Peacock’s streaming library has been growing all March long, and subscribers can now stream a grittier, action-focused remake of a 50-year-old sci-fi cult classic. The NBCUniversal streamer has a pretty great science fiction lineup that features a mix of original series, SYFY channel content, and popular movies, with titles like Resident Alien and Nope just a few of the streaming options. The catalog got a major addition with the arrival of a 2008 dystopian sci-fi action movie that reimagined a 1975 classic.
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We’re talking about Death Race, director Paul W. S. Anderson’s remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000. While the original’s campy, low-budget dystopian satire and over-the-top violence secured its status as a ’70s sci-fi cult classic, the modern remake is a far more underrated film. The movie is set in a dystopian future and stars Jason Statham as Jensen Ames, a framed ex-con who is forced by a manipulative warden to compete in a lethal, televised prison armored car race for his freedom.
Jason Statham’s Death Race Remake Is a High-Octane Guilty Pleasure
Anderson’s Death Race remake didn’t come anywhere near achieving the celebrated, cult classic status of the 1975 original, nor did it even come close to touching its overall reception. While Death Race 2000 holds a “Certified Fresh” 80% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the remake only managed a rotten 41% rating after it was largely deemed to have failed at capturing the spirit of the original. But that doesn’t mean Death Race isn’t worth watching. The movie is a fast-paced, entertaining action movie in its own right and an absolute blast of turn-your-brain-off entertainment.
If you’re in the mood for an unapologetically violent B-movie experience, then Death Race absolutely delivers. The movie has been described by viewers as “R-rated Mario Kart” and even “Mad Max on steroids” thanks to the non-stop, adrenaline-fueled, brutal vehicular combat. The movie prioritizes explosive, mindless entertainment over deep, nuanced storytelling, resulting in intense and chaotic scenes as heavily armored cars battle through a prison track using offensive weaponry like guns, oil slicks, and napalm. The film is also a quintessential and perfect Statham vehicle, and the actor delivers a pretty solid performance as a stoic, hardworking, and tough hero forced into a brutal dystopian competition. The Death Race remake is far from a perfect reimagining of a sci-fi classic, but it’s a high-octane, brainless action movie that delivers exactly what it promises: stylized violence, armored cars, and Statham in top form.
What’s New on Peacock?
Peacock has plenty of great new streaming options this March. Subscribers browsing the streaming catalog can now find titles like Beekeeper, Death Becomes Her, Fight Club, John Wick: Chapter 4, nearly the complete Leprechaun franchise, and Sonic the Hedgehog, among numerous others.
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Image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
