 "A Clasic movie... I remember this movie since I was 5" | 2009-09-07 |
| - Reviewed By cpacheco_ceps |
| Logan's run is a clasic movie. An apocalipsis view of the future... but with hope of a new beginning. A 70's jewel!! |
| |
| "Logan's Run: Still running and still revelant" | 2009-05-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1SV8ITHR6ZLP4 |
| This movie, while being pre-Star Wars, is still relevant today in the subject matter; ecology, overpopulation, hedonism, governmental control, technologies, marriage, genocide, and many others with very plausible visual depictions of a future "post-apocalyptic" society. The movie's varied subject matter is presented very well in the plot, and really...relatively simple dialogue. The actors are all very believable, yet simple. Some may say that this movie is overly simplistic, shallow, etc, but...and that is a big BUT...when you consider what the movie presents you see great depth. It should be considered a CLASSIC and rated with equal prestige as great literary works like Ray Bradbury's "Farenheit 451" or George Orwell's "Animal Farm" |
| |
 ""Good luck, Runner. May you find Sanctuary."" | 2009-02-19 |
| - Reviewed By stealthdonut |
I've been a lifelong fan of Sci-Fi films of all types and varieties. I first watched "Logan's Run" around the age of 7 (circa 1979) on TV and have loved the movie ever since. Between the interesting plot, highly stylized set pieces, intricate minatures work, expansive and beautiful matte paintings, and of course, Jenny Agutter, what's not to like here?
The movie's setting is the year 2274 and it is clear from the beginning that some great catastrophe has occured which has forced the remnants of humanity into giant domed cities. Within lies a sprawling futuristic metropolis peopled by individuals all under the age of 30 and dressed in color coordinated clothing (Yellow for pre-teens, Greens for late teens and early 20's, and Red for mid 20's to 30). Each citizen has implanted in their left palm a "lifeclock", a small crystal which changes color when certain stages of age are reached. It begins to flash once it's owner has offically reached age 30, marking a very significant stage. When one hits the age of 30 they join in an activity called "Carousel". There these 30 year olds go through a rather mystical ceremony in which they are systematically (and willingly) obliterated by the city's central computer in a high-flying way. In this fashion the inhabitants are "Renewed", that is processed by the computer to begin life again in the body of a newborn infant. Anyone who wants to keep on living and doesn't want to join in Carousel, for whatever reason/s, is called a "Runner". A group of pseudo-police called "Sandmen" are responsible for chasing down Runners and terminating them.
To the viewer there is something way out of whack with this system and it's clear that the populace is not being given the full story and seem to live life for sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (or disco in this case). Logan 5 (Michael York) is a Sandman alongside his best friend Francis 7 (Richard Jordan), also a Sandman, and go through the daily activities of looking for Runners and living a stress-free life filled with all things carnal. After dispatching a Runner and looting his belongings, Logan takes into possession a small metallic Ankh. The city's Central Computer, recognizing the symbol, assigns Logan with the task of finding "Sanctuary", a mythical safe haven for Runners who flee the city, and destroying it. To help Logan infiltrate the underground society which enables Runners to get to Sanctuary, the computer advances Logan's lifeclock from age 26 to age 30, forcing him to become a Runner himself.
The movie gets a lot of criticism for being heavily laden with the styles and mannerisms of the 70's, and the inclusion of Farrah Fawcett-Majors did not help as she was as symbolic of the decade as anyone else. The model work, pretty cool stuff at the time, is *clearly* model work now. But one must remember that this movie was made in an era when things such as CGI and advanced special effects did not exist (Star Wars opened that door a year later in 1977) and so the modern viewer is forced to suspend disbelief to a degree in order to enjoy the movie more fully.
And when one successfully does suspend that disbelief there is a jewel of a movie to be found here. The sets are nicely put together and the situations that Logan and Jessica (played by Jenny Agutter) find themselves in on their trek to Sanctuary are mind blowing stuff. It is interesting watching these two transform from members of a lascivious and hedonistic society to a pair of innocent and almost naive people as they first discover the world outside the dome. The film really reaches it's emotional climax when Logan and Jessica find and explore the ruins of the familiar (and yet alien) Washington DC.
I've not read the book upon which the movie was based, however I plan on doing so in the near future. The plot and setting leave many questions regarding the world in which Logan and Jessica live (not the least of which is "How did this whole thing come about?") and speculating on those answers is a fun mental exercise while watching Logan and Jessica as they explore long-forgotten fisheries underneath the city, a frozen seafood storage facility run by a robot gone haywire (Roscoe Lee Browne), and a long lost civilization abandoned and grown over with weeds. The movie also raises more serious societal questions and concerns, mostly with regards to age, vanity, and sex. At what point will dying be a question which is decided by the State (or the Computer, in this case) rather than by Nature? I've heard of some place in Europe where this is already playing out, with elderly people being euthanized on the decision of their children, thus saving the State extra expenses. Serious stuff indeed.
If one can get past the clearly 70's influenced styles and some rather out of date special effects, they will likely enjoy this wonderful film on its own merits. I'm not sure that I like the idea of a remake as modern remakes tend to overdo it and completely bury the intent and enjoyability of the movie being remade (see The Poseidon Adventure as proof of this, among many others). This is a great movie that I never tire of watching! |
| |
| "classic movie great SF" | 2009-01-11 |
| - Reviewed By kable12 |
Michael York!
In the year 2274, after the world has been decimated by a holocaust, a new society is built and resides in a domed city. However, it is forbidden for humans to live beyond 30 and you are given two choices, either to go through a ritual called Carousel with the promise of being "renewed", or go on the run and risk being hunted down by an elite police force known as Sandmen. |
| |
| "should be remade" | 2008-12-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3II1ACACC5MTX |
The story is pretty good, the acting ok, the sets are a product of their time. Look, it is virtually impossible to make a film, particularly a sci-fi one and not have it look dated 20 years later. I know its unfair to compare but you will bust a gut laughing at early 1970s Dr Who's where the idea of futuristic transport was a Citroen Diane with the doors taken off, and crewed by 4 camp looking blokes in berets and capes. Tears are rolling down my face as I think of it. Anyway. 2001, Blade Runner, Star Wars - still look good today. Not much else does though. Back to Logans Run, all you need to know is Jenny Agutter gets nuddy in it. How cool is that?
PS - I noted some comment about the sandmens guns being unrealistic. Well, on my first night excercise, I started firing my semi-auto Self Loading Rifle (SLR) which had a blank firing attachment on it (which provides enough back pressure to operate the working parts of the rifle when using blanks) and lo and behold, 4 tongues of flame shot out of the flash eliminator ports just like in Logans Run, which was great for sci-fi reminiscence but rubbish for my night vision. So there you go, not unrealistic at all. |
| |
| "Old Fashioned Sci-Fi" | 2008-12-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2GVM7RNS6ANZJ |
Obviously this film is open to criticism on several fronts. The fact that it was shot in a shopping center gives it a contemporary commercial feel rather than a futuristic feel. The gas torches that are supposed to be laser guns are not convincing at all. Even as a kid watching this film I couldn't figure out what the special effects people were thinking. They certainly could have come up with a more convincing laser gun than that in 1976. Also, the dialogue in the script is rather simple and drags in much of the film. However, having said all of this I still can't help feeling that this is a rather profound film.
Like most pre-Star Wars science fiction, the themes that the film deals with, and deals with well, are themes that we deal with today. Themes such as:
1)our youth worshipping culture and our horror of growing old
2)our obsession with cosmetics and plastic surgery
3)our limited resources and how they can best be used
4)free love and sex
5)recreational drug use
6)our increasing dependence on technology
7)the deterioration and decline of the family
All of these issues are addressed by the film and dealt with in a sober and unsettling way. In some ways this is not a fun film to watch. It raises questions. Could we actually get to a point where we start killing people just because they reach a certain age? I've heard some bad things are taking place in Holland and parts of Scandinavia. Could we ever reach a point where marriage and family life becomes a thing of the distant past, recalled only in legends and folk-lore? We seem to be moving in that direction. And could we get to a point where we become totally dependent on technology so that computers are ordering us around and we have no individual rights? I still think the most chilling part of the film is when the computer says to Logan "Identify".
The film does present a "solution" to these issues although I'm not sure that it's a very good one. It seems to suggest that going back to a more primitive existence where technology didn't exist and where humans are forced to spend their time hunting and looking for nuts and seeds is the answer. I'm not so sure.
Of course, these are the broad themes that the film addresses but the storyline itself is rather puzzling too. For example, what was Logan's real motive in running? Was he following orders from the computer or was he actually running in earnest? Or was he conflicted about whether he should actually run or stick to the mission? Also, why, when he was about to meet the other runners for the first time, did he send a tracking signal to the other sandmen? Did he think that the runners would kill him and that his only hope of escape was for the sandmen to create a diversion? How did Logan come to the conclusion that sanctuary didn't exist and why did this cause the city's computer system to crash? These are questions that I've wondered about and I haven't really found a satisfactory answer to them.
I know a lot has been said about the dullness of the dialogue in the film, but I think it's important to remember that this is a young culture that's being presented. It's a culture where young people don't have to think because the computers do all of their thinking for them and provide for their every need. In light of this, it's quite probable that their life skills and their intellectual development would be stunted. These are people who are intellectually more like children than adults.
I do wonder why the city's central computer spoke with a warm, soft feminine voice. Is this another theme? It's like a human government saying to it's citizens "Let me take care of you. Let me provide for you. And in return you will be my slaves."
|
| |
