Well, that was more entertaining than I expected. Don’t get me wrong, this remake of the Roger Corman/Paul Bartel 1975 trash classic Death Race 2000 is total garbage, mostly stupid and low budget as hell. But compared to the other recent remake – the bland, gritty prison-set 2008 Death Race starring Jason Statham – Death Race 2050 at least has the courage of its convictions and is in the spirit of its forebear, filling the screen with gore, tits, half-baked political statements, silly cars and sillier outfits.
Manu Bennett – so great as Crixus in the similarly over-the-top (but far, far better) Spartacus series – is entertaining as the irritable Frankenstein, beloved cybernetic champion of the continent-spanning race and, paired with the scenery-chewing Malcolm McDowell, shows the somber Hunger Games films where they can stick it. 2 out of 4 stars (Average).