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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Logan’s Run (1976) [PG] ***

A film review by Martin Liebman for blu-ray.com on 07 November 2009.

So what does the world of Logan's Run really look like, that is, beyond the flowing and revealing singularly-colored garb, sterile indoor environments, and the ability to change faces on a whim? There's little-to-no baldness. Not bad! There are no cutesy little Lordy, Lordy, Logan's 40! quips in the newspaper. A definite plus! Grumpy Old Men doesn't exist. Eh, take it or leave it. There's the fiery ritual Carrousel that kills everyone on their 30th Birthday. Excellent… oh, wait. Surely there had to be a catch, and that's it. No longer does man live until his 11's are up (that's for all the Mel Brooks fans); instead, the slate is wiped clean and room is made inside the happy little dome (that's for all the Bob Ross fans) for the next generation of hedonists to live it up until it's time for the ultimate trip up into the blowing vortex of Carrousel, which is really a downer. And for those that refuse the ride to eternity? The Four Aces will be sure to send someone to "give [them] a dream"… permanently.

In the 23rd century, wary of the ravages of war and overpopulation, mankind now lives in domed cities where hedonism rules. It's a life free of worry and filled with pleasure, but there's one prerequisite: citizens will, on their 30th birthday, be terminated in an event known as Carrousel. Those who choose not to participate in the ritual -- known as runners -- are hunted down by a specialized unit known as Sandmen who dress in black and carry deadly weapons. One such Sandman, Logan 5 (Michael York), becomes inquisitive when he kills a runner wearing an Ankh, and later sees the same symbol on a young girl named Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter). Logan's inquiry of a central computer reveals the Ankh to be a symbol of an underground movement that leads runners to the safety of Sanctuary. Logan is tasked with posing as a runner, discovering Sanctuary, and destroying it. Gaining the trust of Jessica, Logan begins his mission but soon finds himself sympathetic to the runners' cause when his life clock -- a small crystal implanted in everyone's palm that counts down the time to Carrousel -- skips ahead four years for the purpose of the mission. With fellow Sandman and Logan's best friend Francis (Richard Jordan) in pursuit, can he discover what lies beyond the dome's walls and once and for all terminate the barbaric ritual of Carrousel?

Though not an endearing, timeless classic of Science Fiction in the same vein as something like Forbidden Planet, Logan's Run nevertheless enjoys a strong following thanks to its ability to mesh action, special effects, and a quality story into a singular, entertaining, and somewhat timeless picture that speaks to the notion of personal liberty versus centrally-imposed tyranny. Of course, those technical elements -- special effects, story, pacing, and action -- seem tame by today's frenetic Michael Bay-inspired style, but Logan's Run has nevertheless maintained a welcome spot near the top of many genre aficionados' best of lists for the past several decades. One of Logan's Run's best assets lies in its ability to juxtapose the cleanliness, sterility, order, and security of the dome with the grim reality of Carrousel. The hedonist lifestyle has won over the majority of the population, and Carrousel is depicted as a sport of sorts that seem the highlight of every day inside the dome. Citizens have become numb to reality. Cheering on the deaths of their friends without consideration that their time will come soon enough, life in the dome creates a citizenry of walking dead that seem no more clued into the realities of life than the undead flesh eaters that have become staples of cinema in recent years. Though Logan's Run suffers through a few slow spots in its second and third acts, the action and philosophical underpinnings are enough to keep viewers glued to the film from beginning to end.

The aforementioned special effects -- though winners of a Special Achievement Award at the 1977 Oscars -- just don't hold up well, particularly when viewed under the scrutiny of high definition. The model work remains impressive for its scope and somewhat natural look and flow, but the problem is that there's no mistaking it for being just that -- a model. The spartan interiors of the dome, too, add little visual flair to the picture, but the minimalist set design allows for something of a less is more approach that fits in with the themes of the film nicely. Acting isn't one of Logan's Run's strong suits, either, but Jerry Goldsmith's (Star Trek: First Contact) score delivers a consistently pitch-perfect sound that's at once futuristic, foreboding, and grand. One fault of the picture is its inability to adequately explore the inner-workings of life in the dome and offer a more detailed history that goes beyond the superficial explanation provided by a paragraph at the beginning of the movie. Such specifics may be better left to the written word, in this case the novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson on which the film is based. While the film does a good enough job of capturing the purpose and timeframe of its locations, many viewers may leave the film with a curiosity to understand the social, political, and economical infrastructure behind the world of Logan's Run. Nevertheless, this filmed adaptation satisfies on several levels, and despite several weak points and a terribly dated look, Logan's Run remains critical viewing for Science Fiction fans and connoisseurs of exciting but at the same time morally and philosophically challenging cinema. [Liebman’s rating: *** out of 5 stars]

Blogger’s comment: While Logan’s Run (1976) was created twenty years after Forbidden Planet (1956) and sixteen years after The Time Machine (1960), in terms of screenplay, acting, costumes, sets, soundtrack and overall production values the three films are contemporaries, which says volumes about the mediocrity and lack of sophistication of Logan’s Run. Said another way, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) was released a year after Logan’s Run, and yet Star Wars is light years (pun intended) ahead of Logan’s Run. The plot holes in Logan’s Run require a huge suspension of disbelief. For example, Logan and Jessica don’t eat anything during the several days they are outside the city, yet there is no mention of hunger or foraging for food. And when they return to the city and Logan goes through an interrogation and then destroys the interrogation facility, the whole city somehow is destroyed. Unbelievable!

Labels: action, sci-fi


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