really tell how disappointed the director was that the stuntmen loved playing the game and completely disagreed with the anti-violent preferences of the director.
You had to see this move as a kid in 1975. Rollerball delivered one of the most reasonable visions into the future, because it conveyed the future not really being much different then things in the 1970's; except for some cool TV's, funky buildings and motorcycles.
Was that Graham Garden? Oh goodies, have no recollection of whatsoever, despite being ( I thought) an avid devotee. Thank you for the new information, even though it's probably that I just forgot, I'm at that age.
i met Shane Rimmer a few times as he use to come into the Video store my friend owned in Barnet. The good old days of VHS. He could not believe I knew who he was and told me a few stories on the set of Bond lol RIP Thunderbird 1
Its not about the game or business. Its about the death of individuality and the fear establishment has of anyone who does not conform. Such a person could theoretically spearhead revollutuon. So there is a point to it. Johnsthan E is the unwilling potential figurehead of that potential revollution. The irony is that he is so disconnected from wider society that he fails to recognise his true power. Or why he is dangerous and as his celebrity status grows, why its important that he should retire. The end is the birth of? Well either change or what? Thats for us to speculate about as the audience. Wondering what we might do it we were him?
Really liked this movie when it came out. The soft speaking is juxtaposed against the violence of the arena. He's a nobody in a corporate fascist dystopia; part of the blood and circuses meant to entertain and mollify the people. The nature of entertainment makes him a celebrity, and that gives him the power of the people. He's an anti-hero who by his nature can't bend the knee, and by refusing to do so exposes the vulnerability of the corporate order. It's not so very far from Gladiator in many ways.
Rollerball came out when I was 12. Roller-skating was very popular. I made a pair of spiked gloves and we played rollerball in the school yard. I had an orange T-shirt with a number 6 Hobbytexed on it. The movie had quite an impact on my psyche.
It always seemed clear enough to me that the corporations simply didn't want any individual being seen as "above" the corporation. Jonathan didn't want to be a symbol or a role model or anything. He just wanted to play ball, but the fans cheered his name instead of cheering for the team, which was a substitute for the corporation. The movie doesn't hit the viewer over the head with this, but as the game ratchets out of control and Jonathan still cannot be stopped, we see the eventual doom of the corporate structure, although we are given no idea how that might happen, or why the citizens might want it.
I like this era+genre, I need to find a list of films like this and see as many as I can. Something about that decade's level of production with an investment in darker themes works. I'll talk about the ending here so look away if you want, but I did wind up being more ambivalent about Rollerball than I wanted to be. I also interpreted the ending differently than I think they meant, it's clear he had a triumph of sorts, despite their efforts to basically get rid of him through his own game, but I saw it as him as sort of becoming something worse, maybe a power broker or a bright red streak depending on how the nebulous dystopia actually works. Maybe it was just a heightened stand-in for now, and that's why they avoided anything that didn't have to do with the story itself? Maybe I should track down the original story and see if there are more hints. Given that I like Quintet maybe I'm actually trapped in that decade somehow. Wouldn't mind you reviewing Quintet some day, if you can find it.
Surprised you didn't bring up DEATHRACE 2000 which was made to cash in on ROLLERBALL, but has outpaced it in reputation. That Roger Corman production has a ton of style, satirical wit, and cross-country smash-up action, and remains prescient and relevant even today.
As a 13 year old, this film was the first AA (over 14 in UK) I sneaked into. Was too young for the politics, just waited for the games. Action Comic in UK did a ripoff story called Spinball- gory and silly
Wonderful review Stam. Cheers. An excellent film. Slow in parts, maybe. Violent in places, not really. Bloody-good fun. Bread and Circuses implemented in a C21st Corporate dominated world. The moment I spotted Shame Rimmer I thought: Oh goody, they filmed part of Rollerball in England. They remade this film with Russel Crowe and called it Gladiator. Or was it Stallone and Rocky IV?
Titanic had huge ice making machines. As well as making ice for drinks etc; they were also utilised for cooling the boiler rooms. I love Rollerball. It's one of my favourite films. I think because it has that 'villain has a point' thing. Arguably society is better. People like Moonpie seem perfectly happy with it. I also love the low stakes of the antagonists plans. Kill him? Of course not, instead we will encourage him into a luxurious retirement. Mwahahaha.
Always thought with more action and less talking would have been a huge hit - along the lines of the “megamovie” format that Spielberg and Lucas started around the same time. The limited budget also too visible with future headgear being the same as 1970’s sports helmets. I still have a 1975 Rollerball “promo pak” which includes posters for the different international games.
The whole point, to me at least, was that Jonathan represented the power of a self-willed individual, a concept threatening to corporatist consumerism. As to there being no discernible threat to him - er, they keep altering the rules to attempt to have him publicly murdered without any blame attaching to them... Personally I always enjoyed the extremely low key presentation of the plastic luxurious dystopian society with all their resistance and self determination sated by the drug of sports bloodlust.
We never really learned WHY Jonathan refused to quit. Was he mad because they took his wife so staying in was the ultimate middle finger or did he just enjoy the fame and life? Or was it him standing against the Corporation to free society? He never expressed why he wasn't obeying the order.
Jonathan E is a pawn in the system so he cannot express his opinions except through actions. And why? "We had a choice a long time ago between having all those nice things - or freedom.... of course... they chose comfort". Still the same today.
Rollerball is a great sci-fi story about the individual vs the collective. It is way better than any of the movies you mention around the 5:00 mark. As Bartholomew states, the purpose of Rollerball is to show the sheep that individual effort is pointless; Johnathan thwarts that purpose, and so must be eliminated. The game is Bread and Circuses.
I think the premise of the game being bigger than any individual within it was false. If Jonathan were to die in the final game, a new hero would have emerged. But Rollerball is not about heroism, it is about the lengths to which a person will go to maintain his or her individuality within an establishment system that denies individuality. It is a challenge to our own social values seen from a future extreme perspective. Perhaps this is the real reason why people are so uncomfortable with Rollerball; and in our present age of mass propaganda via the media, attempting to guide populations this way or that way, Rollerball is prescient. So I watch the film and ask, what are the lengths to which I am prepared to go to maintain my individuality? But also, what are the lengths to which I am prepared to go to protect the idea of individuality in others? The slow mo replay scenes with their amazing soundscape in the ranch puts those questions into perspective
You don't question dystopian stories; if you really think about it, it's absurd that there are surveillance screens in 1984, that there are firemen that burn books in Fahrenheit 451, or that there are artificial wombs in Brave New World… you just accept those facts. Everyone tries to be so intellectual while criticizing Rollerball, but praise nonsense like Donnie Darko. Besides, from a viewer's eye, Rollerball has beautiful and memorable images, the action scenes are intense and credible, and the plot is original and unique. It wasn't understood at the time, but besides the dystopian ambience, it was a critique to contact sports, in a time when nobody knew that Mike Webster was gonna suffer and die for his injuries. Rollerball need serious reviews in retrospective.
I wanted to like this, as a scifi fan since forever. I think i came to it yoo late, decades after so many films had done a better job of showing similar worlds. Boring, slow, and boring. 1 star.
One of the film's faults is its pacing. Even in 1975 it was criticized for this. My own attitude about it at the time was that it was a great story idea, but not very well written.
I've watched Rollerball a few times over my life. Like this video says, I've always felt it was missing something necessary; it survives on the concept of its death sport. Even then, I'd rather watch The Salute of the Jugger.
The point of it all is pretty plain, if you pay attention. Rollerball was intended to show the futility of individual action, especially rebellion; but, Jonathan E keeps proving the reverse is true. It is cautionary tale of the rise of corporate power and a commentary about the savagery of professional sports (especially NFL football), as a modern equivalent of gladiatorial combat. It has to be seen in its context, with NFL games with vicious hits, the recent Munich Olympics (including the massacre of the Israeli athletes, by terrorists), urban crime and violence, Vietnam, Watergate, mass media and similar dysfunction.
I love this film for the Film it wants to be. I always felt there was something missing from the film; not enough world building, not enough of a look at the "mystery" (i.e. rollerball keeps the masses down and obsessed with sport which backfires when the top player wins through everything and goes on to overthrow the dystopia that bread him [mind you this is my headcannon. The actual film can't be bothered to mumble together an onscreen narrative preferring the "mystery box" approach without any satisfying reveals. Despite all the niggles I have with the film i can't help but love it. I sort of feel that at some point a remake will be done that does the concept proud. BTW "Speedball" as a video game is awesome and meligning it really is a disservice to video game history as back in the day it was a PC game success story.
I think the point is that the characters are immersed in that world so cannot have a perspective other than Corporate domination. Jonathan E brings change through actions not explanations.
Would definitely choose Princess Ardala over Andrea Anders, but not sure if I'd do the same over Octopussy. And your boss should thank you for making space for some succulents. Lord, does Graeme Garden still rule. And now for a walk in the Black Forest.
And the world needs Rollerball now, like never before. With the value of human life at an all-time low, why not? You people tolerate worldwide State sanctioned murder, why not make it a scheduled entertainment, with teams, play-offs, and a world Championship game? It would break all records, absolutely.
You joking, right?! We Brits invented Anti-Corporate protests. We toppled Thatcher and we still going strong with Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.
I disagree completely. After the wars, society has been molded by the corporations so that people have enough, but don't know what freedom they're missing in return. The game is designed as an outlet for people's violent feelings & the corporations can't afford to have one man become bigger than the game, as stated in the movie, so they want him out. At first by persuasion & then by threats, then by threatening his team-mates by suspending the game rules if he doesn't go.His quest to find out why is half-hearted, but that's because so much has been lost and so much has become generic, that finding out the info that he wants is simply not now possible. He's not a rebel leader, which is what the corporations are afraid of him becoming. He's just a guy who loves his job and can't understand why he has to stop, so he refuses to, which to the corporations is probably as much rebellion as they get nowadays and they can't stand it. In the end, they're willing to sacrifice two entire teams just to get Jonathan killed and taken out of the game, but he wins through to the end. Who knows where he goes from here, but he's won his game, skates round the track to the call of of the crowd calling HIS name, then the fantastic crash of the end music and the movie is done. It's absolutely fantastic.
The corporate leaders were afraid that Jonathan was weakening the purpose of the game... so they altered the rules and destroyed the game to try to regain control. We see during the "half-hearted investigation" that Jonathan isn't a great thinker or rebellion leader. He wouldn't have caused any deliberate problems if they just let him keep playing the game. The corporations wound up creating the threat that they were afraid might happen. My favorite part is early in the last game, where Jonathan was about to die. He is stunned, almost unconscious, and has to be helped by his (random and unnamed) teammates. As good as Jonathan is, he wasn't some superhuman who would win against all odds by himself. (He was just a bit better than the other players.) The support and loyalty he showed for his team earlier in the movie is what saved him. Ironic, given that the corporations were afraid of his image as the excelling individual.
I wasn't a real fan of Rollerball, it was at best ok to fill in a dull night on telly. From that era I'd say Deathrace 2000 was probably a bit better done and if you wanted peak gladiatorial future apocalypse sportsball action- Salute of the Jugger
@@ozymandiasultor9480 I sort of appreciate they tried to give the movie a little gravity with the sub-plot also happening. But the pacing was just a bit fucky-wucky so you get some rollerball, then some bumbling around spread out gang and look for clues, some rollerball, more stuffing around and then rollerball. I liked the overall structure of DR2000 in that it took a bit of setting up with the premise and the sub-plot, but they managed to combine deathracing with the people who have the political bent out-deathracing the deathracers to make their point. Just worked a little better for me in terms of engagement
@@mikavirtanen7029 For sure, there was the VHS release were I saw it and DVD in about 2000-01 period and there may have been Blu-ray at some point but if there was it probably wasn't very big. I think it would hold up ok for a late 80's movie in terms of people liking it, there was at least 3-4 fairly decent actors and good support cast and action
If all the oil used to manufacture polyester in just the *films* made in the 1970s had been refined into gasoline instead, there'd've been no energy crisis.
Oh the 70's version of the future, when all the colors were beige and neutral sand, glass rooms and equipment were all the rage, and men and women were both so hairy it was hard to tell which was which... never change lol
I think it's that the corporations hate that Jonathan is a hero to the people. They want the game to be a way to show the audience that struggling against the powers that be is useless. No one is supposed to last in the game, it was not to produce heroes. So Jonathan surviving at the end is an act of defiance. Even if he's the star of a violent, nihilist game.
You can always rely on the stupid to never see beyond the violence of this film and totally miss the point. I think it was in the audio commentary that the director said that there were actual people in America who wanted to set up their own league and make the game a reality.
Thank you for unearthing the deeply buried memory of that Goodies episode. Wow.
"And so it came to pass that the MCC were to inherit the earth and to retain the Ashes!"
This is an awesome, yet underrated movie. In the mid-nineties as a college undergraduate my dorm mates put this on in the lounge one evening, expecting a 70's SF cheese fest. Instead, they found themselves drawn into serious character driven drama, and moved by James Cann's understated yet excellent performance as a blue-collar everyman so oppressed that he can't ideologically even understand that he's being oppressed, yet who somehow resists anyway. They watched, hypnotized by the relentless movement of the plot towards Jonathan's seemingly inevitable tragic destruction in the final match. Then came the dramatic intensity of the twist of the actual ending as both teams are annihilated ... except for Janathan, the archetypal individual, indestructible and invincible, making his victory lap, around and around the flaming wreckage of the ring littered with the corpses of the other players. Then the cut with Bach's fugue, sinister and ambiguous. The end, with everyone's jaw on the floor in surprise at having seen a good movie.
Agreed - this is a much under-rated movie. I remember a snooty film review - BFI I think - saying that in the 70s there was this odd idea that corporations would take over everything and be more significant than nations. Yeah, look how that turned out.
@@Julius_HardwareThis film has aged well in many respects. There's also the uncomfortable but maybe intentional meta that the game scenes were bread and circus for both the audience in the film- and the film audience. Then, now and for the foreseeable future. A knowing irony (as the cherry on the cake) from underrated writing built to last.
One of my favorite 70's flicks, along with Alien, Logans Run and The Omega Man. Never had a problem understanding what he was saying, and the whys and what for's were pretty apparent to me. The Corporations rule is absolute as long as the people are distracted, and no one is bigger than the corporations. Jonathan's popularity threatened to make him more powerful than the executives, like the one that took his wife.So he had to go, but he was too popular to just kill off. Just like Hitler gave Rommel the option of suicide because his popularity was such that a trial would be very unpopular. They didn't want a Martyr on their hands.
Agree. Pretty much what I was going to write.
I'd say you'd like colossus the forbin project and demon seed.
Totally agree with this reading. Jonathan being last man standing at the end is a symbolic victory of the individual over corporate dictatorship. If anything, I always thought it was a bit too blatant.
@@gfdggdfgdgf yes, big up for Forbin!
Agree. As for the missing satire - see the tree burning sequence. Its one of the few scenes without Jonathan E or Rollerball, and its one of the most important.
This is a great movie. It's not a thriller or just speculative fiction. It's serious science fiction. Great science fiction is always about people and how they interact with each other. It makes points on life, humanity and society.
Spot on!
Yes.
Jonathan! Jonathan!Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan! Jonathan!
I suppose Caan's quiet delivery is meant to get across that he's no one special beyond playing Rollerball. The only influence he will ever have is as a symbol, not as a person with any real ideas or answers. This film is a lot like 'Logan's Run'. Just a very immediate hook with little worked out plot or momentum.
Did you notice Caan always speaks in rhythm? I think thats why he deliberates so much before speaking so he can get it right.
Saw this at the cinema back in 1975. This was the first futuristic-dystopian games movie that started them all. Yes, even Death Race 2000 which Roger Corman quickly churned out to compete with Rollerball was rushed into production after this movie was green-lit. Loved the rollerball sporting segments but the futuristic cityscapes, politics and clothes were definitely mired in the 1970s and didn't feel at all futuristic.
Seriously, why this is the best movie ever:
*It's about a sport with a ball--very relatable.
*The players resemble football players on roller skates--very relatable
*Although the game is highly contrived, it's quickly understood.
*Its theme, a guy fighting the system so he can survive is a popular narrative.
*Fantastic cast, featuring legendary theater actors.
*Everything you see in the movie is real. The track is real and its systems are real and work.
*Its soundtrack is classical music, which is relevant throughout the centuries--avoids dating the movie.
*Unique camera work, remarkable focus at high speeds.
*All the skating is real--actors and stuntmen skating on a 30° bank track at 30 to 40 mph in a circle. Freakin' amazing.
*First movie to give screen credit to stuntmen.
*It inspired a violent/death sport film genre.
So there.
BAch'a Tocata in Fugue has never sound this chilling and heartbreaking.
What do you mean "we never learn why they want him out??" It's stated very clearly to him that the game is constructed where no one player can rise above the others, thus serving as a symbol of conformity that the corporate overlords want the masses to identify with. The fact that Jonathan E is this uber-hero messes up that whole message, so they want him out and they are going to kill him in the games unless he retires. He wins the last game as the last man standing as the entire crowd, both for his team and the opposing team, chants his name over and over. In a sense, Jonathan E is the unwitting symbol of a revolution that has not come yet, but the film indicates with the crowd reaction that it will. They are no longer cheering for the corporation, they are cheering for the individual. They are no longer standing for their "corporate anthem", they are standing for Jonathan.
exactly, this is the whole point of Rollerball, there's no subtlety about it. The game is a construct to keep people docile and conforming, the suppression of the individual being the goal, so when Jonathan becomes this singular point of hero worship eclipsing the loyalty the population have for the companies they have to stop him. They know full well they are pulling a long con, that people strive for their own identity, but they also know the way to control them is to keep that down. Jonathan isn't Neo, he has no real lofty goal other than to resist being squashed, and his only weapon is being himself. Which is lucky because at his core he's a guy who really likes rollerskating and smashing peoples faces in , he's just trying to live his best life.
Sure, that's the plot outline but it still doesn't make any sense. Why would a multinational corporation not want a superstar leading its franchise? The whole point of transnational enterprise and consumerism is having the ability to adapt to the market place and tailor yourself to what the consumer wants. As a matter of fact, we're seeing in real-time what happens to corporations that go against the people's wants and needs with the backlash against woke marketing today.
@@SmartCookie2022 Exactly. Rollerball is Capitalism weaponizing Communism... in order to sustain Capitalism.
Shit, then I read your whole paragraph. I'm sorry you're an idiot. What you're talking about is market penetration and only idiots complain about marketing not aimed at them... which gets worse when their worldview is merely a pinhole. "But we're winning the culture war!" No, you're the ones WAGING the culture war, most people don't care, they're too busy living their own lives to muck about in others.
@@SmartCookie2022 There is no free market, and individualism is disincentivised, in the film's world.
Yeah, that's always been the theme of the movie and most reviews pretty clearly call it out. It's the individual vs. collectivism. Stam dropped the ball (pun intended) on this one.
Rollerball is a superb movie. The 4K looks stunning on a OLED TV
I recall going to the Magnet Maidenhead leisure centre in the early 80s as a kid for roller disco nights. I was Jonathan E when I went down the subway ramp, although to be honest as I reached the bottom with a speed of about 15 mph I was shitting my pants.
I love this movie 🎬 ❤❤
I saw this years ago, but I seem to recall the movie explaining that Rollerball was in part bread and circuses, but also social programming. The idea behind Rollerball was in part that individual effort meant nothing, it was only through team effort that a person could excel, and that Jonathan E being this grand champion for so many years was counter programming, giving the population a figure to latch onto as proof of possible individual success.
Of course, knowing how corporations work, Maude Adams could have accidentally let her corpo boss know that Jonathan E was hung and THAT guy decided to fire him for no other reason.
I will always remember how casually it was mentioned that the 13th century was lost. Backup your shite.
And maybe that was in the book
I remember watching this when I was too young to appreciate it. The scene were they shoot trees with a gun that blows them up is something that stayed with me
When anyone asks, "Whats your favourite movie?", I always say, "Rollerball".
Futuristic ultra-violent Sport. Anti-corporate messages. Groovy 70s vision of the future. Love It!
A classic 👌 Thank you . Spartacus, in the future, who is soft-spoken, doesn't know where to go, and doesn't question anything ✌️🇦🇺
The closest thing to the "collectivism vs individualism" theme presented in Rollerball is the current state of WWE wrestling. In the past Vince McMahon was all about creating mega-stars such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock. Nowadays it's all about the brand. There are no more mainstream superstars and the championship belts are basically just portable billboards showcasing the WWE logo. No wrestler is allowed to be bigger than the corporation. There are no Jonathans in wrestling anymore.
The 70s were the best time ever for kids. Wish I could go back.
Another fun one along these lines is Salute Of The Jugger, which is basically Rollerball crossed with Mad Max, but with a more rugby-like game. It's very much a B-movie, but it's well done and has a surprisingly good cast - including Rutger Hauer, Vincent D'onfrio, Joan Chen, and Delroy Lindo. It even inspired some small real-life Jugger leagues.
Btw, do NOT watch the US edit, called The Blood Of Heroes, because it cuts out ten minutes and changes the ending.
Salute of the Jugger is a hidden masterpiece of post-apocalypse sci-fi, and one of the best Rutger Hauer movies almost no-one's seen. And you're right, the international cut is the far superior version, but it's almost impossible to find.
@@KesselRunner606 It's not a 'real' copy, but 1337x has the uncut version, with several seeds. So at least its available that way.
I watched this when it first came out, and re-watched it recently. I had forgotten about Jonathan's mumbling. Shane Rimmer stands out, he takes his role in this film 100% seriously and and it shows.
Checked this out on Prime and immediately become one of my favorite sci-fi films
One thing I don't think is obvious at first glance: the blandness of the music is arguably intentional. The good music is mostly from the distant past. The new corporate anthems are dull and boring. The world is intentionally dull, drained of almost any energy. You don't see the lives of other people because there is almost no sense in which anyone has lives. One of the reasons for the crazy behavior at the party is the sheer boredom of the people, and the excitement they get at being violent is a sharp contrast. Rollerball is itself a focal point for all the base instincts of humanity, channeled into a group sport, in which the participants and the fans are defined almost entirely by their colors and their participation as a group.
There are many things in this film that are not obvious at first glance. As Norman Jewison said in the director's commentary, he was able to make a film that had more depth and grace, back then. Most reviewers, and many others who watch the film now, miss most of the points you have made: instead, they want a film that spells everything out and tells them what to think. Which is ironic, being that is how the characters in the film are portrayed.
I'd love to see you cover Soylent Green!
For what it's worth he did in May 2022.
Here's the link.
ruclips.net/video/Hk-Hu1VvVpY/видео.html
I always loved this movie! The Corporations were worried that Jonathan could just call the whole thing off and use their tyrannical control systems against them and declare himself "President" or "King" or whatever. Their biggest success was not allowing him or anyone else to understand the past well enough to know how to revolt, or think critically.
Great video ~ good script, shot choice, and editing.
Seventies Science Fiction is my favourite movie subgenre. It's so anachronistic, and much of it is orange, white and beige. Rollerball is one of my favourites of this particular era. There are some good points raised in this review but nothing to sway my personal opinion of the film. Love it.
This movie is older than I an but I still have vague memories of it on channel 4. I love how you blend your genuine love for film and TV with cheeky humour, I really bring your videos to life.
One of my top 10 all time favourite movies. Watched on late, late movie when I was 12 or so and was mesmerized. The music is spectacularly well chosen, especially the lost love theme using Albinoni's Adagio - my absolute favourite movie score.
Just like the Running Man was a short story by Stephen King and turned into a successful movie. And they did say why they wanted Johnathan out, he had grown bigger than the game. Kind of interesting, the NBA got more popular by promoting Michael Jordans greatness. The NHL on the other hand had the same opportunity to convert more people into hockey fans with Wayne Gretzky but they sort of went the same route as the executives in Rollerball. They didn't want one player to be bigger than the game.
Funny, James caan delivers his lines clearly in Mickey blue Eyes but mumbles here, and John Houseman was the mad scientist of the Fembots in Bionic woman.
I remember seeing this film when it came out in 1975... I particularly liked the start of the film...
I bought this dvd in 2018; the year it was set. Glad to see James Caan lived to see 2018 before passing away 4 years later.🙏
Great movie 😊
EEEEEEEEEEE, I love this movie, I have since I first saw it when it came out (I was all of eleven years old)! One of James Caan's finest roles. And Norman Jewison & my mum shared the same natal date.
The original story was "Rollerball Murder" by William Harrison. I remember that... I think it first printed in Playboy? Or Omni? Don't remember, but the story left an impression on me, now I have to find it... and read again. Thx for the review...
Having watched the movie many times, some things do become clear later with many views. The game Rollerball serves to excite the masses, giving them something they do not normally get to see (violence), but it also acts as a way of establishing the corporate mentality. The teams contain players who are expendable, but the team is not. Jonathan E threatens this by proving that one man can matter more than the team. Bartholomew is almost certainly the person who initiated the process of forcing his retirement (though he claims it was others, part of the typical corporate shellgame of deflecting responsibility for unpleasant decisions). The world is a dystopia in which everyone is well cared for but few people have any agency, and men like Jonathan E are a dangerous threat to that system. The video commentary with the DVD is interesting, because you can really tell how disappointed the director was that the stuntmen loved playing the game and completely disagreed with the anti-violent preferences of the director.
The 70s vibe is perfect. Caan’s subtle violence interesting too.
You had to see this move as a kid in 1975. Rollerball delivered one of the most reasonable visions into the future, because it conveyed the future not really being much different then things in the 1970's; except for some cool TV's, funky buildings and motorcycles.
Was that Graham Garden? Oh goodies, have no recollection of whatsoever, despite being ( I thought) an avid devotee. Thank you for the new information, even though it's probably that I just forgot, I'm at that age.
"And so it came to pass that the MCC were to inherit the earth and to retain the Ashes!"
After decades of guilt - I am now prepared to admit...... I was the one who put that playing card in Evel Knievel's spokes!
i met Shane Rimmer a few times as he use to come into the Video store my friend owned in Barnet. The good old days of VHS. He could not believe I knew who he was and told me a few stories on the set of Bond lol RIP Thunderbird 1
Best. Movie. EVER!
"Why argue about decisions you're not powerful enough to make for yourself?".
Its not about the game or business. Its about the death of individuality and the fear establishment has of anyone who does not conform. Such a person could theoretically spearhead revollutuon. So there is a point to it. Johnsthan E is the unwilling potential figurehead of that potential revollution. The irony is that he is so disconnected from wider society that he fails to recognise his true power. Or why he is dangerous and as his celebrity status grows, why its important that he should retire. The end is the birth of? Well either change or what? Thats for us to speculate about as the audience. Wondering what we might do it we were him?
Truly a perfect demonstration of just how tough Sonny Corleone is!
Really liked this movie when it came out. The soft speaking is juxtaposed against the violence of the arena. He's a nobody in a corporate fascist dystopia; part of the blood and circuses meant to entertain and mollify the people. The nature of entertainment makes him a celebrity, and that gives him the power of the people. He's an anti-hero who by his nature can't bend the knee, and by refusing to do so exposes the vulnerability of the corporate order. It's not so very far from Gladiator in many ways.
Wouldn't have Speedball2 without it :D
Fabulous, thank you.
Moonpie isn't supposed to be the successor to Jonathan E. He's the inverse of Jonathan. It's shown by Jonathan's number 6 versus Moonpie's number 9.
Here, Caan has movie star face... that smile/grin/grimace that's too practiced to be real but somehow carries a movie with naught else init.
What a run for maybe my fav director Norman Jewison.
Great you did this classic. I've the soundtrack on Vinyl, and we created a boardgame of this that we played all the time.
I have only vague memories of this movie, but I absolutely loved Speedball 2. So thanks for that at least, Rollerball.
Rollerball came out when I was 12. Roller-skating was very popular. I made a pair of spiked gloves and we played rollerball in the school yard. I had an orange T-shirt with a number 6 Hobbytexed on it. The movie had quite an impact on my psyche.
It always seemed clear enough to me that the corporations simply didn't want any individual being seen as "above" the corporation. Jonathan didn't want to be a symbol or a role model or anything. He just wanted to play ball, but the fans cheered his name instead of cheering for the team, which was a substitute for the corporation.
The movie doesn't hit the viewer over the head with this, but as the game ratchets out of control and Jonathan still cannot be stopped, we see the eventual doom of the corporate structure, although we are given no idea how that might happen, or why the citizens might want it.
A very funny review here Stam!
Trust me! When I watch this movie, I don't secretly wish I was watching Running Man!
A game that leaves many of its players dead is a logistical nightmare.
"Game! Its not a Game! It was never meant to be a Game".
Anyway thats just the last Game wen they try to remove Jonathan E.
Great review, as always. One could say that Norman Jewison already dabbled in speculative fiction with Jesus Christ Superstar.
I like this era+genre, I need to find a list of films like this and see as many as I can. Something about that decade's level of production with an investment in darker themes works.
I'll talk about the ending here so look away if you want, but I did wind up being more ambivalent about Rollerball than I wanted to be. I also interpreted the ending differently than I think they meant, it's clear he had a triumph of sorts, despite their efforts to basically get rid of him through his own game, but I saw it as him as sort of becoming something worse, maybe a power broker or a bright red streak depending on how the nebulous dystopia actually works. Maybe it was just a heightened stand-in for now, and that's why they avoided anything that didn't have to do with the story itself? Maybe I should track down the original story and see if there are more hints.
Given that I like Quintet maybe I'm actually trapped in that decade somehow. Wouldn't mind you reviewing Quintet some day, if you can find it.
I believe the stuntmen actually played a Rollerball game with toned down Madrid rules.
Damn, wish I watched the film first now. How do I erase memory? Love the videos!
Cuando la vi en el cine tenia 11 años...fabulosa pelicula...con los amigos ibamos en fila y en bici diciendo...hous...ton...hous...ton...
Surprised you didn't bring up DEATHRACE 2000 which was made to cash in on ROLLERBALL, but has outpaced it in reputation. That Roger Corman production has a ton of style, satirical wit, and cross-country smash-up action, and remains prescient and relevant even today.
As a 13 year old, this film was the first AA (over 14 in UK) I sneaked into.
Was too young for the politics, just waited for the games.
Action Comic in UK did a ripoff story called Spinball- gory and silly
Me too
Wonderful review Stam. Cheers. An excellent film. Slow in parts, maybe. Violent in places, not really. Bloody-good fun. Bread and Circuses implemented in a C21st Corporate dominated world. The moment I spotted Shame Rimmer I thought: Oh goody, they filmed part of Rollerball in England. They remade this film with Russel Crowe and called it Gladiator. Or was it Stallone and Rocky IV?
IMO one of the greatest movies ever made. Endlessly entertaining. Please stand for the corporate anthem....
Titanic had huge ice making machines. As well as making ice for drinks etc; they were also utilised for cooling the boiler rooms.
I love Rollerball. It's one of my favourite films. I think because it has that 'villain has a point' thing. Arguably society is better. People like Moonpie seem perfectly happy with it. I also love the low stakes of the antagonists plans. Kill him? Of course not, instead we will encourage him into a luxurious retirement. Mwahahaha.
Always thought with more action and less talking would have been a huge hit - along the lines of the “megamovie” format that Spielberg and Lucas started around the same time. The limited budget also too visible with future headgear being the same as 1970’s sports helmets. I still have a 1975 Rollerball “promo pak” which includes posters for the different international games.
Speedball 2 is a cracking game based loosely on this.
The UHD Bluray is worth collecting.
The whole point, to me at least, was that Jonathan represented the power of a self-willed individual, a concept threatening to corporatist consumerism. As to there being no discernible threat to him - er, they keep altering the rules to attempt to have him publicly murdered without any blame attaching to them...
Personally I always enjoyed the extremely low key presentation of the plastic luxurious dystopian society with all their resistance and self determination sated by the drug of sports bloodlust.
i love this movie
We never really learned WHY Jonathan refused to quit. Was he mad because they took his wife so staying in was the ultimate middle finger or did he just enjoy the fame and life? Or was it him standing against the Corporation to free society? He never expressed why he wasn't obeying the order.
Jonathan E is a pawn in the system so he cannot express his opinions except through actions.
And why? "We had a choice a long time ago between having all those nice things - or freedom.... of course... they chose comfort". Still the same today.
Rollerball is a great sci-fi story about the individual vs the collective. It is way better than any of the movies you mention around the 5:00 mark. As Bartholomew states, the purpose of Rollerball is to show the sheep that individual effort is pointless; Johnathan thwarts that purpose, and so must be eliminated. The game is Bread and Circuses.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊great movie
I think the premise of the game being bigger than any individual within it was false. If Jonathan were to die in the final game, a new hero would have emerged. But Rollerball is not about heroism, it is about the lengths to which a person will go to maintain his or her individuality within an establishment system that denies individuality. It is a challenge to our own social values seen from a future extreme perspective. Perhaps this is the real reason why people are so uncomfortable with Rollerball; and in our present age of mass propaganda via the media, attempting to guide populations this way or that way, Rollerball is prescient. So I watch the film and ask, what are the lengths to which I am prepared to go to maintain my individuality? But also, what are the lengths to which I am prepared to go to protect the idea of individuality in others? The slow mo replay scenes with their amazing soundscape in the ranch puts those questions into perspective
Your individuality is not conforming, Will. Prepare for the Mind Probe.
@@joso7228 Well, I...er, guess, uh...I'm just not ready to quit
You don't question dystopian stories; if you really think about it, it's absurd that there are surveillance screens in 1984, that there are firemen that burn books in Fahrenheit 451, or that there are artificial wombs in Brave New World… you just accept those facts. Everyone tries to be so intellectual while criticizing Rollerball, but praise nonsense like Donnie Darko. Besides, from a viewer's eye, Rollerball has beautiful and memorable images, the action scenes are intense and credible, and the plot is original and unique. It wasn't understood at the time, but besides the dystopian ambience, it was a critique to contact sports, in a time when nobody knew that Mike Webster was gonna suffer and die for his injuries.
Rollerball need serious reviews in retrospective.
+1 for The Goodies clip
"And so it came to pass that the MCC were to inherit the earth and to retain the Ashes!"
Best film ever
I wanted to like this, as a scifi fan since forever. I think i came to it yoo late, decades after so many films had done a better job of showing similar worlds.
Boring, slow, and boring.
1 star.
One of the film's faults is its pacing. Even in 1975 it was criticized for this. My own attitude about it at the time was that it was a great story idea, but not very well written.
I've watched Rollerball a few times over my life. Like this video says, I've always felt it was missing something necessary; it survives on the concept of its death sport. Even then, I'd rather watch The Salute of the Jugger.
Speedball 2 was a fun game though.
Maud Adams would be terrific if they made a tv series based on the film "Babette's Feast"
The point of it all is pretty plain, if you pay attention. Rollerball was intended to show the futility of individual action, especially rebellion; but, Jonathan E keeps proving the reverse is true. It is cautionary tale of the rise of corporate power and a commentary about the savagery of professional sports (especially NFL football), as a modern equivalent of gladiatorial combat. It has to be seen in its context, with NFL games with vicious hits, the recent Munich Olympics (including the massacre of the Israeli athletes, by terrorists), urban crime and violence, Vietnam, Watergate, mass media and similar dysfunction.
I love this film for the Film it wants to be. I always felt there was something missing from the film; not enough world building, not enough of a look at the "mystery" (i.e. rollerball keeps the masses down and obsessed with sport which backfires when the top player wins through everything and goes on to overthrow the dystopia that bread him [mind you this is my headcannon. The actual film can't be bothered to mumble together an onscreen narrative preferring the "mystery box" approach without any satisfying reveals. Despite all the niggles I have with the film i can't help but love it. I sort of feel that at some point a remake will be done that does the concept proud. BTW "Speedball" as a video game is awesome and meligning it really is a disservice to video game history as back in the day it was a PC game success story.
I think the point is that the characters are immersed in that world so cannot have a perspective other than Corporate domination. Jonathan E brings change through actions not explanations.
Would definitely choose Princess Ardala over Andrea Anders, but not sure if I'd do the same over Octopussy.
And your boss should thank you for making space for some succulents.
Lord, does Graeme Garden still rule. And now for a walk in the Black Forest.
And the world needs Rollerball now, like never before. With the value of human life at an all-time low, why not? You people tolerate worldwide State sanctioned murder, why not make it a scheduled entertainment, with teams, play-offs, and a world Championship game? It would break all records, absolutely.
I get why SF is lukewarm on this movie. I think this movie culturally hit harder for Americans than for Brits.
You joking, right?! We Brits invented Anti-Corporate protests. We toppled Thatcher and we still going strong with Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.
I disagree completely. After the wars, society has been molded by the corporations so that people have enough, but don't know what freedom they're missing in return. The game is designed as an outlet for people's violent feelings & the corporations can't afford to have one man become bigger than the game, as stated in the movie, so they want him out. At first by persuasion & then by threats, then by threatening his team-mates by suspending the game rules if he doesn't go.His quest to find out why is half-hearted, but that's because so much has been lost and so much has become generic, that finding out the info that he wants is simply not now possible. He's not a rebel leader, which is what the corporations are afraid of him becoming. He's just a guy who loves his job and can't understand why he has to stop, so he refuses to, which to the corporations is probably as much rebellion as they get nowadays and they can't stand it. In the end, they're willing to sacrifice two entire teams just to get Jonathan killed and taken out of the game, but he wins through to the end. Who knows where he goes from here, but he's won his game, skates round the track to the call of of the crowd calling HIS name, then the fantastic crash of the end music and the movie is done. It's absolutely fantastic.
The corporate leaders were afraid that Jonathan was weakening the purpose of the game... so they altered the rules and destroyed the game to try to regain control. We see during the "half-hearted investigation" that Jonathan isn't a great thinker or rebellion leader. He wouldn't have caused any deliberate problems if they just let him keep playing the game. The corporations wound up creating the threat that they were afraid might happen.
My favorite part is early in the last game, where Jonathan was about to die. He is stunned, almost unconscious, and has to be helped by his (random and unnamed) teammates. As good as Jonathan is, he wasn't some superhuman who would win against all odds by himself. (He was just a bit better than the other players.) The support and loyalty he showed for his team earlier in the movie is what saved him. Ironic, given that the corporations were afraid of his image as the excelling individual.
I wasn't a real fan of Rollerball, it was at best ok to fill in a dull night on telly. From that era I'd say Deathrace 2000 was probably a bit better done and if you wanted peak gladiatorial future apocalypse sportsball action- Salute of the Jugger
Rollerball is much better that Deathrace 2000... In Rollerball there is much more substance, a better film with a better idea.
@@ozymandiasultor9480 I sort of appreciate they tried to give the movie a little gravity with the sub-plot also happening. But the pacing was just a bit fucky-wucky so you get some rollerball, then some bumbling around spread out gang and look for clues, some rollerball, more stuffing around and then rollerball. I liked the overall structure of DR2000 in that it took a bit of setting up with the premise and the sub-plot, but they managed to combine deathracing with the people who have the political bent out-deathracing the deathracers to make their point.
Just worked a little better for me in terms of engagement
@@mikavirtanen7029 For sure, there was the VHS release were I saw it and DVD in about 2000-01 period and there may have been Blu-ray at some point but if there was it probably wasn't very big. I think it would hold up ok for a late 80's movie in terms of people liking it, there was at least 3-4 fairly decent actors and good support cast and action
1:13 I find your lack of faith, disturbing.
“This R2 unit's a little beat up. Do you want a new one?” standing next to him.
To think I know one of the uncredited guys whose skating legs substituted for Caan’s during closeups.
If all the oil used to manufacture polyester in just the *films* made in the 1970s had been refined into gasoline instead, there'd've been no energy crisis.
Oh the 70's version of the future, when all the colors were beige and neutral sand, glass rooms and equipment were all the rage, and men and women were both so hairy it was hard to tell which was which... never change lol
I think it's that the corporations hate that Jonathan is a hero to the people. They want the game to be a way to show the audience that struggling against the powers that be is useless. No one is supposed to last in the game, it was not to produce heroes. So Jonathan surviving at the end is an act of defiance. Even if he's the star of a violent, nihilist game.
Hulk hogan and Anderson Silva understand this main character
You can always rely on the stupid to never see beyond the violence of this film and totally miss the point.
I think it was in the audio commentary that the director said that there were actual people in America who wanted to set up their own league and make the game a reality.
❤❤❤