DEATH RACE 2050 (2017):

DEATH RACE 2050 (2017):

"Five long decades after Death Race 2000 (1975), in the overpopulated United Corporations of America, the annual Death Race is about to begin. This time, Frankenstein is up against no-nonsense challengers. How many points will he score?"

This is more or less a soft reboot of Death Race 2000 with a new cast of racers. It keeps the original overpopulation/game show setup. The new racers are Jed Perfectus, a genetically-engineered racer, Minerva, who is a rapper, an AI named Abe, and stepping in for the Nazi gimmick of the original (Matilda The Hun in 1975.) we have Tammy The Terrorist.

It's pretty much the same film. The good news is, if you liked the old one, you'll like this. However, for some reason, some of the characters just don't stick out for me. The rapper is a one-note joke. As is Dr. Creamer/ABE (the ole “Girl has sex with robots joke”.) It's a schlocky B-Movie action comedy. Jed Perfectus is no substitute for young Sylvester Stallone.

I recommend it for being a modern take on the classic movie. Malcolm McDowell is in it as The President. Give it a watch if you have time. Turn your brain off and enjoy the stylized game show hyper-violence. A good tribute, but the original was still better.

Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018):

Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018):

"Black ops specialist Connor Gibson infiltrates a maximum security prison to take down legendary driver Frankenstein in a violent and brutal car race."

Technically, this is Death Race 2000 4. In this version, a privatized security firm runs the Sprawl, a massive prison housing around 420,000 inmates. One of the inmates is hired to kill Frankenstein, the race's champion. It's pretty fast-paced with a death metal/punk aesthetic vs. the original game show parody setting. The action and racing scenes are over-the-top as always. I liked it. It's on Netflix. Check it out!

Redline (2009):

Redline (2009):

"A story about the most popular racing event in the galaxy, the Redline, and the various racers who compete in it."

Sweet JP competes in the famous interplanetary Redline race with the help of his trusty alien mechanic Frisbee. However, the government of Planet Roboworld vows to destroy all the racers in the name of “peace”. It's like anime meets Death Race 2000. I enjoyed the weird characters and souped-up cars. Definitely worth a watch. Free on Tubi!

Death Race 2000 (1975):

Death Race 2000 (1975):

"In a dystopian future, a cross country automobile race requires contestants to run down innocent pedestrians to gain points that are tallied based on each kill's brutality."

After economic collapse, the United States government is restructured into a totalitarian regime under martial law. To pacify the population, the government has created the Transcontinental Road Race, where a group of drivers race across the country in their high-powered cars and which is infamous for violence, gore, and innocent pedestrians being struck and killed for bonus points.

Free on Tubi. It's got David Carradine as the top racer Frankenstein, and young Sylvester Stallone plays Machine Gun Joe! Give it a watch!