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. It's a sequel to Death Race 2000, which was out in 1975. As Roger Corman's Death Race 2050 Roger Corman put it, "This is a car-racing picture with a little dark humor."What's the story behind Death Race 2050?
2050. The Death Race offers entertainment and population control in the United Corporations of America, which is overpopulated and has a 99.993% unemployment rate. Current Death Race champion Frankenstein spans Old New York to New Los Angeles. Jed Perfectus, Minerva Jefferson, Tammy the Terrorist, and ABE struggle against Frankenstein. Each driver has a virtual reality proxy who broadcasts the event. Frankenstein refuses Annie Sullivan's efforts to interview him and her instructions to let his opponents pass him.
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 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 the third day of the race, the government establishes "authorized" routes for drivers to escape Resistance assaults. Annie assists Frankenstein in shifting gears since his right arm was injured during his battle with Perfectus. Minerva pursues Tammy, but jumps over a cliff in an effort to prevent Tammy's suicide proxy. Tammy gloats over Minerva's death until an ABE returns, smashes her into a wall, and self-destructs, killing them both. Frankenstein and Annie eliminate Hamilton and her rebels, while Perfectus finds a covert road to victory. Both automobiles jostle for position until Perfectus loses control of his vehicle and smashes into the virtual reality control booth. Before reaching the finish line, Frankenstein informs his admirers that the Chairman is worth a thousand points. Frankenstein invites the audience to abandon their virtual world and begin their own Death Race after murdering the Chairman, much to their joy. Frankenstein and Annie observe from a distance as the nation descends into violent anarchy, arguing that they should repopulate the nation after the violence subsides.
The teaser trailer for Death Race 2050 may be seen here.
Who are some of the actors who starred in Death Race 2050?
- Manu Bennett as "Frankenstein," the seasoned cybernetic champion of the Death Race.
- Donald Trump spoof starring Malcolm McDowell as The Chairman of the United Corporations of America, replete with a "slight comb-over in his hair."
- Marci Miller plays Annie Sullivan, Frankenstein's substitute.
- As Jed Perfectus, a genetically created athlete, Burt Grinstead plays the role of a self-confessed perfectionist.
- Minerva Jefferson, a former hip-hop musician turned racing car driver, is portrayed here by Folake Olowofoyeku.
- Tammy "The Terrorist," a religious cult leader, is played by Anessa Ramsey.
- As Alexis Hamilton, a former network producer who now heads a resistance organization, Yancy Butler steps into the spotlight.
- Charlie Farrell portrays J.B., the male Death Race announcer, in this film.
- Shanna Olson portrays Grace Tickle, a female Death Race pundit and interviewer.
- Leslie Shaw as Perfectus' surrogate, Eve Rocket.
- D.C. Douglas does the voice of ABE, a self-driving race car with a bad AI that controls it.
- This is Pierre Paolo Goya Kobashigawa in the role of Minerva's stand-in, Chi Wapp.
- Sebastian Llosa stars as Steve, a civilian who observes the Death Race in virtual reality via Annie's eyes.
- Dr. Creamer, ABE's programmer, is played by Helen Loris.
Production of Death Race 2050.
When Corman was being interviewed by an Italian journalist, who said that The Hunger Games was comparable to Death Race 2000, he got the idea for a sequel. Corman approached Universal Pictures, the studio behind the current remake (which he believed omitted too much of the original's political criticism), about bringing back the film's dark satire. "You did a terrific job," Corman said, "but you left out the pedestrian killings and the broken-society themes."
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."
Did everyone like seeing Death Race 2050?
"There are a lot of Death Races in a movie about the Death Race ending. A decade after the Death Race trilogy with Jason Statham, Roger Corman returns with Death Race 2050. Despite being excellent films in their own right, they have nothing to do with the original Death Race 2000. So Corman re-routes this fiery catastrophe with a three-day race across a dystopian America, where pedestrian deaths get points for outrageous personalities! But with a 50 at the end." - Youtube reviewer Decker Shado
In the United States, the film was released on DVD and a DVD/Blu-ray combination with three making-of documentaries: The Making of 2050, The Look of 2050, and Cars! Cars, cars, everywhere! The British release date was March 20, 2017.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has an approval rating of 88% as of the month of June 2020, based on eight reviews with an average rating of 6.8 out of 10.
Loud, strident, spastic, cruel, stylish, slipshod, foolish, and brilliant in equal quantities, Chris Alexander wrote for ComingSoon.net. "All extremely awkward, rickety, and kitschy," Scott Weinberg said in his Nerdist review, "but that's only part of the production's'shaggy dog' appeal." "It's has enough blood, guts, naive political commentary, scenery chewing, and bad special effects to become a cult classic," Sebastian Zavala, writing for Screen Anarchy, said.