As a Stanislaw Lem fan since I first read his "Cyberiad" at a young age, I am admittedly biased. Lem's sense of humor (largely predicated upon irony) is a refreshing change of pace from some of his literary contemporaries in the field of science fiction--for instance, Philip K. Dick, who breathed "high concept" but often struggled to explore any but the most tortured aspects of human existence. I find that much of sci-fi to this day suffers from a similarly monotonous focus on darker and more dramatic outcomes of scientific progress (think "Dark Mirror"), to the utter exclusion of the more ridiculous or zany types of stories.
In this film, Lem's clever writing combines with Wajda's insightful direction to create an utterly surreal (and at times zany) tone, providing a whimsical approach to what would otherwise be some fairly macabre story elements. It is dark humor with an emphasis on the "humor," with that emphasis being predictably underlined by Bogumil Kobiela's performance.
The limited budget of the production is evident in the set and costume design, though this does not necessarily detract from the film. In my opinion the attraction is the creative use of limited materials, as with most truly innovative or expressive films (as opposed to lavish and extravagantly expensive blockbuster productions that dispense with deeper themes in favor of visual excitement). Some highlights include a psychiatrist's brick wall that seems to breathe in and out, and a 60's-style scanty female outfit that appears to be secured in the front with a strip of duct tape.
Perhaps the most distracting element of the limited budget is the totally asynchronous looping of dialogue. It is abundantly obvious that the actors recorded their dialogue without the benefit of having the film itself to view. Looping was common practice in many European productions of this time period, but to my recollection, even the cheesy Italian horror films of this era (featuring multilingual, often non-Italian, casts) managed to achieve some illusion of synching between ADR and lip movements. It may seem a small complaint but there are several instances where the dialogue is so imperfectly juxtaposed as to mimic the clichéd dubbing of a Godzilla film. This is the primary reason I could not rate the film higher--at a 9 or even 10/10-- but it is certainly no reason not to watch what is otherwise an imaginative and fun production.
Bonus points are awarded for the face-painted hippies and the very shirtless bejeweled surgeons of the future .
