Logan's Run

Loosely based on the novel of the same name, Logan's Run is set in a dystopian future where life is perfect, but nobody is allowed to live past 30. People who refuse to sacrifice themselves and try to escape are called 'runners', and special police called sandmen are sent after them. Logan is a sandman, and after killing one runner gets caught up in a secret mission to find out where the successfully escaped runners are hiding. He does this by posing as a runner himself, and the story unravels from there to show the truth of our species' past. If any film is ripe for a remake, its this one. In terms of sets, dialog and performances it is very much stuck in the 1970's, but the basic premise is brilliant. I quite enjoyed Logan's Run despite it getting off to a slow start, and the admittedly wonkey effects don't detract from some interesting topics the film touches on, such as overpopulation and conformity. If you don't mind the fact that in many ways it has not aged well, its worth a watch.

I was twelve when Logan's Run came out and I thought that it was the best thing since sliced bread. It blew me away. So when I picked it up recently on DVD and watched it for the first time in twenty-eight years I was wondering how it would fare after all this time.

Well, not too badly. Many of the IMDb reviewers of Logan's Run hit the nail on the head when they say that this film is definitely a product of its time. Yes, the special effects are sort of laughable now (the teeny tiny maze cars zipping through the a model of the city that looks about six inches tall), but you have to judge those sorts of things in the context of the time they were made. As strange as it may seem to people who now expect Lord of the Rings-quality special effects, Logan's Run was cutting edge in its day. And a few of the special effects still stand up fairly well. The light envelope that comes down over the Carousel or the matte shots of Washington. Not great for twenty-first century film-making, but a minor miracle for 1976.

The story has more holes than a piece of swiss cheese and the acting is a bit touch and go, but that doesn't get in the way of a fairly entertaining movie. Seeing the movie all these years later I suppose the few moments of bad acting hit me more than anything else. As a kid I thought that Peter Ustinov's old man was brilliant, but now it just seems like awkward overacting. Which isn't to say that his character isn't somewhat endearing.

Michael York, a really wonderful actor, misses the mark a few times, but generally he and Jenny Agutter do a fine job.

Listen, this isn't a brilliant movie, but it does have its moments. Most science fiction movies made in the 1970s haven't endured the test of time especially well. With the purple mascara, pastel-coloured costumes and hair feathered like a great phoenix. But all in all I still found Logan's Run to be an entertaining and enjoyable trip back to the strange world of 1976.

I must admit that I should be ashamed as a sci-fi fan: I hadn't seen this film until recently, and I wanted to better understand the parody from "Free Enterprise".

But I enjoyed the film.

Watching this film against the more recent glut of sci-fi films, I have to say that they made them a little more original back in the 70's-80's, instead of everything being techno-computer-CG-spaceship fights. A grim look at the downside of maintaining an "ideal", utopian society. When you hit 30, you either have the option of willingly submitting yourself to be killed under a pretense of renewal, or having the Sandmen play with you before they go in for the kill. Neither option seems really appealing. But the idea of one of the killers having to face their mortality is an interesting idea.

A little slow in places (but I did keep wanting to see what would happen next), and some of the special effects look really dated (even to '77's "Star Wars"), but the story holds up well, and it's an entertaining ride overall.

It's truly a classic of the genre, and I wish I had seen it sooner.

Logan (Michael York) is a Sandman, someone who kills all those who refuse to sacrifice themselves on their 30th birthday. But when his clock starts ticking, Logan and Jessica (Jenny Agutter) make a run for it.

I had seen this film in the mid-1990s for a class, and thought it was pretty good. Re-watching it now (2015), I can see why it is a science fiction classic, though some holes are now there. And I do not just mean plot holes (of which there are a few). The city exteriors are obviously a model, and it is almost humorous how easy it is to tell.

But the story is very good and now a part of pop culture. The two leads are great, and I wish Agutter had done more horror and sci-fi in the 70s/80s. Farrah Fawcett's role is small and sort of peculiar. Peter Ustinov is great, and nice comedic relief. Now sure what was up with all the nudity, but...

Okay, it's got a hoaky plot with lots of holes in it, special effects made from matchbox sets, some mediocre acting (Farrah Fawcett?!?) and dialogue, a big ole "this was made in the 70's" stamp all over it, and I think the editing, direction and sound track are lousy too. And yet somehow it all works. I love this movie! Maybe it's the campy cornball that gets me every time. I dunno. Yet by the end I feel uplifted and even touched. What a great scene with the timid girl touching Ustinov's beard at the end with Logan and Jessica in each other's arms looking on.

While the acting is average (or perhaps its the lousy script) there are exceptions, thankfully mostly among the main cast. Richard Jordan is just great as the relentless and unremorseful sandman. And Ustinov is a lot of fun as the kooky old man. Michael York, who've I've always liked, is servicable as our hero (thankfully they don't ask him to stretch his acting skills too much here). But without a doubt the real jewel is Jenny Agutter as Jessica-6. I can't recall a part more perfectly cast. Ms. Agutter is the epitome of beauty, youth and doe-eyed innocence. And her underlying sensuality is impossible to miss in every scene she is in. And as if that weren't enough she can act to boot!

Of course there's a lot that I don't like about the movie, it's quite easy to pick apart. But again, I don't know how, "Logan's Run" is much better than the sum of its parts.

I hope they get the rumored remake off the ground, there's some good underlying sci-fi to be explored here and with a tightened up script, upgraded effects, better direction and editing you could have *real* winner. I just don't think they'll ever match the original casting job for Jessica-6.