I didn't really like this movie when I first started watching it because it was so confusing, so silly and it felt so rushed. Well, after about 10 minutes I started falling in love with this plot less, goofy structure. What little plot there is, is a post apocalyptic wasteland that is kind of, sort of, a sequel to Death Race 2000. Before you think about grouping it in with one of dozens of Mad Max ripoffs, keep in mind that this film came BEFORE Mad Max. Although it looks similar to many post apocalyptic movies you remember from the 80s or even from today with something like Fury Road, it is a pre-cursor to those films and probably had some influence on them. Deathsport incorporates old magic with futuristic technology with plenty of things you'd recognize from the present which is common with many films in this genre. I know most people who have seen this flick will focus on the absurdity of it, but I think there's a few impressive even intellectual things that viewers miss. The movie is clearly fueled by drugs (weed, LSD and cocaine if I had to guess) and because of this there is a lot of experimentation with acting, camera shots and filming styles. The way the movie plays with color, at times it looks like the director is being influenced by Dario Argento. Also, between what is happening mentally with the evil Lord Zirpola and the gladiatorial like games, I'd say the writers have clearly studied the reign of Caligula. Despite the heavy drug use on the set, or perhaps because of it, this film is smarter than most people think. But regardless of whether you want to see a film with experimental shots and smart metaphors or you simply want to see full frontal female nudity, plastic swords that would later be used for the Crystar toy line and David Carradine kicking butt in a loincloth, you will enjoy this film.

This film has an abysmal 2.8 rating on IMDb, but I didn't think it was anywhere near that bad. In my opinion, a movie can only really be bad if it's boring, and this movie isn't that. It is cheap and poorly made, but it's moderately fun and you can laugh at it. So it's not any kind of horrid failure. It's kind of an unofficial follow-up to one of Roger Corman's more popular productions, Death Race 2000, in that it's about a motor sport created to distract the unwashed masses and stars David Carradine. It also takes place in the future. This future is post-apocalyptic, and David Carrdine, along with hottie Claudia Jennings, are warriors who live in the wastelands. They are captured by "civilization" (which includes crazy ruler David McLean and his minion Richard Lynch) and, along with a doctor who diagnosed McLean's sanity and his rebel son (William Smithers and Will Walker, respectively), they're forced to participate in deathsport, where they basically try to survive while menacing soldiers on deathcycles try to waste them. The titular deathsport really only lasts for a few minutes in the film, and then the rest of the movie has the four heroes escaping on the deathcycles while pursued by Lynch and his thugs. The movie ends with a hilarious duel between Carradine and Lynch, using "whistlers", which are clear plastic swords that whistle when you swing them.

Deathsport, was the sequel to Deathrace 2000. It stars David Carradine, and the late Claudia Jennings. Science fiction films were enjoying a resurgence in the late 70s, after virtually disappearing from the silver-screen, earlier in the decade. This was no doubt, due to the phenomenal box-office success of Star Wars. This film has lots of flashy special effects, noble heroes (Jennings and Carradine), sinister villains, high-tech weaponry, fast futuristic vehicles, etc., etc., etc. Only Deathsport is a film that takes place right here on Earth, rather than in outer space. So, that's mainly what differentiates it from the traditional science fiction movie.The dialog in Deathsport is excessively lofty, and winds-up being laughable as a result. You just can't take it seriously. It's a pity that both Carradine and Jennings, are stuck having to recite such hokey lines. The two of them, are what really holds this otherwise mediocre film together. Both Jennings and Carradine have a good chemistry between them, and are well-matched in their acting abilities.The performances of Claudia Jennings and David Carradine, are the only reason to see Deathsport. Otherwise it's a humorless, boring movie, and not worth your time.

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* The basic, and I mean basic, premise of this film is that a deranged president (John Hulmes) and his `Statesmen' capture wandering nomads to fight against `death machines' to gain their freedom and to satisfy his sadistic needs. However, the President's mental health is failing and sensing weakness, his right hand man Ankar Moor (Richard Lynch) decides that the time is right to increase his own grip on power. Whilst this may sound like a promising story line it is unfortunately as far as the writers managed to develop the script, so essentially a five minute idea gets padded out to make a 90 minute film. This is achieved by adding a completely pointless `sub-plot' involving mutants kidnapping a young girl from Deneer's (Claudia Jeenings) tribe and lots of footage of bike chases. Who the mutants are and why they kidnap the girl is deemed by the writers to be completely irrelevant to the viewer. The prop budget in this film is minimal to say the least and makes a Dr Who episode seem grossly lavish. The `death machines' are essentially motorbikes with bits of silver metal attached and have an alarming tendency to explode at slightest contact (reminiscent of The Simpsons' vehicles). In fact a large chunk of the budget must have been spent on pyrotechnics because things explode and catch on fire throughout the last half of the film. The dialogue is extremely cumbersome and was probably written during a heavy smoking session. Corradine seems distracted and listless, whilst Lynch half-heartedly hams it up, leaving only former Playboy Playmate Jeenings seemingly intent on making any effort. This being a Corman production she of course has to be nude at some point (which must be considered a positive in this film) and she duly obliges during a bizarre light bulb torture scene. The same device is also used to provide a rather lame conclusion to the President story line. Another oddity in this film is the `musical score' which at times sounds like the keyboard player is suffering from a fit and at times alternates between droning sounds and jazz! The sound effects seemingly `borrow' heavily from the Star Wars library – listen out for what sounds like Vader's breathing, the phazer effects and the Tie-Fighter like `screaming' sound whilst the bikes travel through the tunnels. With the film meandering aimlessly mid-production and in danger of not getting finished Corman stepped in and the sense of desperation can be seen in the final product. This is essentially a poor second cousin to Deathrace 2000, a film that strangely benefited from Stallone's character. I'd only recommend this to Corman die-hards or cult completists. Note: Watch out for the unfortunate extra who gets unintentionally set alight during the cave scenes (you can see him frantically diving to the ground and becoming engulfed in a plume of extinguisher vapour).