Death Race 2000 vs. Death Race
Emory A. Deschamps III
ENG/220
04/06/2015
Sherri Craig

Death Race 2000 vs. Death Race Death Race 2000 initially directed by Paul Bartel has been historically positioned as a classic cult film, which consequently inspired Paul Anderson to direct the new version of the forenamed original and present it as the Death Race film in 2008. Numerous critics and journalists have skillfully compared and contrast both of the cinematographic creations giving preference either to Paul Bartel’s original movie or Paul Anderson’s modern remake. The talents of both producers have confronted each other throughout time and critically assessed by the spectators, which is particularly interesting from the perspective that both of the movies carry practically the same title. Both Death Race 2000 and Death Race focus on the devastating and bloody dystopian future. However, it needs to be said that the title along with the blood and car competition theme result to be the most significant similarities between the two films otherwise these films are to be perceived as two creation of entirely different matter. As the race itself presented in both films is extremely different from one another. In Death Race 2000 it is associated with a cross-country race that identifies its winner in accordance with the number of pedestrians the driver kills, it exposes the audience to an extensive violence show. According to the Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert, the original Death Race 2000 demonstrates excessive aggression with nurses parking their patients in wheelchairs in the middle of the road to be hit by the race car and the drivers pursuing the nurses to kill them as well, is off its limits (1975). Moreover, each of the races gets a set amount of point from the hit pedestrians: hundred points for patients in wheelchairs, seventy points for the younger population, and fifty points for children and teenagers. On the contrary, the new Death Race interpretation places the race within the limits of a prison racetrack instead of taking it to a transcontinental level. Death Race does not force its characters to hit the pedestrians or to get any points, instead, here, the winner is the one who survives on the track and skillfully avoids all the dangerous road obstacles and opponent car weaponry. This first and most apparent difference leads to the apprehension of the major character differences. The second difference refers to the character analysis of Anderson’s and Bartel cinematographic creations. Notwithstanding the fact that the names of the Frankenstein driver remained the same in both versions, the character’s personality and system of motives are evidently antipodal (Ebert, 2008). The Death Race Frankenstein played by Jason Statham is a man that loses his family and is forced to go to prison for the murder of his wife which he is not responsible for. The race becomes his only way out of the prison and thus he puts tremendous effort in his attempts to survive and get out. The character indeed possesses a shade of innocence that makes the image of Frankenstein more human and whatsoever justified in front of the audience. The Frankenstein from Death Race 2000 played by David Carradine on the contrary is portrayed as a doomed personality who is forced to play the role of one of the numerous Frankensteins that are replaced after the death of their predecessors. The character does not display any real motivation but seems just to be doing something, as it is what he does. It provides the film with a tasteless video game atmosphere and gives the impression that Frankenstein is a puppet-doll ruled by other people without personal evaluation of the situation. The assessment of the characters allows concluding that they directly affect the overall tone of both of the films. While Death Race satirizes itself, Death Race 2000 tries to present a serious burden situation. While Bartel exposes diverse social commentary, Anderson offers a film full of action and explosions. In other words, the films do not complement each other but present two different world outlooks manifested by the directors. Anderson’s Death Race is not to be considered Bartel’s Death Race 2000 remake as besides the shift of the overall message of the two films are drastically different from each other. While Bartel presents a socially imposed drama, Anderson focuses on presenting the film as a video game and converts it into a bloody show. Though both films portray a dystopian future and present race themes, the similarity of their titles is to be addressed as the only comparability to assess. Overall, Death Race and Death Race 2000 are very different from each other in both character personalities, the humanism of the presented rules and the overall message.

References
Ebert, R. (1975, April 27). Death Race 2000. Roger Ebert Journal. Retrieved from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/death-race-2000
Ebert, R. (2008, August 21). Death Race. Roger Ebert Journal. Retrieved from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/death-race-2008