The combat brutality is strictly routine, and fails entirely to relieve the excruciating lethargy of Rollerball.

So confused and so poorly articulated is Jewison's vision of the future, that it's hard to know what the message is.

It is in fact a simple tale, the familiar theme of sci-fi back to Metropolis, despite the costly dressing and the confusions of William Harrison's ill-made screenplay.

"Rollerball" sounds more meaningful and exciting in summary than it is as spelled out in Harrison's screenplay and under Norman Jewison's direction.