Rollerball

Starring:Chris Klein, Ll Cool J
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

In the year 2018, violence and crime have been totally eliminated from society and given outlet in the brutal blood sport of rollerball, a high-velocity blend of football, hockey, and motor-cross racing sponsored by the multinational corporations that now control the world following the collapse of traditional politics. James Caan plays Jonathan E., the reigning superstar of rollerball, whose corporate controllers fear that Jonathan's popularity has endowed him with too much power. They begin to pressure him according to their own ruthless set of rules, but Jonathan has rules of his own--the rules of a man determined to retain his soul in a world gone mad. As directed by Norman Jewison (who was enjoying a peak of success during the early and mid-1970s), Rollerball creates a believable society that's been rendered passive and compliant by the homogenization of corporate dictatorships, where the control and flow of information is the only currency of any importance. It's a world in which natural human aggressions have been sublimated and vented through the religious fervor toward rollerball and its players. Rollerball now looks like one of those 1970s science fiction films (another example being Logan's Run) that seems a bit dated and quaint, but its ideas are still provocative and fascinating, and the production is visually impressive. The DVD includes full-screen and widescreen versions of the film, audio commentary by director Norman Jewison, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an interactive "rollergame," trivia, and production notes. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Corporate Control has created a ROLLERBALL WORLD.......2007-06-26

Corporations controlled the World in the movie Rollerball.
Sports and other entertainment media by design
occupied the total focus of the worlds population.
Distracting them from the excesses of a
Global World Order. Sound familiar?
When the movie premiered it looked ahead with
prescience to the future it postulated would
happen when? Just about now... the years 2007-2010.

MGM (Fox) Where is the SE already? It's been out in Japan for YEARS!.......2007-06-06

Japan has a nice anamorphic version with extras. Where is the R1 already????

Great Film.......2007-04-04

I love this film, Why?

1) Great cast: James Caan, M. Adams, J. Houseman, etc..

2) Great game concept. Perhaps a little too viloent for some.

3) Nice story telling

But, the DVD box says 2018. This is not correct. Nowhere in the movie is the year 2018 mentioned. Or any other year for that matter. If the director in his comments purposefully avoided placing a year on it. It's much better that way. Have you ever seen "Space 1999"

I wish the story would have wrapped up with some understanding of what happened next.

Cult SF classic from the 1970's.......2007-02-24

Rollerball is an interesting science fiction movie, made in 1975 and set presumably some 20-30 years into the future (1995 or 2005) when nation-states have dissolved and the world is run by a series of global multinational corporations. As a result the world has become a sort of 1984, but instead of a totalitarian state ruling the lives of everyone, the private corporation and its ethos rule all aspects of society, and no deviation is accepted.

Into this we are introduced to the violent game of Rollerball, a violent sport which is a combination between skating, ice hockey, and baseball. Teams from various cities around the world play off for each other in championships, with the winners receiving a number of perks and awards. The game often is so violent players are killed or crippled, and the main protagonist of the film loses several close friends through the course of the movie.

The main character, John E., is the captain of the American team, which is consistently the world champion at Rollerball. Yet just as the team seems to be at the peak of its success, John E. is called in by his CEO and told he must retire. John E., not accepting this, begins a slow and painful rebellion against the corporate society and all it stands for, but as time progresses it becomes increasingly clear (much as was the case for Winston in 1984) the rebellion is absurd and futile in the face of the overwhelming power and conformism of the corporate society.

In many ways this film is a dark satire of American and Western society in the 1970's, whose self confidence was deeply shaken by the oil crisis and the loss of the Vietnam War, and by the slow loss of US competitiveness and worldwide economic dominance in the face of a recovered Europe and Japan. The film seems to mock many of the optimistic SF movies of the 1950's and 60's, especially 2001 A Space Odyssey and others. The world is darkly dystopian and many of the themes, from the domination of corporations and the dumbing down of the populace, influence later SF films and books, especially those of the cyberpunk genre. While not all of the predictions of the film came to pass, it remains intruiging viewing both for its influence on later SF films made around a similar theme (such as Gattaca or Blade Runner) and for the questions it ponders at the role of economic and political power and who holds it in a world dominated by private corporate interests, mass consumerism, and high levels of science and technology.

Holds Up.......2007-02-14

In the same vein as Death Race 2000 and the Running Man. This movie is set in the near future, which actually is only about 10 years from now. Nations no longer exist, there are only giant corporations and an ultraviolent game called Rollerball. James Caan has been a star for 10 years, but now they want him to retire because he promotes individual achievement, and that is unacceptable in a world that promotes following orders and knowing your place underneath the executives. The future technology is like watching Logan's Run. What might have seemed liked future technology looks silly 30 and 40 years later because they didn't quite hit the mark with their guesses. They were eerily close with the idea of world wide mega corporations. This is an action film to the core with political and social overtures. Well done and certainly the one you should pick up rather than the dreadful remake.

Average customer rating:

ugh
One Of The Poorest Remakes Ever To Come Out Of Hollywood
What channel did you say you gave us in your territory?
Why? Oh Why? This is just an outrage.
Give me the original

Rollerball
Starring: Damir Andrei , Naveen Andrews , Peter Blake , Andrew Bryniarski , and George Christy
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Rollerball
Godsend
Femme Fatale
Gothika (Widescreen Edition)
S.W.A.T. (Widescreen Special Edition)

ASIN: B00003CXTD
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Amazon.com

Sure to appeal to enthusiasts of extreme sports, this revamped Rollerball (a remake of Norman Jewison's 1975 original) transplants the violent hybrid of hockey, polo, and barroom brawling to the fragmented states of the former Soviet Union. Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein) is Rollerball's reigning superstar, and he's out to stop the game's Russian inventor (Jean Reno) from promoting excess violence and death to boost the game's global TV ratings; Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (as Klein's intimate Rollerball ally) provides a few moments of teasing titillation along the way. The anticorporate substance of the original has been subverted by shallow style, chaotic action, a sorely miscast lead, and a superfluous plot, while choppy editing prevents any grasp of the game's rules or kinetic momentum (surprising, since John McTiernan directed the impeccably crafted Die Hard). Providing a strong argument against remakes, this lifeless movie qualifies as a disaster of Battlefield Earth proportions. --Jeff Shannon

Description

From the director of Die Hard comes this high-octane thriller that roars along at a breakneck pace (Los Angeles Times)! Starring Chris Klein (American Pie), Jean Reno (Ronin), LL Cool J (Charlie's Angels) and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (X-Men), Rollerball goes full-throttle with excitement from its death-defying opening until its explosive end! Jonathan Cross (Klein) is the newest recruit in the most extreme sport of all time where his fast moves and killer looks make him an instant superstar. But Cross life in the fast lane collides with reality when he learns that the league's owner (Reno) is orchestrating serious on-court accidents to boost ratings. Now Cross plans to take down the owner and his ruthless sport before the game puts an end to him!

Customer Reviews:

ugh.......2007-01-14

Read teh first 4 reviewers, they are totally on point. This is a stinker that they tried to salvage by putting Rebecca in pleather, it doesn't work.

One Of The Poorest Remakes Ever To Come Out Of Hollywood.......2006-12-06

The original Rolerball and this 2002 remake have recently been making the rounds on cable-TV. Simply, putting sequel up against the original is like comparing the XFL to the NFL.

The remake is simply dreadful, with a poor script, equally poor casting and a gimmicky figure-eight track with tunnels & sidetracks which is played on rollerblades - with other team members on motorcycles - and goals scored with the metal ball. Based in central Asia, the game becomes increasingly violent to boost TV ratings - especially in America - and to make for growing fan interest.

It takes the anticorporate stance of Jonathon E and morphs him into outlaw exteme sports lover Jonathon Cross (Chris Klein), who ultimately leads the players and fans in a revolt against the senseless violence pushed by sport founder Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno) and the networks. Sounds like a bad WWE storyline, and that may be why motormouth Paul Heyman is the "announcer" for the games. I was waiting for Heyman to belt out, "It's Extreme," several hundred times.

Put LL Cool J, who plays an old friend of Cross and the person who gets him involved in the game, in the lead role and he may have saved the character from being absolutely unbelievebale. Perhaps putting Heyman as the evil entrepreneur may have made for a more sinister Petrovich.

And slowing the cinema-photography down from its rapid cuts may have forced editors to let the story speak volumes like the original. But in the end, Rollerball is a poor attempt in updating a movie that didn't need it.

What channel did you say you gave us in your territory? .......2006-10-11

Rollerball. In the original film, the game attempted to stand as an outlet of Corporation superiority; constantly demonstrating to the consumers (the people) that individuality is futile. Apparently, one does not have to either read the screenplay or physically watch the original film for there to be a remake. Decent director John McTiernan, who "wow-ed" me with such films as the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair as well as his early cult hits like Die Hard and Predator has obviously lost his ability to either A) do remakes or B) handle a camera with any sense of decency. If I was allowed one question to have answered through the course of my life, my question would be, "What was the point of Rollerball the remake?", and I do believe there would be answer from any higher authority. This film single handedly goes down in the record books as not just the worst remake to come out of Hollywood, but it is also a double threat, with it being in the top 100 of worst films ever conceived. It is embarrassing to say, but it has to be said, that Rollerball is one of a few select films that demonstrated no ability in the fields of direction, acting, cinematography, or writing. If Rollerball were deemed a student paper, it would have failed all four parts. Nothing, I repeat, nothing of value can be found with this film, and I even tried hard, but one must easily look at this film and simply state, "It failed".

As I look at the description for this film through many web sites, I happen to notice that many times this film is classified as a "science fiction" film, which boggles my mind. There was absolutely nothing science fiction about this film outside of the possibility of the actual Rollerball game being a rather sci-fi-esque type game, but when you look at it, there is nothing special about the sport. The 1975 film version was extremely science fiction with its views on the future of our world, the surrounding environment, as well as subtly placed usage of the laser gun. Yet somehow, this 2002 version is able to call itself a "science fiction" merely on the premise that it takes place three years in the future. Three. Whole. Years. That to me is the staple of why this film corrupted from the inside out. The writing was atrocious to say the least. It felt as if the writers of this film, one Larry Ferguson or one John Pogue (odd, this horrid smelling filth of a film took two of Hollywood's scribes ... ouchers!), took random ideas, threw them together and attempted to create continuity in the course of 97 minutes. No doubtably procrastination was an issue, and to cut corners to meet a deadline these avid writers chose to cut characters, huge plot points, and any sort of solid stream of consciousness to create possibly the worst that Hollywood could ever offer. Nothing, in the form of script, plot, or action/adventure is worth mentioning in this film. I had difficulty enjoying the first one and it was a symbolic mess about the corporate hold on its consumers, while this filth had nothing to do with ... nothing. Words came out of the actor's mouths, but they meant nothing, they stood for nothing, and half the time it just had me laughing due to the staged words that they were dealt. Again, there was no value in this film.

Chris Klein has ridden the shirt tales of American Pie for a very long time (I always saw him as the Weakest Link of those films), so he decided to take a leading man's role in Rollerball in hopes that he could transform his career into a leading man, but you can't make cardboard stand on his own. Could Chris have attempted to grow a backbone for this film ... is that possible? The words that came out of his mouth had no emotion; he was together with Rebecca Romijn-Stamos for purely the physical admiration, and someone needs to tell him that by squinting his eyes harder doesn't indicate that he is upset or angry. I cannot seem to shake the image of him riding with L.L. Cool J in the Russian night on a motorcycle using "night vision" for dramatic purposes, and Klein speaking unattached words out of my mind. It was hilarity on a grand scale. I remember the pair talking about something, but the laughter coming from my mouth was far more overpowering. Nothing (which seems to be the common theme of this film) is of value in this film. Klein proved that on more than one occasion. That isn't to say that those like LL, Jean Reno, Stamos, or even my favorite Naveen Andrews were any better. Klein led the pact with kindergarten acting skills, but Reno was completely over the top, which caused confusion as to who he was and why he was involved financially, Andrews was nothing more than filler, Stamos was used for the nudity ... that was all, and LL kept the "hip-ness" factor on a grander scale. Nobody demonstrated anything close to talent in this film and it ultimately boils down to the failure of decent director John McTiernan.

Rollerball is one of those films that gives remakes a horrid name. Even if the original wasn't worth writing home to mother about, films of this stature only place a black scar on the future of remakes. I have to be worried about McTiernan because of my enjoyment of some of his past films and how anyone could see the final cut of this film and say, "This is my best work yet!" If you cannot say those words as you hand the final reel to the distribution company, I would reconsider the release. Writing was far worse that imaginable, the acting was nowhere to be seen, and the cinematography (something I didn't feel like going into too deeply with this review) felt as if it was done by those who are afraid of camera. Honestly, I have seen better amateur work than what Rollerball had to offer. Why is this film still being distributed? This is a very dark cloud amongst the Hollywood types and am very surprised to see that everyone is still able to acquire roles in Tinsel town after this disaster. My only wish is that future directors and actors actually take pride in their work instead of just allowing the paycheck to do the talking. Ignore this film or it will haunt you the rest of your life!

Grade: * out of *****

Why? Oh Why? This is just an outrage........2006-08-21

The temptation to make sequels to movies is evidence of the fact that there is little creativity in Hollywood. This movie is evidence that there are people in Hollywood who should not be allowed to go to movies let alone make them.

The original is not all that great, but it was original and had some very interesting photography and stunts. This version is, as I said, not original, the photography stinks, and the stunts are mostly cut-and-paste special effects.

The people who made this should be banned from any association to movie making for life! So why did I buy it? By mistake! I had a copy of the original and thought a comparison would be interesting. I was wrong. Learn from my error and avoid this like the very plague.

Give me the original.......2006-06-29

I was surprised and delighted to see this "remake". After purchasing I was, well, disappointed. I guess because the framework of the story was the same but nothing else was. The modernisation of the action was poor, the story only Ok and I didn't find it engaging except in one scene. A satisfying ending with all the story nicely wrapped up but I think the cast deserved a better story line and sticking to the original concept and doing a real remake with modern cinema techniques could have made this a four star candidate. Oh well I guess we'll never see a good modern updated version because this certainly is not it!

Average customer rating:

Rollerball
Starring: Chris Klein , Jean Reno , LL Cool J , Rebecca Romijn , and Naveen Andrews
Director: John McTiernan
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Futuristic | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000BX0VS2

Description

Average customer rating:

Combines two other sports movie giftsets plus 8 additional films

The Ultimate Sports Giftset

Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Sports | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Combines two other sports movie giftsets plus 8 additional films.......2007-03-17

This bundle combines two very good sports giftsets:
The Grand Slam Giftset -(Bull Durham/Pride of the Yankees/Eight Men Out/Jackie Robinson Story)
Sports Giftset - (Bull Durham / Hoosiers / Raging Bull / Rocky )
This total of seven movies are five star films, and if your interests are mainly baseball, or you prefer the finest films from several sports, you might be better off getting just one of these two giftsets. However, this Ultimate Sports Giftset also has several good films not included in these other two giftsets, such as the more watchable sequels in the Rocky series - Rocky II and Rocky III, along with That Championship Season, and Diggstown, which is an unusual vehicle for James Woods and Lou Gossett Jr. that did end up working well for both of them. Also included is a rarely seen documentary film from 1970 entitled "AKA Cassius Clay", which has Ali talking about his career with his usual verbal wit along with some great footage of Ali's early career fights.

Finally, there are three films in the turkey category that get slipped into the total package. "Monkey on My Back" is a 1957 film that was supposed to be about fighter Barney Ross. The movie is bad, but the accuracy must have been even worse, because Ross sued the producers of this film over the content and won. "Body and Soul" is not the classic version starring John Garfield. Instead this is the poor 1998 pseudo-remake. There's plenty of bad acting to go around in this movie, and even the good actors seem to think they're all performing in different films. Worst of the pack is the 2002 version of Rollerball. Like many of the 23-year-olds that make today's films, the producers of this remake of the 1975 classic just don't get that the original was great because of its portrayal of futuristic society, not because of violent action scenes. Weighing the good with the bad, this set is probably worth purchasing for the 12 good films in the bunch.

Average customer rating:

ugh
One Of The Poorest Remakes Ever To Come Out Of Hollywood
What channel did you say you gave us in your territory?
Why? Oh Why? This is just an outrage.
Give me the original

Rollerball [Region 2]
Starring: James Caan , John Houseman , Maud Adams , John Beck (II) , and Moses Gunn
Director: Norman Jewison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Rollerball
Godsend
Femme Fatale
Gothika (Widescreen Edition)
S.W.A.T. (Widescreen Special Edition)

ASIN: B00005MFO6

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

ugh.......2007-01-14

Read teh first 4 reviewers, they are totally on point. This is a stinker that they tried to salvage by putting Rebecca in pleather, it doesn't work.

One Of The Poorest Remakes Ever To Come Out Of Hollywood.......2006-12-06

What channel did you say you gave us in your territory? .......2006-10-11

Why? Oh Why? This is just an outrage........2006-08-21

Give me the original.......2006-06-29

Average customer rating:

Corporate Control has created a ROLLERBALL WORLD
MGM (Fox) Where is the SE already? It's been out in Japan for YEARS!
Great Film
Cult SF classic from the 1970's
Holds Up

Rollerball [Region 2]
Starring: James Caan , John Houseman , Maud Adams , John Beck (II) , and Moses Gunn
Director: Norman Jewison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Soylent Green
Death Race 2000 - Special Edition
Logan's Run
Westworld
The Omega Man

ASIN: B00004RJG2

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Corporate Control has created a ROLLERBALL WORLD.......2007-06-26

MGM (Fox) Where is the SE already? It's been out in Japan for YEARS!.......2007-06-06

Japan has a nice anamorphic version with extras. Where is the R1 already????

Great Film.......2007-04-04

Cult SF classic from the 1970's.......2007-02-24

Holds Up.......2007-02-14

Average customer rating:

Rollerball [Region 2]
Starring: James Caan , John Houseman , Maud Adams , John Beck (II) , and Moses Gunn
Director: Norman Jewison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00005KISO

Average customer rating:

Rollerball [Region 2]
Starring: James Caan , John Houseman , Maud Adams , John Beck (II) , and Moses Gunn
Director: Norman Jewison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004VY3R

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