Logan's Run (1976)

Based on the 1976 science-fiction movie of a hedonistic society living in a huge bubble and taking for granted there is no life outside of it.

2.5 stars out of 4

The Bottom Line:

The first 40 minutes of Logan's Run are interesting, but once Logan begins his run the movie loses its urgency and devolves into a strange and not terribly convincing portrait of the future--look elsewhere for dystopian thrills, this one's dated and forgettable. December 28, 2008

Unusual Sci-fi allegory

This film is best interpreted in a symbolic and allegorical way. The plot is too implausible and riddled with inconsistencies to be taken literally. Instead, what Logan's Run offers is a bizarre vision of the cult of eternal youth evolving into a police state. Some of the scenes are riveting, such as the early depiction of sanitized mass murder carried out in a spectacular ceremony. There are clear references to a commercial culture that glorifies youth and lives in denial about death. The world depicted here is at once hedonistic and claustrophobic. The environment is a kind of shallow, Disneyesque paradise from which there is no hope of escape. The implicit subtext of the movie, that hedonism is a kind of deathtrap, is well taken. December 20, 2008

Logans Rub

Awesome flick from when I was a kid, as good as I remember. Pretty good special effects for that time era. October 17, 2008

Run from Brave New World

Ah, 70s science fiction... ridiculous costumes, campy visual effects, social commentary... and an underlying weirdness you just can't ignore. Logan's Run is something like THX 1138, only to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World instead of Orwell's 1984. And in the words of the character Logan himself, "It all made sense until Box..." In the future, mankind survives in a mall-like bubble of society that entirely subsists off of pleasure and materialism. Everyone is forced to die at the age of 30, basically to prevent the knowledge of suffering from getting into their minds. Those who do not want to die at 30 are "runners" that get tracked down by "sandmen" who blast them with what essentially amounts to flare guns. Despite this, the walls are not TOO scorched with spent rounds, and most people go on happily. Unfortunately for the status quo, this world is a lie and not everyone is happy, resulting in one particular sandman, the eponymous Logan 5, to have to become a runner himself.

There are some pretty bizarre scenes in the lieu. The whole rite of the carousel is actually quite disturbing if you think about it. An entire quadrant of the city is filled with derelicts and gangmembers, and of course this part is the one called "The Cathedral". On the other hand, there's visual candy as well, with superb modeling for the cityscapes and, yes, Jenny Agutter in a miniskirt that only gets more revealing as it slowly falls apart over the course of the movie.

Unlike THX 1138, Logan's Run doesn't end upon successful exit of the city; that's only the first half. Afterward the audience is treated to a gorgeous vision of the empty and abandoned Washington D.C. The movie kind of drags at this point, but is made up for mostly by the disturbing visions of American landmarks in various states of decay. When all else fails, science fiction's greatest asset is the ability to displace the audience with what they feel are familiar landscapes--just look at Planet of the Apes or 28 Days Later...

This is a very enjoyable movie, nonetheless. People who like the fact that Star Wars is a Campbellian construction of the Hero's Journey should definitely check this movie out--it might as well have been the primary source for George Lucas' later work. And for science fiction fans as a whole, it's a classic example of the form.

But MAN, was that robot and the ice cave WEIRD.

--PolarisDiB October 2, 2008

A very good sci-fi film, often underrated

This film is enjoyable to watch as a straightforward sci-fi chase adventure. However, it has much more to offer - as a possible future for mankind where a "utopian", closed, domed city has imposed death at 30 in order to keep "balance" - one dies, one is born (or reborn, as the system would have you believe). It follows the story of Logan 5 (Michael York) as a sandman (someone who kills "runners" - people that attempt to live beyond "lastday") and Jessica 6 (the beautiful Jenny Agutter) as they try to find "sanctuary". Importantly, they also find their adventure bonds them in a truly loving relationship, something they never experienced in a city of free love. Their journey also earns them a freedom they don't expect, and an exposure to discomfort and danger they find truly alarming. Is it all worth it? Peter Ustinov does a great job as the "old man".

The DVD is of good quality, and there is a nice commentary by the directory and Michael York. Apparently this was the first film to use holograms. It was originally shot in Todd AO.
August 18, 2008

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