Logan's Run (1976)

Based on the 1976 science-fiction movie of a hedonistic society living in a huge bubble and taking for granted there is no life outside of it.

More to the story than just action

Logan's Run is a film version of the story of a futuristic environment that Renews (yeah,,, right) or recycles people after 30 years.

Logan (Michael York) is a Sandman (similar to police), who enforces the rule and chases down people that "run" from Renewal, a system where people that reach the age of 30 are reborn and prevents anyone form becoming too old. The computer that runs the facility charges him with finding the location that the runners go to called "Sanctuary." To do this he must become a runner him self.

Some people who watch this like to be critics. They pick on costumes and actors etc. Well it is evident that they do not have the DVD version. There is an optional parallel audio commentary. This commentary explains why things are designed the way that they are. Also the buttons on Peter Ustinov's coat were pennies to be symbolic; yet they were too small to film properly.

According to the commentary, it was easier to stick everyone in pantyhose than try to find monotone makeup for everyone like was done in Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Lathe of Heaven" (1980). The buttons on Peter Ustinov's close were pennies. Best of all, the Renew scene was shot upside down.
May 11, 2008

Great movie, disappointing DVD

First of all, I love the movie itself. But that is not what I'm reviewing here. I'm specifically reviewing the 2007 DVD release, because there was so little information out there before I bought it.
The first thing I will say is that I like the redesigned packaging. The first two editions looked too dated.
But, the cool exterior kind of gives some false hope as to what's inside. Instead of a DVD booklet, there's a voucher to receive free admission to I Am Legend in theaters (obviously a moot point now). The DVD itself is one of those two-sided discs, like certain releases of Windtalkers or Napoleon Dynamite, that have the widescreen version on one side and full-screen on the other.
When you pop the disc in, it just starts playing the movie. If, while the movie's playing, you try to use your DVD player's equivalent of the "Main Menu" button, you'll get your player's equivalent of the "action not available" message. This led me to mistakenly believe that there is no DVD menu or special features on the disc, but if you play through the movie, after the end it will go to the menu. The special features are somewhat sparse, but it is after all only one disc.
The movie itself is of pretty much the same quality that we're used to. I didn't necessarily expect a big improvement in that department, but I think by now we're overdue for a remaster.
Honestly, though, in spite of the disappointments, at a price point of $13.49, I didn't feel like I wasted my money. I guess you really do get what you pay for. May 5, 2008

Bad Transfer

Don't bother replacing your old DVD copy of Logan's Run for this new one with a modernized (lamer) cover. This is another bad transfer, blurry with all sorts of film abnormalities.

Still gets a 4 because this movie is wonderfully strange and fun. March 17, 2008

Logan's Run - A Real Turkey

I saw Logan's Run in 1976 and about the best I can say about it is that it was "so-so" even for the science fiction films of that year. As one writer has stated, the same can be said about the DVD transfer. I must reluctantly give this film three stars and think I am being generous.

The best feature of this film was beautiful Jenny Agutter who played lovely Jessica while Michael York played Logan by the numbers. Peter Ustinov was as good as could be expected playing an "old man". I don't see how he let them talk him into making this turkey.

I also think the film may deserve an "A" for effort for the model work done to produce the many exterior views of Logan's City. However, in execution it only came off like a very well done train layout of the 50's. It just wasn't something that professional special effects people or cinematographers could be proud of.

After seeing the groundbreaking work of Kubrick's 2001, this film just couldn't be considered good sci-fi. It really was a major disappointment and I was embarrassed to have suggested seeing it. I purchased the DVD just to remind myself to try to make better film suggestions.

This happened after promising my new bride of a couple of month's marriage that our visit to the theater wouldn't be a complete waste of her time. How could I know it would be this poor? I read about how grand it was in the newspaper. She looked at me when we left the theater and I didn't say a word. Needless to say I was in for a couple of "slice-of-life" movies after this turkey.

Students of architecture will appreciate that the great city of Logan's Run was prophetic of the construction materials and style of many of the modern malls popping up across the country. Perhaps this has more to do with the price of contemporary construction materials of that time than in any visionary thinking on the part of the set designers.

In my defense, the newspapers wrote promising hype about upcoming grand science fiction films to be released starting in 1976 and mentioned Logan's Run as one outstanding example. As you would imagine when I went to see the film in an excellent theater with good sound and a large screen I was beyond disappointment. It was only when we went to see STAR WARS that I was partially redeemed and my wife would again allow me to suggest a movie without too much discussion.
February 29, 2008

Logan's Run

Jenny Agutter in her green outfit! It is the 23rd century, and civilization is confined to a domed city. Jenny and Logan escape to find an imperfect world. Washington, D.C. in ruins was an idea not so far fetched in the Vietnam/Watergate era. Peter Ustinov and his cats point to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Farrah Fawcett sports her famous hairdo. I like Box in the caves of ice and the color as Jenny and Logan reach outside to see the sun for the first time. This movie is a generational piece about baby boomers turning 30. It takes liberties with William F. Nolan's novel.

February 25, 2008

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