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ROLLERBALL
"I did remember that the original was the story of one person against the powers of the world. The ads for the new version feature three people -- perhaps an emphasis on community and friendship that is more in line with Gen-Xers. And then I discovered that the central character's name was changed from Jonathan E to Jonathan Cross. Is that the name for a Christ figure or what?"
Review by DARREL MANSON |
ROLLERBALL
(2002)
This page was created on February 13, 2002
This page was last updated on
May 29, 2005
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Directed by John McTiernan
Screenplay by Larry Ferguson and John Pogue
Short story Roller Ball Murders by William Harrison
1975 screenplay by William Harrison
Chris Klein .... Jonathan Cross
Jean Reno .... Alexi Petrovich
LL Cool J .... Marcus Ridley
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos .... Aurora Naveen
Andrews Pink .... Narrator/Dominatrix
Mike Dopud .... Uglich
Produced by
Kristen Branan .... executive producer: digital.art.media
John McTiernan .... producer
Charles Roven .... producer
Beau St. Clair .... producer
Michael Tadross .... executive producer
Original music by Eric Serra
Cinematography by Steve Mason
Film Editing by John Wright
Rated PG
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG |
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Teaser:
QuickTime, Hi-Res, 5.9MB
QuickTime, Lo-Res, 4.2MB
Trailer:
QuickTime, Hi-Res
QuickTime, Med-Res
QuickTime, Lo-Res
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Clip 1:
QuickTime, 2.4MB
Clip 2:
QuickTime, 1.0MB
Clip 3:
QuickTime, 2.4MB
Clip 4:
QuickTime, 0.8MB
Clip 5:
QuickTime, 2.7MB |
The big thing in 2005 is a violent sport that can have some pretty serious consequences... like dying. |
 SYNOPSIS:
It's the year 2005; the new sport of Rollerball is hugely popular in the unstable, ex-Soviet republics of South Asia. Marcus Ridley (LL Cool J) invites NHL-hopeful Jonathan Cross (Chris Klein) to join him playing for the Zhambel Horsemen, in Kazahkstan. The highly paid Marcus and Jonathon 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 Reno), Jonathan, is thrilled by the high-octane sport, the hype, the sports cars, and female team mate Aurora (a glowering, scar-faced Rebecca Romijm-Stamos). But gradually Jonathan discovers that the cynical Alexi and his opportunistic assistant Sanjay (Naveen Andrews) will go to any lengths to manipulate the game in order to provide an evermore gory spectacle and improve the game's television ratings. Director John McTiernan's movie is grungy and even more violent than the original 1975 ROLLERBALL. He conveys the visceral nature of the game with sharply edited action sequences and a goosed-up soundtrack, and then he shows the volatile game convulsively spinning out of control and causing social upheaval. |
REVIEW |
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Review by DARREL MANSON BLOG
Pastor, Artesia Christian Church, Artesia, CA
http://netministries.org/see/churches/ch01198
Darrel has an incredible love and interest in the cinematic arts. His reviews usually include independent and significantly important film. |
 When I started seeing trailers and ads for Rollerball, I thought this could be interesting to play with. I vaguely remembered the 1975 original directed by Norman Jewison. That version is something of a cult classic, although I never paid much attention. I did remember that the original was the story of one person against the powers of the world. The ads for the new version feature three people -- perhaps an emphasis on community and friendship that is more in line with Gen-Xers.
And then I discovered that the central character's name was changed from Jonathan E (in the Jewison version) to Jonathan Cross. Is that the name for a Christ figure or what?
And so I prepared by watching the 1975 version, and was surprised at its timeliness. The original is set in the future when industrial globalization has superseded nations. It is the story of freedom as opposed to societal rules (certainly a 70's theme). It reflects a disdain for materialism. It shows a disdain for treating women as possessions (the 70's were a key time in the growth of feminism). Overall, the original is a film that continues to speak to issues that not only still exist more than a quarter century later, but to issues (like globalization) that have continued to expand.
Actually, the original is a variation on the theme of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World". All the issues of technology and meaning of life and individuality are prominent. The game of Rollerball itself was to show the world "the futility of individual effort." |
| The current version (directed by John McTiernan) is none of this. The only things this film has in common with the original are the silver ball, roller skates, and motorcycles. The new version is the theft and exploitation of the good name of a better movie. |
 In fact the whole premise of the McTiernan version turns the original on its head. In the new version, Jonathan wants out -- he tries to escape, leaving teammates and his lover to do so. In the original, Jonathan is suppose to retire, because his success is undermining the whole reason for the game -- to prove that no individual can overcome. |
 The most this version aspires to is to show us how TV networks manipulate us by showing more and more gore and violence. This can be emotional gore as in "reality TV" or more serious gore in sports or war. We're supposed to understand that we feed this by our viewing habits. And the evil in the new version isn't society at large; it is the greed of those who want to exploit us.
Neither Jonathan (E or Cross) makes much of a Christ figure. Both overcome the powers against them by their might rather than by sacrifice. Indeed, others suffer on their behalf.
 As I watched the original, I could see room for a remake to fine tune some of the issues that the story dealt with. But this new version doesn't do that. It is just a bit of the gratuitous bloody entertainment it seeks to expose.
The movie that speaks to this day and issues that matter in our world is the 1975 version. If you want to see Rollerball, go to the video store or library and check out the real version. |
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