Heyas folks and welcome to Day 2 of Sci-Fi Week. What say we head into a time of the year
2274, a society composed of young carefree people with all the comforts of
automation, food replicators and rampant desires of the flesh? Sounds pretty decent overall; that is until
you reach the age of 30 and you are fated to engage in the ceremony known as
Carousel. So grab your flame pistol, your negligee toga
and prepare to run. This is Logan’s Run.
Pull my finger. A joke from THE FUTURE! |
Run, spoiler run!!!
Based very loosely on William F. Nolan’s novel of the same
title, this utopia gives humans very little to do in the terms of work
relations. Only a handful of men are
selected to be Sandmen, a quasi-police force that ensures no one over the age of
30 skips out on the time of renewal. It is
said at the age of 30 that your time is up and new life must begin to take the
place that you left behind in order to keep population down and resources
maintained and managed. According to
their religious standing that has been founded God only knows when, these
people have lived in harmony but unaware of their beginnings. The schools only teach so much and history is
almost frowned upon. All knowledge of the Earth seems to be erased
and no one would think of what is beyond the great domed city. To track their years of life, at birth they are fitted with a
Lifeclock crystal in the palm of their hand that changes color as they approach
their “Last Day.” The New You face lifts, tucks and sculpting for when you are tired of that appearance anymore comes in handy but runners are nabbed in the end.
Had no idea Peter Pan held that much sway in fashion...OF THE FUTURE!! |
A sandman named Logan 5 (Michael York of The Three
Musketeers, The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge, Murder on the Orient
Express, Seven Nights in Japan, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Lady and the
Highwayman, Night of the Fox and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)
begins to wonder, to query about the meaning of life and the point of
Carousel. His friend Francis 7 (Richard
Jordan of The Yakuza, Rooster Cogburn, Alibis, Les Miserables, Dune and The
Mean Season) warns him that such thinking undermines Carousel and all
its teachings. They are force to chase a
runner and terminate him. Logan fins a
pendant in the shape of an ankh.
By the
by, booty calls are quite simplified as it would be bad manners to turn a person
down. Logan selects a young girl for the evening, a one Jessica 6 (Jenny
Aguttter of Walkabout, A War of Children, The Eagle Has Landed, The Man in the
Iron Mask, Dominique, An American Werewolf in London and Love’s Labour’s Lost). As the two get cozy Logan notices that
Jessica wear an ankh as well and questions its origin. He takes it to the main computer to verify
it. The computer explains it belongs to
an order known as Sanctuary. A haven for
runners to flee to and hereby orders Logan to destroy Sanctuary. Moments later, his lifeclock starts flashing
red four years too early forcing Logan to become a runner.
Desirable mate...OF THE FUTURE! |
I had a few observations on the movie and wither or not it
has stood the test of time. The
exterior shots of the domed city is obviously forced perspective and scale
models for walk ways, tram system and buildings. Obviously there is a far amount of blue
screen being used for matted shots and the robot servitors look a bit hokey and
those poor actors in the suits must have been broiling but I do not think that
should derail you from the story. I don’t
think it is the pinnacle or apex that science fiction has created but it should
be considered at the very least of a view of what times are ahead. An alternative timeline for humanity if you
will and that has always made for good sci-fi.
Apparently given this is 1976 bras were outlawed in this
utopia and brother does that ever show.
I guess the sexist pig producer came to the conclusion if babies are
genetically engineered and raised by machines, then breast feeding and lack of
offspring meant no sagging or gravity. Trust
me, there was a pig with a cigar making this decision.
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