Rollerball | | Cast : | Chris Klein, Jean Reno | | Director : | John McTiernan | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | February 08, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | February 04, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 13, 2005 | | Summary | "The Thomas Crowne Affair" it may not be... | Content
 | ... but, gentle reader, I believe this movie is not the horror that the previous few reviewers thought it would be.
To begin, John McTiernan doesn't faithfully redo classics. Instead, he changes them into a modern action film with modern concepts and modern values, and almost always with better than average, and often exceptional, characters. Think of the aforementioned "Thomas Crowne Affair": its plot had very little to do with the Norman Jewison version (oh, gee, who directed the 1975 version of "Rollerball"? I forget...). However, very similar sensibilities are there in the 1999 version.
Hmm...
FADE IN: Studio exec is trying to figure out what to do about his next production. Suddenly a lightbulb goes on over his head:
STUDIO EXEC
(to SECRETARY, O.S.)
Call John McTiernan! Have him redo another
Normal Jewison film. What else has that geezer
done?! (rifling through old DGA directory) (Beat)
Rollerball!! Perfect!! Violence, fast-paced, slinky
girls, lots of stunts, loud music! Perfect!
Maybe... Anyway, we now return to our original review.
So when McT, as he refers to himself on other commentaries (one of my major disappointments about this so-called special edition is the lack of a McTiernan wry, dry, and ever so enjoyable commentary), brings in the sensibilities of the original version, but addresses the subject in a more 2000-friendly way (i.e., ratings, and the immediacy of the decisions), he is shouted down because he didn't do what someone with a pre-conceived notion about what the remake "should" be expected.
Pardon the expression, but to borrow from good ol' Colonel Potter (and the writers of M*A*S*H), this is a bunch of "horse feathers." The film has an excellent pace, an engaging, lively soundtrack, and fun action. OK, so Chris Klein and Rebecca Romijn aren't Tracy and Hepburn, but this is the first role I've seen Chris Klein in where he has an edge. He actually looks not like the puppy he normally looks, but someone who, when driven to it, can kill. And I credit McTiernan with bringing that out of him.
Overall, yes, this is not an Oscar-winning weaper for which Merryl could win an Oscar because she learned another accent, but as far as summer entertainment, I'd say it's superior to most. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 07, 2005 | | Summary | OMG, a complete waste of time | Content
| Having read the novella Rollerball prior to the first version being made, and having seen that one on the big screen, I awaited the remake. It came & went big screen in near record time. That should have been warning enough. Unfortunately I rented this piece of **** and even worse, I watched the whole thing. All the time thinking, it can't be this bad, it has got to get better. It is that bad, and it never got better. Other than the title, and some aspects of the game, nothing in common witht he original book. Very little in common with the first movie. James Caan vs. who ever he was. No contest Caan. Even Jean Reno is wasted in this mess. Poorly scripted, poorly acted, poorlly shot, poorly edited. And loud, I mean Loud, you know LOUD. I really wanted to give this zero stars, but that was not an option. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 03, 2005 | | Summary | Absolute Crap!!!!!!!!! | Content
| *SO* many other people have written about how awful this movie is, so what's another voice thrown into the fray?
Here is why I rented it: I love John McTiernan movies.
I got the special edition of "Predator" for Christmas and enjoyed the commentary; especially when McTiernan says that he just likes to make popcorn movies that people enjoy (cases in point: "Die Hard" and "Predator"). Now, granted these two movies are pure popcorn, no one can deny that they are also great action movies that completely incorporate characterization and action.
So, for this reason, and the great cast including Jean Reno (who rocked out in "Ronin") and even Naveen Andrews (anybody recognize him as the sikh from "The English Patient" other than me?), I plopped down my rental fee and took the movie home.
They owe me two hours of my young life back!
*SO* many things are horrifically wrong with this movie, I'll just describe my biggest beef about it: there is about a 20 minute sequence--which, unfortunately, is essential to the pithy plot-- which was shot in NIGHTVISION; all grainy and green. I have *no* idea what was going on in McTiernan's head, I don't want to know.
I have never seen the original, but as I understand it the original story takes place in the future, which would at least be more appropriate. As a student of Russian history I take *MAJOR* issue with the producers and the director keeping it in contemporary times and just putting it half way around the world. It all seemed disjointed and forced and lame.
There should definately be an option on this reviewer system for NO STARS, I feel guilty dignifying it with one. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 13, 2004 | | Summary | Here's what really happened... | Content
| The John Houseman character from the excellent James Caan original version, jumped into a time machine with the intent of destroying the social commentary critical to multinational monopolies from the first film and spreading cultural plastics so prevalent in his future history. The result is dumbed down junk where you must give up the idea of wondering how movie executive's decisions are made. I think he did a good job. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 09, 2004 | | Summary | BALLISTIC BOMB | Content
| This tedious and unnecessary remake of the 1975 James Caan classic has little to recommend it. Director John McTiernan, who did so well with DIE HARD, blasts us with heavy metal rock garbage throughout the entire movie, action scenes that are incomprehensible and lifeless, and a cast that fizzles from the start. Chris Klein's good looks don't help his vapid, uninspired performance; LL Cool J is surprisingly uneffective; Rebecca Stamjin-Stamos does better in blue make-up in the X Men flicks; Jean Reno is laughably miscast as the Russian owner.
McTiernan also films one lengthy chase scene in what appears to be night vision goggles; green of all things. It makes no creative sense and adds nothing to the overall movie.
Remakes like this add further validity to the fact that if you're going to remake a movie, either make it as good or better, or let us savor the originals. |
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