{"id":437,"date":"2008-09-04T12:41:19","date_gmt":"2008-09-04T11:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2008\/09\/04\/death-race\/"},"modified":"2008-09-04T12:41:19","modified_gmt":"2008-09-04T11:41:19","slug":"death-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2008\/09\/04\/death-race\/","title":{"rendered":"DEATH RACE"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"Death<\/a><\/p>\n

\nFormat:<\/B>Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 26 September 2008

\nVenues:<\/B> Nationwide

\nDistributor<\/B> Universal

\nDirector:<\/B> Paul WS Anderson

\nWriters:<\/B> Paul WS Anderson, Robert Thom, Charles B Griffith, Ib Melchior

\nCast:<\/B> Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane

\nUSA 2008

\n89 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Inspired by the Roger Corman-produced Death Race 2000<\/I> (1975), the new version of Death Race<\/I>, also produced by Roger Corman, is directed by Paul WS Anderson, a filmmaker whose career has consisted mostly of remakes of projects with pre-existing cult followings (including computer game adaptations such as Resident Evil, and a thematic sequel to Blade Runner<\/I> called Soldier<\/I>), which have more often than not disappointed the fans. Stripping away everything from the original Death Race 2000<\/I> apart from the character names and basic plot, Anderson’s Death Race<\/I> is a slick, polished B-movie that technically is a better film than the original, but lacks the shock value, innovation and critical edge of its predecessor. <\/p>\n

\nIn fact, Death Race<\/I> seems to be much more influenced by computer games than by the movie it takes its title from – which should perhaps not be surprising, considering Anderson’s career so far. The action has been relocated to a prison, with inmates racing around an enclosed track that includes the kind of ‘power-ups’ – shields, weapons, death traps, all activated by driving over illuminated circles – that have until now been seen only in games. As the original Death Race<\/I> had a big influence on computer games such as Carmageddon and Grand Theft Auto, it seems that things have come full circle. <\/p>\n

\nWith its reference to the Corman\/Bartel original, its video game stylings and its mixing of genres – sci-fi, horror, action – Death Race<\/I> clearly nods towards cult cinema, yet when the word ‘cult’ is mentioned, Anderson rejects the idea, claiming that ‘when a movie makes close to $200 million worldwide, it’s beyond a cult level’. Unlike the original film, the new version benefited from a massive budget and its attendant publicity machine. However, while Anderson is so keen to distance his film from cult cinema, it is precisely the limited means of many B-movies that allowed filmmakers to take risks and be innovative. Predictably, if depressingly, Anderson’s big budget means he just plays it safe.\n<\/p>\n

Alex Fitch<\/I><\/B><\/p>\n

Read the rest of the feature in our autumn print issue<\/A>. The theme is cruel games, from sadistic power play in Korean thriller A Bloody Aria<\/I> to fascist games in German hit The Wave<\/I> and Stanley Kubrick’s career-long fascination with game-playing. Plus: interview with comic book master Charles Burns about the stunning animated film Fear(s) of the Dark<\/I> and preview of the Raindance Festival. And don’t miss our fantastic London Film Festival comic strip, which surely is worth the price of the issue alone! <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stripping away everything from the original Death Race 2000<\/I> apart from the character names and basic plot, Anderson’s Death Race<\/I> is a slick, polished B-movie that technically is a better film than the original, but lacks the shock value, innovation and critical edge of its predecessor.
\nReview by Alex Fitch<\/I><\/B><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cinema-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-73","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2007\/05\/03\/the-masque-of-the-red-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":0},"title":"THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The heavy stylisation is perfectly matched by Vincent Price's wonderfully hammy performance - spouting lines like, 'the knowledge of terror is vouchsafed only to the precious few' as only he can. Review by Paul Huckerby","rel":"","context":"In "Home entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Home entertainment","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvds-and-blu-rays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2354,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2012\/06\/26\/cormans-world-exploits-of-a-hollywood-rebel\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":1},"title":"Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"June 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Some years ago, I was invited to write a piece on a cinematic cult hero. I chose Roger Corman without hesitation. Review by James B. Evans","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/review_Corman_s_World-594x444.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/review_Corman_s_World-594x444.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/review_Corman_s_World-594x444.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4996,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/09\/27\/electric-boogaloo-the-wild-untold-story-of-cannon-films\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":2},"title":"Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"September 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An energetic ride through the highs and lows of the infamous 1980s B-movie studio. Review by Ed Gibbs","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Electric Boogaloo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Electric-Boogaloo-594x299.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Electric-Boogaloo-594x299.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Electric-Boogaloo-594x299.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4397,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/04\/30\/the-saga-of-the-viking-women-and-their-voyage-to-the-waters-of-the-great-sea-serpent\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":3},"title":"The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"April 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Roger Corman's amazingly titled B-movie. Comic Strip Review by Dan Lester","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"viking women","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/viking-women-594x839.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/viking-women-594x839.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/viking-women-594x839.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2009\/07\/03\/bloody-mama\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":4},"title":"BLOODY MAMA","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"July 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Roger Corman's Bloody Mama is loosely based on the true story of Kate \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMa' Barker and her criminal offspring, whose exploits in the American Midwest from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s led to avid media coverage. Review by John Berra","rel":"","context":"In "Home entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Home entertainment","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvds-and-blu-rays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bloody Mama","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/review_bloodymama-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4350,"url":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/04\/14\/pit-stop\/","url_meta":{"origin":437,"position":5},"title":"Pit Stop","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"April 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Jack Hill\u2019s follow up to Spider Baby transcends its budget, featuring a fine, offbeat cast and an intelligent approach to its subject matter. Review by David Cairns","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pit Stop 1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pit-Stop-1-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pit-Stop-1-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pit-Stop-1-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}