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's the story behind Death Race 2050?
It is the year 2050. In the United Corporations of America, which suffers from overpopulation and a 99.993 percent unemployment rate, the Death Race serves as both entertainment and population control. The current Death Race spans from Old New York to New Los Angeles, and its champion is Frankenstein. In competition with Frankenstein are the genetically engineered athlete Jed Perfectus, the hip-hop star Minerva Jefferson, the female cultist Tammy the Terrorist, and the wicked, black, artificially intelligent, self-driving automobile ABE. Each driver is given a proxy, a broadcaster who provides the viewers with a virtual reality experience of the race. Frankenstein is instantly repelled by his proxy, Annie Sullivan, and he disregards her efforts to interview him as well as her proposals to let his opponents pass him.
The rebels, headed by ex-network producer Alexis Hamilton, lay traps all over the East Coast as the cars race through the region. As a result of stealing each other's cult members for execution, Tammy and Minerva become bitter enemies. When ABE runs into a rebel trap, it malfunctions, kills its proxies, and leaves the race to find its life's purpose. Frankenstein is ordered to be killed at the first checkpoint by Hamilton as she is discovered as her spy, Annie. As she tries to woo him, she fails since he just worries about winning the race. 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 two of the race, the competitors will make their way through the country's heartland, an area that is well-known for the high prevalence of gun ownership among its residents. A suicide bomber sent by Tammy is successful in taking the life of Chi Wapp, who was acting as Minerva's proxy. When Frankenstein tries to save time on another tip, he takes a shortcut, but this causes his automobile to get stuck in a cornfield. As Annie goes out on her own, Frankenstein defends himself against a team of Resistance ninjas in order to rack up more points. As soon as they reach the second checkpoint, Annie confesses that she is a member of the resistance and makes an effort to enlist Frankenstein. Frankenstein, who is uninterested in politics, expresses his disdain for both the opposition and the government while maintaining that his only objective is to come out on top. Minerva admits to Annie when they are both drinking at a pub that she is a highly educated academic who, in order to maintain her lifestyle, has adopted the persona of a stereotypical hip-hop character. When Annie returns to Frankenstein's chamber, Perfectus, who is envious of Frankenstein's notoriety and sex appeal, is about to kill Frankenstein, but Annie manages to spare his life. In the meanwhile, it has been found that Hamilton and the Chairman have been conspiring together behind the scenes.
The government prepares "authorized" routes for the drivers to avoid Resistance assaults on Day three of the race. Because Frankenstein's right arm was crippled in his struggle with Perfectus, Annie assists him in shifting gears. Minerva pursues Tammy but jumps over a cliff in order to escape Tammy's suicidal proxy. Tammy gloats over Minerva's death before a resurrected ABE slams her into the wall and self-destructs, annihilating them both. Frankenstein and Annie eliminate Hamilton and her rebels, while Perfectus takes an alternate path to the finish line. Perfectus loses control of his vehicle and smashes into the virtual reality control booth as both cars battle for place. Frankenstein sends a message to his admirers before crossing the finish line, implying that the Chairman himself is worth 1,000 points. After murdering the Chairman, much to the joy of the audience, Frankenstein invites them to abandon their virtual world and go on their own Death Race. As the nation descends into violent turmoil, Frankenstein and Annie observe from afar, recommending that they repopulate the country after the upheaval has subsided.
A trailer for Death Race 2050 has been published.
That are some of the actors who starred in Death Race 2050?
- As "Frankenstein," a cybernetic veteran Death Race champion, Manu Bennett portrays himself in this film.
- Donald Trump parody: Malcolm McDowell as The Chairman Of The United Corporations Of America; with a "slight comb-over in his hair".
- Marci Miller plays Frankenstein's proxies Annie Sullivan and Mary Shelley.
- Burt Grinstead stars as the title character, Jed Perfectus, a genetically modified athlete who considers himself to be the ideal driver.
- Hip-hop musician turned racing driver Folake Olowofoyeku stars as Minerva Jefferson.
- Tammy "The Terrorist," a religious cult leader, is played by Anessa Ramsey.
- Yancy Butler as rebel leader Alexis Hamilton.
- Charlie Farrell as J.B., the male announcer for the Death Race.
- Shanna Olson plays the role of Grace Tickle, a female pundit and interviewer for the Death Race.
- Eve Rocket is played by Leslie Shaw.
- D.C. Douglas (voice) plays ABE, a self-driving racing automobile controlled by AI.
- Goya Kobashigawa as Minerva's stooge, Chi Wapp.
- Sebastian Llosa portrays Steve, a bystander who observes the Death Race in VR from Annie's point of view.
- Helen Loris plays ABE's programmer, Dr. Creamer.
In what way was Death Race 2050 created?
Corman was being interviewed by an Italian journalist at the time, and during the course of the conversation, the interviewer made the statement that The Hunger Games was very similar to Death Race 2000. This sparked the idea for Corman to create a sequel to the first picture. Corman approached Universal Pictures, who had created the contemporary remake (which Corman believed had discarded too much of the political commentary of the original), and explored the possibility of putting back the dark satire that was there in the original. Corman congratulated them on a job well done but pointed out that the death of pedestrians and ideas of a dysfunctional society had been removed.
When filming started, Corman was in his late 80s and the 2016 presidential election was going on. It's about a businessman who is now the Chairman of the United Corporations of America. Corman told an interviewer, "The president does have a hairstyle that could be similar to Trump's, but I don't want to focus too much on that because Trump will come and go and the film will stay."
Death Race 2050 popular?
"There are a number of Death Races in a movie series about the Death Race coming to an end. After the late 2000s and early 2010s Death Race trilogy starring Jason Statham, Roger Corman returns with Death Death Race 2050 Race 2050. While both films were enjoyable in their own right, they bore little resemblance to the original 1970s B-movie Death Race 2000. So Corman guides this out-of-control burning disaster back on course, with a three-day race covering a dystopian America, where pedestrian fatalities score up points for out-of-control characters! But with a 50 at the end of the title this time." - Decker Shado
The movie was made available in the United States on DVD and as part of a combination DVD/Blu-ray release that included included three behind-the-scenes documentaries: The Making of 2050, The Look of 2050, and Cars! Oh my my, the cars! On March 20, 2017, it was made available to the public in the United Kingdom.
The film has an 88 percent approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com as of June 2020, based on eight reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10.
Chris Alexander wrote on ComingSoon.net that the movie was "loud, shrill, jerky, sadistic, stylish, sloppy, dumb, and smart all at the same time." In a review for Nerdist, Scott Weinberg said, "It's all very clunky, ramshackle, and kitschy, but that's part of the'shaggy dog' charm of the production." And Sebastian, writing for Screen Anarchy, said, "It has enough blood, guts, simple political commentary, scenery-chewing, and bad special effects to become a cult classic."