Machinas: Movie inspirations

Machinas movie inspirations
If you're looking for some movies to get into the mood to play Machinas, I would like to make a few recommendations. It’s not an unfamiliar list, but there might be a couple obscure gems here. It is also not a complete list -- I could go on and on talking about "Cannonball Run," "Gumball Rally," "The Moonshiners," "Grand Prix," "Belflower," etc. -- but the following list still touches on the core movies.

“Ben Hur”

Not just for the well-known chariot race, but for the setting in the Middle East. “Ben Hur” lives in a desert scrubland, but it is not a wasteland. Even though the Machinas world is called the Wasteland, just like in “Ben Hur,” it is still a home to a thriving civilization.

Mad Max/Road Warrior/Beyond Thunderdome

The custom grill on this Holden Monaro is what inspired me
to use all retro cars for Machinas.

The one that started it all, bad men and fast cars in a world that is on the brink of the apocalypse, “Mad Max” is fantastic even if only for the wonderful array of characters.  The cold Max, carefree Goose, charismatic Toe Cutter, wild Night Rider, no-nonsense Bubba Zanetti – the list goes on, and every one of them could be drivers in Machinas.
“Mad Max” started it all, but “Road Warrior” ran with it. Fun plot, great characters, excellent action and awesome stunts, “Road Warrior” is a must for any action fan. And if you’re not sure how to arm and armor your cars, just watch this movie repeatedly.
The third in the Mad Max trilogy, “Beyond Thunderdome” has  little vehicle action in it. But it is a nice reflection of the Machinas world, with its mix of tech-savvy scrappers, who live in the now, and primitive tribes, who seek the past.

“Death Race” trilogy

"Death Race" cars are the most heavily armed of any on this list.

The shallow plots are inhabited with cookie-cutter characters, but there is more car action and vehicle designs here than you’ll ever need.

“Dust to Glory”

One of the styles of races you can run in Machinas is a road race across the desert. “Dust to Glory” is a beautifully shot documentary following a few participants in the treacherous action of the Baja 1000. The drivers face the same difficulties as any Machinas drivers (except the guns and explosions.) Drivers drive tired, cars break down, roads wash out. One of my favorite sequences is some tense action shot from a helmet cam on a motorcycle rider as he speeds down an unlit desert road in the middle of the night.  Even if you’re not a Machinas or a race fan, I recommend this movie.

"Speed Racer"

 (2008 movie, though the cartoon is also fun)
Much more slicked back than a Machinas race, the marathon at the end of the movie is completely in the spirit of a Machinas race, even if the cars are sleeker, and some of the contraptions are a little more far out.

"Blues Brother"

The Blues-mobile embodies the very soul of a Machinas car. It’s old. It’s fast. It is its own character. It’s run to its very limits. And its final purpose is to serve God and his flock. When a Machinas car’s racing days are over, it is turned over to its victorious Brother Pilot who travels the Wasteland to spread the word of The Oppenheimer. It could very easily be a Brother Pilot saying, “I’m on a mission from God.”

Protected by Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration.