Sci-fi classic with a brilliant idea, whose remake became one of the biggest flops of the 2000s

Big corporations rule the world and as a carrot for oppression there is a brutal sport of roller skates. That is the Simple and ingenious basic idea of ​​the science fiction classic Rollerball by director Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night). The film was released in cinemas in 1975 and has since developed cult status. You can catch up on it now on Amazon Prime Video.

In the science fiction film, gladiators fight on roller skates

Imagine a basketball court or a soccer field, but The players compete against each other on roller skates and motorcycles (!)to shoot balls into the opponent’s goal. In the distant year of 2018, in which the film is set, there is nothing people would rather watch in their free time and Jonathan E. (James Caan from The Godfather) is the star of the sport.

This sport is exploited by the powerful Energy Corporation to keep the oppressed citizens happy. However, Jonathan doesn’t want to put up with this anymore. He defies the company’s wishes. In response, Rollerball’s rules are made more brutal. Jonathan is supposed to die on the field to make an example of the rebel.

Norman Jewison wanted one with the film accusation critical of capitalism shoot, which was particularly aimed at the brutal spectacle of sports such as football. As a dystopia, the film is actually convincing because its media criticism is rooted in the 70s (think also of Network, which was released a year later), but the script deals with a timeless phenomenon with the commercialization of sports and violence.

The remake is also worth seeing, but was a disastrous flop

Director Jewison was offered the remake years later, but turned it down because, in his opinion, the script glorified the violence he wanted to criticize (via The Guardian).

In his place, Die Hard maker John McTiernan took over as director. In many ways, this turned out to be a disastrous decision. Rollerball (2002) found only a small audience in cinemas and was a failure.

Worse still, McTiernan illegally wiretapped his Rollerball producer Charles Roven and was sentenced to 12 months in prison. His career has not yet recovered from this. But the remake is just as worth it as the original. Jewison’s film impresses as an angry dystopia with action and a charismatic leading actor. McTiernan, on the other hand, delivered a completely over-the-top pop spectacle, which updates the vision of the future for a generation raised on American Pie and MTV’s TRL. Both films fascinate as time capsules and entertain with the bizarre sport at their center.

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