The 70s got some of the best sci-fi movies ever done: Soylent Green, Colossus, Silent Running, Solaris, The Omega Man, Logan's Run, Westworld, Dark Star, Star Wars, The Black Hole, Alien, Mad Max, Stalker and and and.One of those classics is Rollerball with James Caan as the superplayer of a deadly game, made by the corporations who rule now the world to entertain the masses. Jonathan (James Caan) the hero of the masses got so famous and popular that the bosses get afraid of him.Many of those mentioned movies may look now a little old-fashioned or vintage compared to the modern sci-fi CGI galore productions but despite the very reduced special effects compared to the contemporary movies they got innovative ideas, good to superb directing and - imo the far better actors. Nowadays Hollywood darlings are imo really shallow to watch if I compare them with such titans like Heston and Cann and the many nameless good sidekick- actors.This one is the mother of all Gladiator movies in a sci-fi/dystopian context. Watch.

There were quite a number of reasons why 'Rollerball' intrigued me in the first place. The concept was a really intriguing one. It has been praised for its use of classical music, a delight for a lifelong classical music fan. There are some talented names here, James Caan especially. And Norman Jewison has done some good films, such as 'In the Heat of the Night' and 'Fiddler on the Roof'.My opinion of 'Rollerball' is that it is a flawed film but also a very impressive one. The momentum does sag, particularly in the middle, in some scenes not on the arena. Bogged down by a little too much extraneous talk, like the Ella story line, and a few ideas that could have gone into more depth. Of the characters, the only ones that are really developed like "real" characters are Jonathan E and Bartholomew (Ella particularly is a cipher), and parts while well intended are laid on too thick somewhat.However, 'Rollerball' is well made visually. It's all very slick and stylish and the set for the rollerball arena still makes one go wow. Liked the look of the future dystopia, not extraordinary but it was atmospheric. Jewison directs with assurance, while the script has a lot of intelligent and thought-provoking lines and ideas that resonate a lot and still are very much relevant. The message is much appreciated and is very much pertinent.Story is intriguing and has enough to compel, and Jonathan E and Bartholomew are very interesting characters. The supporting cast, particularly John Beck, are solid.'Rollerball' excels particularly in four particularly strongly done areas. The tautly filmed and edited rollerball sequences are incredibly exciting and have a real sense of disturbing danger and nerve-shredding tension too. Andre Previn does well with the music score, but shining even more is to me some of the best use of classical music on film, including the most beautiful use of Albinoni's Adagio ('Manchester By the Sea' also used it beautifully but it's done more subtly here), Bach's Toccata used very creepily and the best use of Shostakovich on film. It's not just that the music itself is wonderful but also that they are so cleverly used, almost ironically and also unnervingly.James Caan is a highly charismatic lead and gives the character nuances, while John Houseman's Bartholomew is chilling. One cannot review 'Rollerball' without mentioning the incredibly powerful ending either.Overall, very impressive but flawed. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I've just watched this film for the first time in many years, probably over 25. I remember it as being violent but compulsive viewing and it remains the same.The film is futuristic but clearly reflects the world of its time, the mid-1970s. No doubt many will be able to draw a range of pseudo-philosophical meanings from it but I prefer to be a little more simplistic. One man stands out against the corporation which aims to control both the game and the people who watch it; he threatens to become bigger than the game and the bosses want rid of him. Yes, this can be seen as an allegory for the Vietnam War and in general for the feelings of a significant part of the population of the USA at the time. In the end, the 'hero' wins, for the moment at least.The film is undoubtedly powerful and, despite a few slow moments, it is exciting; it's also quite brutal. However, by the standards of the 'cgi' world of 2015 it's actually pretty tame and there isn't really that much blood and gore. I have no idea what a modern youngish audience makes of it, but I still find it an interesting and oddly enjoyable offering.

While I may have watched this when I was younger, I don't remember much about it except that I can't help but giggle at people on roller skates—it's hard to look graceful on them and that's why I won't wear them. Well, that reason and I'll spend more time falling and picking myself off the ground than actually rolling. Anyway, I finally sat down and watched this uninterrupted…it was okay.I really liked the sequences showing the game of Rollerball (even though I still laughed at the skates and people looking like they are on the verge of having the skates come out from under them at any moment) and I felt the story was fairly decent with its themes and such. However, the film definitely feels dated and I wasn't really that into James Caan's performance. In the end though, it's not a bad Sci-Fi film from a decade that gave us some pretty timeless Sci-Fi epics.