I wasn't expecting much. In fact the poorest of poor reviews that this film received had made me curious enough to watch this it (for free on cable I might add). Firstly I should say that I am not a huge fan of the original movie, it is a reasonable action film, so my dislike does not stem from a loyalty to the first incarnation of this story. My dislike for the 2002 Rollerball comes from a feeling of being patronized by everyone involved in the making of this movie. How did the producers ever think that this was acceptable on any level?
The acting is second rate but what is to be expected from one of the worst casts ever assembled? Klein is worthless unless he is making a joke of his own persona (Election), LLcoolJ is one of a string of rappers that should never be given a 'tough guy' role simply because of his real profession and Reno, the one talented actor among them, seems to slip into pantomime dame territory. I will give Paul Heyman praise for his character as the English announcer, he seems to come across as a decent and fairly charasmatic actor but he does little that he doesn't do brilliantly in his day job.
The attempted satire relating to the commercialisation of sport and its reliance on violence is pathetically toothless. The direction is simply a mess. The attempt to make this non-sensical sport look breathtaking through rapid editing and instant replay is awful. It does nothing but make you realize that restrained directing and editing are a wonderful thing.
Rollerball represents everything that is wrong with mainstream Hollywood movies. It shows a lack the of originality, does this version add anything to the original version?, that has dogged film for years. I cannot believe that there are so few new ideas that we have to see cult action movies, cult British crime movies and television shows remade over and over again. This movie should be avoided at all costs.
The acting is second rate but what is to be expected from one of the worst casts ever assembled? Klein is worthless unless he is making a joke of his own persona (Election), LLcoolJ is one of a string of rappers that should never be given a 'tough guy' role simply because of his real profession and Reno, the one talented actor among them, seems to slip into pantomime dame territory. I will give Paul Heyman praise for his character as the English announcer, he seems to come across as a decent and fairly charasmatic actor but he does little that he doesn't do brilliantly in his day job.
The attempted satire relating to the commercialisation of sport and its reliance on violence is pathetically toothless. The direction is simply a mess. The attempt to make this non-sensical sport look breathtaking through rapid editing and instant replay is awful. It does nothing but make you realize that restrained directing and editing are a wonderful thing.
Rollerball represents everything that is wrong with mainstream Hollywood movies. It shows a lack the of originality, does this version add anything to the original version?, that has dogged film for years. I cannot believe that there are so few new ideas that we have to see cult action movies, cult British crime movies and television shows remade over and over again. This movie should be avoided at all costs.