Rollerball is a 2002
remakeA remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1975
science fiction filmScience fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that aren't necessarily accepted by mainstream science. such as extra-terrestrial life forms, alien worlds, and time travel, often along with technological elements such as futuristic...
of the same nameRollerball is a 1975 dystopian fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine.-The game:...
. This updated 'remake' of the film was directed by
John McTiernanJohn Campbell McTiernan, Jr. is an American filmmaker, best known for his action films and most identifiable with the three films he directed back-to-back: Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October alongside cult favorite Die Hard With A Vengeance, and Last Action Hero...
and has a much greater concentration on action and more muted social and political overtones. Unlike the first film, it takes place in the present rather than a seemingly dystopian future.
Plot
It's the year 2005; the new sport of Rollerball is hugely popular in the ex-Soviet republics of
Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
,
ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
,
MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
, and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
. Marcus Ridley (
LL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J, is an American rapper and actor. LL Cool J stands for "Ladies Love Cool James." He is known for romantic ballads such as "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover" as well as pioneering hip-hop such as "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm...
) invites NHL-hopeful Jonathan Cross (
Chris KleinFrederick Christopher "Chris" Klein is an American movie actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in American Pie.-Early life:...
) to join him playing for the Zhambel Horsemen, in
KazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country situated in Eurasia that is ranked as the ninth largest country in the world. It is also the world's largest landlocked country. Its territory of 2,727,300 km² is greater than Western Europe...
. The highly paid Marcus and Jonathan are teamed with low-paid locals, who are routinely severely injured in the game, which is an extraordinarily violent extension of roller derby involving motorcycles, a metal ball, and many trappings of the World Wrestling Federation. Soon the team's star and the darling of promoter Alexi Petrovich (
Jean RenoJean Reno is an actor. Working in both French and English, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible and Ronin, but also European productions such as Léon and the 2005 Italian film The Tiger and...
), Jonathan, is thrilled by the high-octane sport, the hype, the sports cars, and female team mate Aurora (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). But gradually Jonathan discovers that the cynical Alexi and his opportunistic rat Sanjay (
Naveen AndrewsNaveen William Sidney Andrews is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated English actor. He is best known for playing Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
) will go to any lengths to manipulate the game in order to provide an ever more gory spectacle and improve the game's television ratings.
Cast
- Chris Klein
Frederick Christopher "Chris" Klein is an American movie actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Chris "Oz" Ostreicher in American Pie.-Early life:...
as Jonathan Cross
- Jean Reno
Jean Reno is an actor. Working in both French and English, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible and Ronin, but also European productions such as Léon and the 2005 Italian film The Tiger and...
as Alexi Petrovich
- LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J, is an American rapper and actor. LL Cool J stands for "Ladies Love Cool James." He is known for romantic ballads such as "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover" as well as pioneering hip-hop such as "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm...
as Marcus Ridley
- Rebecca Romijn
Rebecca Alie Romijn is an American actress and former model . She is best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men films, and for her role as Alexis Meade on the hit show Ugly Betty.-Early life:Romijn was born in Berkeley,...
as Aurora
- Mike Dopud
Mike Dopud is a Canadian-born film actor, television actor, voice actor, stuntman, stage actor and athlete. He is best known for playing Detective Smits in White Noise the 2005 action-horror film, Agent Turner in Alone In The Dark a 2005 action-horror film, playing Vic Hadfield in the Canadian...
as Michael 'The Assassin'
- Naveen Andrews
Naveen William Sidney Andrews is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated English actor. He is best known for playing Sayid Jarrah on the American television series Lost.-Early life:...
as Sanjay
- Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov is a Russian mixed martial artist and actor. He is a practitioner of Sambo, Krav Maga and Judo and has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championship. Taktarov was the UFC 6 tournament champion and holds notable wins over Marco Ruas and...
as Oleg Denekin
- Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best-known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, and commentator. He is also an occasional actor in film....
as Sports Announcer
- Alecia Moore as Rock Singer (cameo)
The film features cameo appearances by
SlipknotSlipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995. Slipknot consists of nine members, the current band members are Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, Jim Root, Craig Jones, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thomson, and Corey Taylor...
,
Shane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive and part-time professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , appearing primarily on the Raw brand. He is the son of the current WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon and brother of Stephanie McMahon, making him...
, and Pink.
Soundtrack
The score was released, but the soundtrack was not.
- "Boom
"Boom" is the third single off P.O.D.'s second major label studio album Satellite. While it did not chart as well as the album's previous singles, the song has appeared significantly in film and television...
" – P.O.D.P.O.D. is an American rock band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. They have released seven studio albums and have sold over ten million records worldwide...
- "Told You So" – Drowning Pool
Drowning Pool is a four-piece hard rock/heavy metal band that was formed in 1996 in Dallas, Texas, United States. They are currently signed to Eleven Seven Music and have released three albums, their most recent being Full Circle, which was released on August 7, 2007. Each of their three albums has...
- "Ride
Ride may refer to:* Riding* An amusement ride* Ride, a 1998 comedy by Millicent Shelton* Ride, a 2002 novel by David Walton* Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere, or RIDE, a system used by police in Canada for DUI spotchecks* R.I.D.E...
" – Beautiful CreaturesBeautiful Creatures are a hard rock band formed in 2000, and are led by veteran of the Sunset Strip Joe Leste, who had spent most of the 1980s with Glam Metal band Bang Tango. For Beautiful Creatures, he abandoned his Sunset Strip roots for the trendy and more commercially viable post-grunge rock...
- "Millionaire" – Rappagariya
- "I Am Hated" – Slipknot
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995. Slipknot consists of nine members, the current band members are Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, Jim Root, Craig Jones, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thomson, and Corey Taylor...
- "Body Go" – Hardknox
Hardknox is a big beat duo from the United Kingdom, consisting of Steve Proctor and Lindy Layton. They have released two singles and a self titled album Hardknox ....
- "Feel So Numb
"Feel So Numb" is a promotional single off Rob Zombie's second album The Sinister Urge. The song can also be found on Rob Zombie's Past, Present & Future and the greatest hits album The Best of Rob Zombie....
" – Rob ZombieRobert Bartleh Cummings , better known by his stage name, Rob Zombie, is a Grammy-nominated American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the metal band White Zombie....
- "Keep Away
"Keep Away" is the second single from hard rock band Godsmack. It was released on the band's first studio album Godsmack. It is also among one of the band's most popular songs to fans. "Keep Away" was inducted into the Top 100 Greatest Rock songs labeled under "Guitar Legends".-Chart...
" – GodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band comprises founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
- "Insane in the Brain
"Insane in the Brain" is a hit single by the American hip hop group Cypress Hill. It was released in 1993 and in addition to hitting number 1 on the US rap chart, the song also was a surprise crossover hit, reaching number 19 in the Hot 100 chart....
" - Sen DogSen Dog is a Cuban rapper, and member of rap group Cypress Hill. He is the older brother of fellow rapper Mellow Man Ace.Sen Dog has been developing his own solo career in addition to his work with Cypress Hill...
- "Flashpoint
Demanufacture is the second studio album by the Los Angeles industrial metal band Fear Factory....
" - Fear FactoryFear Factory is an American metal band. The band formed in 1989 and have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
- "When I Come Around
"When I Come Around" is a single from Green Day's third album, Dookie from 1994. It was the final single from the album. "When I Come Around" was Green Day's most popular radio single in their early career, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. This was their highest charting radio...
" - Green DayGreen Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong , Mike Dirnt , and Tré Cool for the majority of its existence....
- "Crawling in the Dark
"Crawling in the Dark" is a song by Hoobastank, released as the first single from their major-label debut, Hoobastank.The song was released as a single on April 2, 2002. It reached #3 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.This song was also featured in a...
" - HoobastankHoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen...
- "Time To Play" - Pillar
Pillar is a Grammy-nominated Christian rock band currently located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.- Formation and independent albums :Pillar started in Hays, Kansas in 1998, when Fort Hays State University roommates Brad Noone and Rob Beckley got together with friends Travis Jenkins, Dustin Adams, and Michael...
- "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy)
"Never Gonna Stop " is a promotional single taken from Rob Zombie's second album The Sinister Urge. The song can also be found on Zombie's Past, Present & Future and The Best of Rob Zombie. It was nominated the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for the 2002 Grammy Awards Ceremony.The song is based...
" - Rob ZombieRobert Bartleh Cummings , better known by his stage name, Rob Zombie, is a Grammy-nominated American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the metal band White Zombie....
Reception
The film was almost universally panned, with review collation website
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
scoring it at 3%.
Time OutTime Out is a publishing company based in London, England. The company's best known product is the Time Out weekly listings magazine.The Time Out Group Limited conducts most of its business from London, New York and Paris.-Publications:...
's Trevor Johnson described it as "a checklist shaped by a 15-year-old mallrat: thrashing metal track, skateboards, motorbikes, cracked heads and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos with her top off", while
Chicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group, which filed for bankruptcy protection on March 31, 2009.-History:...
reviewer
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
called it "an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense".
External links