Quiet Earth - Das letzte Experiment

I love films with an apocalyptic theme. And this is definitely one of the better ones. Even though the basic story has been around quite a few times, e.g. "Omega Man, The (1971)", it is always interesting to see what has happened before and how it ends. Here, the emphasis is put on human relations, not so much on action. The scientific explanation for the "effect" is also somewhat implausible, but due to that rather authentic scientist Hobson I believed it anyways. And fortunately, the authors chose a non Hollywood-style ending for the movie!

If you're looking for a science fiction flick that has nothing to do with little green aliens or intergalactic civil war, check out this film. A terrific story about a man waking up to find out that everybody in the world is gone. Vanished! He is the only one on Earth. A great part of the film deals with the struggle of having to be alone. Very original, very interesting, and very entertaining. Check it out.

Years before Peter Jackson's movies brought New Zealand cinema to the fore, Geoff Murphy's adaptation of Craig Harrison's novel was an interesting release from the tiny country. "The Quiet Earth" is not really a post-apocalyptic tale, per se. It seems to be posing the question to the viewer of what you might do if thrown into this absolutely bizarre situation. The late Bruno Lawrence plays a man who wakes up to find out that everyone else on the planet has simply vanished. But it turns out that a project on which he has been working holds the answer to this.

Without a doubt, the end scene is up for interpretation, in the same way that the end of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is. But most importantly, "The Quiet Earth" is not an action movie. It's very much about the characters, and I really liked it. Also starring Alison Routledge and Pete Smith (an Orc in "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", on which Geoff Murphy served as 2nd Unit Director).

For some reason, I saw this film at the cinema when it first came out. I think I might have been attracted by the classic S.F. poster, with the ringed planet rising behind a city. Well - I remember being intrigued by the film, but a little disappointed, and on watching it again on DVD all these years later, I feel just the same way.

It's worth a watch, and in many ways it's a neat and original little film. It's much more effective in the first half, when the narrative is driven by the main character's discovery of the disaster that has occurred.

The reaction of the protagonist to his new found "freedom" is well handled, believable and treads just the right line between comedy and tragedy. But when the other characters start to appear, the rot sets in, and I felt the film lost its way.

Also - the basic film-making began to creak. Some really bad acting began to be noticeable, and the director seemed to be grabbing at Hollywood action clichés to bulk out his film (eg the narrow squeeze driving the lorry through the gap, the pointless and unresolved stand-off between the two guys over the girl etc).

In science fiction terms, the basic premise was neat and interesting, but not really explored at all. And the more that was revealed, the worse it got - disbelief was NOT suspended!

But - I still like the film, would recommend it, and might even watch it again myself in another 20 or so years!

I'm another person who saw this movie in a small art theater on Balboa Island, CA, in 1985. "Quiet Earth" was so haunting that, while channel surfing 15 years later, I saw just a flash of the image of Zac awakening and recognized the film instantly. I settled in to watch the film again--even knowing the ending--and its impact was still incredible.

Maybe it's not for serious sci-fi fans but definitely for people who like movies with apocalyptic themes, such as "A Boy and His Dog".