--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a…" description: "\"Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense. There are bright colors and quick movement on the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/roger-ebert-655_bright-colors_rollerball-is-an-incoherent-mess-a-jumbl_1020550.jpg" --- # Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in… ![“Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense. There are bright colors and quick movement on the screen, which we can watch as a visual pattern that, in entertainment value, falls somewhere between a kaleidoscope and a lava lamp.” quote by Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/roger-ebert-655_bright-colors_rollerball-is-an-incoherent-mess-a-jumbl_1020550.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/roger-ebert-655_bright-colors_rollerball-is-an-incoherent-mess-a-jumbl_1020550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/roger-ebert-655_bright-colors_rollerball-is-an-incoherent-mess-a-jumbl_1020550.jpg) > “Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense. There are bright colors and quick movement on the screen, which we can watch as a visual pattern that, in entertainment value, falls somewhere between a kaleidoscope and a lava lamp.” [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The film feels chaotic, prioritizing visual spectacle over coherent narrative, rhythm, or meaning. **In simple terms:** A visually flashy but story‑less movie. Key Takeaway Focus on story clarity over style. Themes cinema visual style storytelling Mood critical analytical Type review analysis When to use this quote - movie criticism - film analysis - media studies Key Concepts postmodernism visual overload Questions to Reflect On - How does visual excess affect audience engagement? - Can style replace substance? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bright colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-colors/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Jumble Footage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jumble-footage-2273074/) [Kaleidoscope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kaleidoscope/) [Lamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lamps/) [Lava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lava/) [Lava lamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lava-lamps-104482/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Pattern Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pattern-entertainment-2273076/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Rollerball Incoherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rollerball-incoherent-2273073/) [Screens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screens/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Visual Pattern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual-pattern-2273075/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) ## Related quotes > [We treat racism in this country like it's a style that America went through. Like flared legs and lava lamps. Oh, that crazy thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/we-treat-racism-in-this-country-like-it-s-a-style-that-america-went/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [That's a big lava lamp. Congratulations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-s-a-big-lava-lamp-congratulations/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I have a bit of a lava lamp fetish. They are kind of hideous, but there is something so therapeutic about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-heathcote/i-have-a-bit-of-a-lava-lamp-fetish-they-are-kind-of-hideous-but-there/) [Bella Heathcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-heathcote/) > [We're excited for when Sony greenlights the $50 million film a "Bunch Of Swirling Colors" starring George Clooney and a lava lamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sagal/we-re-excited-for-when-sony-greenlights-the-50-million-film-a-bunch/) [Peter Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sagal/) > [By the visual pattern, but mostly I'm guided entirely by my ear, what I hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-ornstein/by-the-visual-pattern-but-mostly-i-m-guided-entirely-by-my-ear-what-i/) [Leo Ornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-ornstein/) > [Boys are like lava lamps,at first they look cool but after some time their not so bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlyn-roten/boys-are-like-lava-lamps-at-first-they-look-cool-but-after-some-time/) [Ashlyn Roten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlyn-roten/) > [Boys are like lava lamps¦fun to look at but not very bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori/boys-are-like-lava-lamps-fun-to-look-at-but-not-very-bright/) [Cori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori/) > [Men are like...Lava Lamps. Fun to look at, but not all that bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-are-like-lava-lamps-fun-to-look-at-but-not-all-that-bright/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Teenagers are bored. By everything. Show a teenager an actual volcanic eruption, in progress, featuring giant billowing clouds of smoke, hot rocks raining from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/teenagers-are-bored-by-everything-show-a-teenager-an-actual-volcanic/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [When I was writing some of songs for the record in Galapagos it was the feeling of being there I wanted to evoke more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-meiburg/when-i-was-writing-some-of-songs-for-the-record-in-galapagos-it-was/) [Jonathan Meiburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-meiburg/) > [Whoa," said Nico as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?" "Yeah," I (Percy) said. "Why is there lava pouring down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/whoa-said-nico-as-he-climbed-off-the-bus-is-that-a-climbing-wall-yeah/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [People never believe in volcanoes until the lava actually overtakes them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/people-never-believe-in-volcanoes-until-the-lava-actually-overtakes/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“The very first thing I saw at this year's Telluride Film Festival was sheer bliss. "Lava," a musical romance from Pixar Animation, was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-very-first-thing-i-saw-at-this-year-s-telluride-film-festival-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always had a feeling, for example, that there should be something from Verdi's "Requiem" in the film. You hear it when you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-always-had-a-feeling-for-example-that-there-should-be-something/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) ## More by Roger Ebert > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-am-beneath-everything-else-a-fan-i-was-fixed-in-this-mode-as-a/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“We’d had a revelation. This was the direction American movies should take: into idiosyncratic characters, into dialogue with an ear for the vulgar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-d-had-a-revelation-this-was-the-direction-american-movies-should/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“Most courtroom movies feel it necessary to end with a clear-cut verdict. But 12 Angry Men never states whether the defendant is innocent or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/most-courtroom-movies-feel-it-necessary-to-end-with-a-clear-cut/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I value the kind of prayer when you stand at the edge of the sea, or beneath a tree, or smell a flower, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-value-the-kind-of-prayer-when-you-stand-at-the-edge-of-the-sea-or/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“One of my delights in these books, on the other hand, has been to include movies not often cited as “great”—some because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/one-of-my-delights-in-these-books-on-the-other-hand-has-been-to/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though you might agree or disagree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-isn-t-good-or-bad-based-on-its-politics-it-s-usually-good-or/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [It is human nature to look away from illness. We don't enjoy a reminder of our own fragile mortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-human-nature-to-look-away-from-illness-we-don-t-enjoy-a/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [ Gene \[Siskel\] often mentioned something François Truffaut once told him: the most beautiful sight in a movie theater is to walk down to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/gene-siskel-often-mentioned-something-fran-ois-truffaut-once-told-him/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-is-not-about-what-it-is-about-it-is-about-how-it-is-about-it/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/james-cameron-s-films-have-always-been-distinguished-by-ground/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/friends-don-t-let-jackasses-drink-and-drive/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I think we have to get beyond the idea that we have to categorize people. We can now have action movies with two stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-think-we-have-to-get-beyond-the-idea-that-we-have-to-categorize/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) [Explore all 427 Roger Ebert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## More Bright colors quotes > [“Well…there’s only one glove. Right away, I wonder, where’s the other glove? How did it become separated from its mate? Does it feel lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-kage/well-there-s-only-one-glove-right-away-i-wonder-where-s-the-other/) [Linda Kage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-kage/) > [“You see life in bright colors. Alas, ours is a world of darker shades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-fielding/you-see-life-in-bright-colors-alas-ours-is-a-world-of-darker-shades/) [Hannah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-fielding/) > [“There was a strange exciting smell in the air - the smell of wine, cigar smoke, and perfume, mingled with the scent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-a-strange-exciting-smell-in-the-air-the-smell-of-wine-cigar/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The sun of Sunday morning up out of the sleepless sea from black Liverpool. Sitting on the rocks over the water with a jug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-donleavy/the-sun-of-sunday-morning-up-out-of-the-sleepless-sea-from-black/) [J.P. Donleavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-donleavy/) > [“They like bright colors," she said. He smiled at her, those dark tameless eyes, half-bold and half-shy. "They like beautiful things," he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-todd/they-like-bright-colors-she-said-he-smiled-at-her-those-dark-tameless/) [Pamela Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-todd/) > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [“I wear loud clothes. They aren’t bright colors, but I do have speakers sewn into my shirts. What can I say, I’ve grown out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wear-loud-clothes-they-aren-t-bright-colors-but-i-do-have-speakers/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. The Spanish colonial buildings are in bright colors, two stories high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-love-to-walk-through-the-streets-of-jesus-maria-and-pueblo-libre/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [My mom has accepted my style. My dad is a little suspect with all the bright colors and loud stuff. He's a khakis and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandler-parsons/my-mom-has-accepted-my-style-my-dad-is-a-little-suspect-with-all-the/) [Chandler Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandler-parsons/) > [“The following “Rules for Female Teachers” were posted by the school board of one town in Massachusetts: Do not get married. Do not leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-following-rules-for-female-teachers-were-posted-by-the-school/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I was a teenager with braces and into sporty dresses with bright colors and cut-outs. For awhile, I really experimented with what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-was-a-teenager-with-braces-and-into-sporty-dresses-with-bright/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [Much is missed if we have eyes only for the bright colors. Nature should be viewed without distinction... She makes no choice herself; everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-porter/much-is-missed-if-we-have-eyes-only-for-the-bright-colors-nature/) [Eliot Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-porter/) > [“Designing for children carries a social responsibility beyond bright colors and scaled-down furnishings that only perceptive and informed grown-ups can understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-exley/designing-for-children-carries-a-social-responsibility-beyond-bright/) [Sharon Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-exley/) > [“She looked at me for a long time and then pulled an old envelope out of the trash and drew a pear on it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/she-looked-at-me-for-a-long-time-and-then-pulled-an-old-envelope-out/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I've been to hundreds of conventions in my career. Sometimes I'm afraid I may get jaded by them. But then, I see a figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-perez/i-ve-been-to-hundreds-of-conventions-in-my-career-sometimes-i-m/) [George Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-perez/) [Browse all 103 Bright colors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-colors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rollerball is an incoherent mess, a jumble of footage in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense. 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