4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than it sounds, March 10, 2006
I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. Considering it's a made for TV movie with the same kind of budget you can expect from that kind of production Futuresport really pulled it off. I'm not saying this movie is high drama or an incredible sci-fi epic, but I will say it deserves a little notation in the annals of the genre. I think it bears repeating: This is a made for TV movie, which means the budget was small and there was likely very little time for polish. In spite of this when you combine a good story, good acting and some of the cleanest special effects I have ever seen for a TV movie I get a pretty satisfied feeling by the time I get to the end credits. This is what the newer Rollerball movie should have been.
The plot, though it looks pretty basic on the outside, does have all the elements of good science fiction writing. It's not Gattaca, but it does keep the movie's pace going without resorting to cheap Hollywood tactics. What I like most about the story is that is shows some development with the main characters as well as gives enough exposure to most of the supporting characters for the script to end up being well balanced. The progression of the plot, with its minor twists and turns, keep an otherwise bland premise interesting. The violence is toned down a lot more than what you might expect so I would probably rate it a PG-13 or PG in that regard.
I won't say the acting is Oscar material by any means, but I will say it's better than most movies of this caliber. Wesley Snipes pretty much stole the show in this department. I enjoyed seeing him playing an essentially non-action role. It gives him a chance to stretch his acting muscles more, and that he did. You can tell he was enjoying his role, as were the rest of the actors. Dean Kane of Lois and Clark fame also plays a good lead in this one. The villains felt a little too much on the stereotypical bad person theme. Granted you get some pretty decent motives established at the beginning of the movie. They just didn't feel like terrorist/freedom fighters.
When I say Futuresport's special effects were the cleanest I have seen in a long time I'm not kidding. The digital touch ups they did for the hover boards are outstanding. To see these things gliding around with ease as if they were skateboards (with no skates mind you) is wonderful. The CGI scenes of various cityscapes and whatnot are also very nice and remind me of the stuff you see on Babylon 5. The tech was neat too, especially the guns and cybernetic cameramen. Very cyperpunk I must say. Unlike most TV or cable sci-fi movies you do see enough technology around outside and indoors to give enough for you to believe you really are seeing the 2020's. To sum it up everything went really well on the technical, effects and scenery side.
I'm not going to say Futuresport will win everyone over like it did me. It is after all it's a (everybody say it with me this time) made for television movie. If you can enjoy middle of the road, yet VERY well done, TV production values you should have no problems with this one. I wouldn't call it cyberpunk enough for the diehard fans of the genre, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the lighter side of it either. For the rest of you out there I say check it out, sit back, and enjoy what a good TV movie is supposed to be like.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Nice Surprise, October 3, 1999
By A Customer
I'll be honest, like many of you Dean Cain fans (namely the women)I rented this movie because Dean is the most beautiful man alive. So I went into this movie with a very open mind. To tell you the truth, I really enjoyed the movie. It's a very cool sci-fi, sport, action movie and it's not that bad. At first, it's a little hard to follow, (especially if you're just staring at Dean), but it really makes sense. I guess the plot is a little out there, but so's the future. I mean who knows?-someday the world might be like that. It was good to see Dean play someone other than the sweet and innocent Clark Kent. He's a very talented actor who shouldn't just be remembered as Superman. Vanessa Williams was very good, playing the sassy heroine that knew how to take care of herself. A very believable character. And Wesley Snipes, the comic relief, helped the movie by adding a dash of humor to all the action. If you like, sci-fi, Future Sport is perfect for you-there is more to it than Dean Cain.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Seconds parts dilemma!, February 20, 2006
Once upon a time a film whose title was Rollerball; directed by Norman Jewison and superbly starred by James Caan.
Two generations after in 1998 came Future sport, a picture which remains in the middle of the road respect its final intentions. Witch such fragile script and stylized characters where the emotional coordinates are blended with some here and there violent moments, the film does not achieve even a median stature.
The presence of Wesley snipes was the only reason to watch it, but pitifully he was absolutely wasted in a secondary role.
Too much noise and few walnuts.
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