Subject: Retrospective: Logan's Run (1976)

From: "Dragan Antulov" <[email-masked]>
Date: 10 Feb 2000 05:25:37 GMT

LOGAN'S RUN
A Film Review
Copyright Dragan Antulov 2000

In Spring of 1982 the biggest television event in former
Yugoslavia was the series of five science fiction films
being premiered on Belgrade state television. Among them
four were MGM classics made in late 1960s and 1970s - 2001:
A SPACE ODYSSEY, LOGAN'S RUN, WESTWORLD, DEMON SEED (fifth
was relatively obscure Croatian 1976 period horror
IZBAVITELJ). Those four films left strong and lasting
impression on the author of this review, reaffirming his
love of science fiction and helping him to shape his taste
in the movies, and also learning him to distinguish good
from bad examples of the genre. The impact was even
stronger, thanks to the fact that many of those films were
re-aired shortly afterwards, as part of daytime educational
program (and uncut, which should give you rather insightful
look into the censorship standards of former Yugoslavia). On
the other hand, although all those four films happened to be
great, there was only one that found special place in my
heart. It was LOGAN'S RUN, 1976 science fiction spectacle by
Michael Anderson.

The plot of the film is based on the 1967 novel by William
F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. It begins in the year
2274, in a world depopulated by industrial pollution where
the survivors live in the huge city under the dome. This
last remaining piece of civilisation is actually a nice
place to live - advanced machines, controlled by omni-potent
Computer, fulfil all existential needs, leaving inhabitants
to spend all their lives enjoying technological luxury, free
sex, hallucinogenic drugs and other exotic forms of
entertainment. However, due to the population limit, all
citizens must end their life at the age of thirty, being
subjected to spectacular quasi- religious ritual of Carousel
that offers vague hope of "renewal". Those who try to escape
Carousel and live past their thirtieth birthday are known as
Runners, and their capture and immediate execution is a job
for the police force known as Sandmen. Logan 5 (played by
Michael York) is a Sandman who is given a special task by
Computer - he must locate mythical place that shelters
Runners, known as Sanctuary, and destroy it. Logan, in order
to achieve that task, must pretend to be a Runner and thus
infiltrate the underground network of people who help
Runners in their escape. Logan gets in touch with beautiful
Jessica 6 (played by Jenny Agutter), one of the members of
that group, and slowly builds her trust. She leads him to
Sanctuary and Logan along the way falls in love with her,
begins questioning his own life as a Sandman and decides to
become Runner for real. But, Computer has sent another
Sandman, his former best friend and colleague Francis 7
(played by Richard Jordan) who would hunt two of them even
if it means going outside allegedly impenetrable city
limits.

LOGAN'S RUN is often referred as the best example of a
science fiction movie that didn't age very well. This is
most evident in the area of special effects. In 1976 MGM
spent huge sums of money for the special effects that were
state-of-the-art for its time and actually won an "Oscar".
But, only a year later, STAR WARS would set much higher
standards and make LOGAN'S RUN look cheap and laughable. We
become aware of film's age in the beginning, when the
audience, which is introduced to the futuristic city by
spectacular panoramas, actually sees rather pathetic
miniature models. Such impression is somewhat improved later
in the film, especially in the scenes featuring Washington
D.C. of the distant future.

But the problems for LOGAN'S RUN aren't limited to the
obsolete visual effects. Characters are sometimes given
lines that seem unrealistic, directed more towards the
audience than to each other. Music by usually reliable Jerry
Goldsmith is of variable quality -after the effective
opening theme that combines classical orchestration and
electronic instruments, he goes to more standard territory.
And Anderson as director uses that music on the wrong
scenes. The acting is, to put it mildly, bellow standards
you might expect in science fiction classics. Michael York
is not the best casting choice for the protagonist, looking
somewhat too intellectual for tough, macho hero of
futuristic action drama. His partner Jenny Agutter has
rather thankless role of classic damsel in distress, and she
is better remembered for her good looks and skimpy clothes
(and lack of in couple of moments, brief but well-
remembered by male science fiction fans in their early
teens). However, even her thankless role is well played, at
least compared with terrible acting by Farrah Fawcett in
episodic role that became legend of its own. Late Richard
Jordan, on the other hand, is excellent as Logan's
friend-turned-nemesis, bringing raw, masculine humanity to
his character, including some homoerotic overtones. His
total opposite is equally superb Peter Ustinov who gives
dignified portrayal of half-senile, almost childlike Old
Man.

But all that flaws, that turned LOGAN'S RUN into "that film
that didn't age well", "that 1970s schlock" and MST fodder,
are not so important for the overall impression of the film.
At least when we consider how different this film is from
science fiction cinema of today. Now we expect science
fiction films to feature CGI graphics, cool soundtracks and
spectacular action, which makes plot and characters less
important. But in 1976, before Lucas and Spielberg began
their infantilisation of American cinema industry, Hollywood
science fiction was built on different principles.
Interesting ideas, plots and characters were more important
than cool special effects. LOGAN'S RUN was made on those
principles, as a film that allowed viewers to use their
heads, as well as their senses, making them think long after
the end credits.

LOGAN'S RUN, like any good, thought-provoking vision of the
future, is actually built on some trends in the present. The
authors of original novel, written in 1967 (mediocre
according to most on-line critics, and, the author of this
review, after reading the sequel, tends to believe them),
were inspired by social turmoil of late 1960s and
counter-culture of younger generations, violently opposed
towards establishment of the older generations. They saw
this revolt as a consequence of unprecedented economic
prosperity and technological advances, making younger
generations, now unaffected by hardships of the past, less
motivated to take responsibility for their lives as their
parents had done. In the future, role of parents (and
welfare state) is taken by omnipotent technology and the
tables are turned - the younger generations now belong to
establishment; hedonism and instant self- gratification is
supreme social value and those who preach family, work and
responsibility are considered dangerous subversives. A
decade later, young rebels of 1960s grew older, world
economy was hit by fuel crisis, but hedonism was still
reigning supreme and the vision of the future in LOGAN'S RUN
was still very believable. And the idea of mandatory age
limits was not so alien to the generations that grew on
slogans like "Don't trust anyone over thirty".

This vision of future is, of course, hardly utopian. Script
by David Zelag Goodman, same as the novel, sees the brave
new world of LOGAN'S RUN as dehumanised, totalitarian and
sterile. Material wealth of this new world is by definition
limited, and so are the boundaries of space, as well of
creativity. Despite filmmakers' efforts to make the world as
exotic as 1970s America, we could still see monochromatic
fashion, so typical for typical totalitarian, oppressive
dystopias of classical science fiction. And the humanity in
this world, same as in classical story THE MACHINE STOPS by
E.M. Forster, is so accustomed to supertechnology that it
becomes doomed when this supertechnology begins failing (as
it happens in this film). What is more disturbing is the
fact that we might see seeds of this dystopia in our lives -
recently Y2K phenomenon was supposed to cause effects
similar to the ones seen in the last scenes of the film.

Perhaps some viewers wouldn't like the alternative to this
dystopia, which offer conservative worldview. Hedonism and
instant self-gratification ultimately lead to moral and
physical decay, as well as life without obligations, which
in the end becomes empty and pointless. Instead, people
should return to the ideals of glorious past (symbolised in
Washington D.C.) and re-embrace family, work and
responsibility. Those who follow such path, like the hero of
this film, would be rewarded with valuable experience of
past generations and thus get ability to beat corrupt,
decadent system. Taking this into account, the ending of the
film, often referred, as unbelievable embodiment of bad SF
stereotypes, actually becomes quite effective. The film ends
on positive note - although the powerful finale still leaves
one important question unanswered. Would society as a whole
be as successful as Logan and manage to survive its
transformation from bunch of decadent pleasure- seekers into
responsible human beings?

Whether LOGAN'S RUN happens to be conservative reaction on
the excesses of 1960s and 1970s or not, might be debatable.
But it still remains very interesting and entertaining piece
of classic science fiction cinema.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

Review written on February 9th 2000

Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax
Fido: 2:381/100
E-mail: [email-masked]
E-mail: [email-masked]
E-mail: [email-masked]

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