In the not too distant future, wars will no longer exist. But there will be Against the ‘70s.
Today begins a new four-film themed series: American Dystopias! We inaugurate it with Rollerball, a very strange movie that I like very much. Despite having very little plot, and being fairly straight-forward, there’s something elusive and obscure about it, and I’ve tried to reflect that by using what the late great writing teacher and academic Peter Elbow would call a collage structure. I hope you enjoy it!
The Corporation has given Jonathan everything. He has a ranch. He has a “privilege card,” which I believe is this world’s version of having lots of cash. He has a succession of pretty companions, who’ll do whatever he wants. Oh sure, he doesn’t get to choose his companion, but does that really matter? I mean, he did have a wife, and she was taken away from him because an executive wanted her, but does that really matter? Everyone, in the board room, in the bed room, on the rollerball track, is replaceable. Anyway, what reason could Jonathan give to say no? Rollerball will eventually cripple him if it doesn’t kill him, so why not retire when they ask him to? The Corporation will make sure he’s comfortable in retirement. What could he possibly want that he doesn’t already have?
It shouldn’t bother him. But it does.
For game material, we have a new focus for the Cypher System: Rollerballs! That’s right, if you’ve ever wanted to play a rollerballin’ son of a bitch in your Cypher System game, here it is.
NEXT TIME, ON AGAINST THE ‘70S:
