Roger Ebert Hated A Jason Statham Sci-Fi Movie With A Passion

Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert has a review catalogue of 8,107 films (!), all of which follow a star system that ranges between zero and four. Ebert's methodology for rating a film cannot be neatly quantified (as ratings are often arbitrary indicators of quality), but that shouldn't be the focal point of his criticism anyway. Ebert's talents lay in unraveling the context-driven merits of a story and how it was being told, and whether it met certain standards despite being riddled with flaws. Within this framework, Ebert gave 1,309 four-star reviews throughout his career, some of which are worth revisiting or should, at the very least, be watched once.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ebert handed out zero stars to films like "The Human Centipede 2" and "I Spit on Your Grave," which are marked by a scathing "thumbs down" icon. But there's also a category of Ebert reviews that are a little shy of being unsalvageable, having been awarded half a star out of four. Paul W. S. Anderson's "Death Race" belongs to this maligned category, and Ebert even opens his review by calling it "an assault on all the senses." Yikes.

Anderson's "Death Race" isn't a standalone sci-fi thriller, nor is it a franchise starter. It is supposed to be a prequel to 1975's "Death Race 2000," which it also reboots at the same time. This leads to a slightly confusing watch order for the "Death Race" films, but Anderson's 2008 entry is nowhere near the worst of the lot. Ebert's primary criticism lies with the film's video-game aesthetics, which he perceived as a flaw, as opposed to it being a neat visual flourish. "Walking out, I had the impression I had just seen the video game and was still waiting for the movie," Ebert stated. 

Spoilers for "Death Race" ahead.

"Death Race" is set in 2020, where the titular risk-laden tournament is livestreamed by government officials to offer convicts a shot at freedom. Ex-con Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is framed for the murder of his wife, after which he is wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment. What happens next is quite predictable: Ames is offered a chance to win the match and claim freedom, which he accepts. But Ames' determination is tested when he realizes that his wife's killer is also a participant, which raises the stakes more than ever.

There's little reason to expect depth here, as "Death Race" masks the absence of competent dialogue with loud car crashes and a vague sense of anxiety. The premise of a death match should be pretty convincing, but Anderson isn't interested in fleshing out any of his characters. Even his Ames is a blank slate, as we know next to nothing about him except for the fact that he wants to be a free man. When people start dropping like flies, it's hard to care about these deaths, as we haven't been given a reason to invest in these characters.

Ebert noted that "'Death Race' is not a brand that guarantees quality" and that it might do well at the box office due to its bombastic nature. As it turns out, the film didn't perform well at the box office either, as it was considered a financial disappointment. Even so, "Death Race" is perfectly enjoyable when you expect absolutely nothing from it. It is far from being a boring affair, which seems to be its sole merit, apart from a perennially locked-in Statham, who is always a joy to watch.