Filmed in 2017, Death Race 2050 stars Manu Bennett as a futuristic racer, Marci Miller as a female racer, and Malcolm McDowell as a political satirist and action hero. Following on from 1975's Death Race 2000, this one is a prequel to the franchise. "A car-racing picture with some grim comedy" was Roger Corman's description of the film.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, which stretches from Old New York to New Los Angeles, includes defending champion Frankenstein. Jed Perfectus, a genetically created athlete, Minerva Jefferson, Tammy the Terrorist, a female cultist, and the villainous, black, artificially intelligent, self-driving automobile ABE struggle against Frankenstein. 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.
Day two of the marathon passes through the gun-toting heartland. Tammy's suicide bomber kills Minerva's proxy, Chi Wapp. Frankenstein's automobile gets stranded in a cornfield after taking a shortcut. Frankenstein defends against Resistance ninjas while Annie walks off. Annie tells Frankenstein she's a rebel at the second checkpoint. Frankenstein condemns both the rebels and the government, saying he simply wants to win. Minerva tells Annie at a pub that she's an academic who plays a hip-hop stereotype to live. Annie protects Frankenstein from Perfectus, who's envious of his notoriety and sex appeal. Meanwhile, Hamilton and the Chairman are collaborating.
The government prepares "authorized" routes for the drivers on the third day of the race to prevent Resistance assaults. Due to his right arm being wounded in his battle with Perfectus, Annie assists Frankenstein in shifting gears. Minerva pursues Tammy but jumps over a cliff in order to escape Tammy's suicidal proxy. Tammy gloats over Minerva's murder before an ABE drives her into the wall and self-destructs, killing them both. Perfectus takes a backroad to the finish line, while Frankenstein and Annie annihilate Hamilton and her rebels. Perfectus loses control of his vehicle and smashes into the virtual reality control booth, causing both cars to jostle for position. Frankenstein sends out a message to his admirers just before crossing the finish line, implying that the Chairman is worth 1,000 points. Following the Chairman's death, Frankenstein invites the audience to abandon their virtual world and participate in their own Death Race. Frankenstein and Annie stand in the distance as the nation devolves into turmoil, arguing that they should repopulate the land after the mayhem has subsided.
Movie trailer for the upcoming film Death Race 2050
Where did the film take place?
- Death Race champion "Frankenstein" is played by Manu Bennett.
- Malcolm McDowell plays The Chairman of the United Corporations of America, a parody of Donald Trump who has a "slight comb-over in his hair."
- Marci Miller as Annie Sullivan, Frankenstein's surrogate.
- Burt Grinstead portrays Jed Perfectus, a genetically created athlete who aspires to be a racing driver like no other.
- Folake Olowofoyeku plays the hip-hop artist turned racer Minerva Jefferson.
- Tammy "The Terrorist" a religious cult leader, is played by Anessa Ramsey.
- Yancy Butler portrays Alexis Hamilton, a former network producer who now serves as the leader of a rebel organization.
- J.B., a male Death Race commentator, is played by Charlie Farrell.
- Grace Tickle, the female analyst and interviewer on the Death Race, is played by Shanna Olson.
- Leslie Shaw portrays Eve Rocket, Perfectus' surrogate, in the role.
- D.C. Douglas voices ABE, a self-driving racing automobile controlled by AI.
- Chi Wapp, Minerva's proxy, played by Pierre Paolo Goya Kobashigawa
- As Steve, a bystander who sees the Death Race in VR via Annie's perspective, Sebastian Llosa portrays the role.
- Dr. Creamer, ABE's programmer, is played by Helen Loris.
Death Race 2050's production.
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."
Filming started when Corman was 80 years old, just before the 2016 presidential election. That businessman is currently the chairman of the United Corporations of America. "The president does have a hair style which may be approaching Trump's hair style, but I don't want to go too deep into that, since Trump will come and go and the film will stay."
Was Death Race 2050 an enjoyable experience?
"Even though the Death Race movie series is drawing to a close, there are a surprising number of Death Races in the franchise. Roger Corman returns to the Death Race franchise with Death Race 2050, the follow-up to the Jason Statham-starring Death Race trilogy from the late 2000s and early 2010s. In spite of being excellent films in (Roger Corman's Death Race 2050) their own right, they had very little in common with the original Death Race 2000 from the 1970s. A three-day race through dystopian America, where pedestrian deaths are awarded points for their over-the-top personalities, is how Corman gets this burning disaster back on track! A 50 at the end of the title this time around." - YouTuber Decker Shado
The movie was made available in the United States on DVD and as part of a combination pack that included both DVD and Blu-ray. The package also included three making-of documentaries: The Making of 2050, The Look of 2050, and Cars! Automobiles, automobiles everywhere! On March 20, 2017, it was made available for purchase in the United Kingdom.
The film has an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of June 2020, based on eight reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10.
On ComingSoon, Chris Alexander described the picture as "loud, strident," "spastic," "mad," "stylish" and at times both "dumb and brilliant" in equal measure. Scott Weinberg, writing for Nerdist, described the movie as "all extremely awkward and rickety and kitschy, but that's just part of the'shaggy dog' appeal of the production." In addition, Screen Anarchy's Sebastian said that "it's got enough blood, guts, simple political commentary, scenery chewing and bad special effects for it to become a cult classic."