Zardoz (3 Stars)

Even though this film doesn't talk about a future catastrophe, it has all the characteristics of a post-apocalyptic film, good and bad.

The film takes place in the year 2293, about 300 years after a group of scientists were able to give mankind's evolution a push. Everyone is now immortal. Nobody can die of natural causes, and if anyone dies accidentally his essence and memories are put into a biologically cloned baby. Ageing does not occur naturally, so the baby's body has to be biologically accelerated until it reaches the optimal age, the equivalent of a 20-year-old.

Everyone is eternally young and beautiful. That sounds like a perfect world, but one of the side-effects is that men are no longer capable of having an erection. Maybe that's an advantage. If immortal humans were able to procreate there would be overpopulation.

The Immortals live inside the Vortex, an invisible protective dome the size of a large city, but containing only idyllic fields and lakes. Paradise. Maybe they needed to hermetically seal themselves to protect themselves from residual radiation of a global war? It's possible, but as I said, no future catastrophe is explicitly mentioned. Outside of the dome unevolved homo sapiens are thriving. Civilisation has collapsed and they live as savages. The Immortals call them the Brutals. Afraid that the Brutals will one day become strong enough to challenge them, an Immortal called Arthur is appointed to handle them. He presents himself as a God called Zardoz, and flies around the world in a giant stone head giving orders. He creates a warrior caste called the Exterminators, gives them guns and tells them to kill everyone who doesn't belong to their caste. They obey without hesitation. It's God's will.

But one of the Exterminators is different. He discovers a library and learns how to read. He suspects that Zardoz is a fake, not really a God, so he climbs into the stone head before it flies into the Vortex. The two cultures meet.

Sean Connery has the lead role as Zed, the intelligent Brutal. He stumbles through the Brave New World with hammy overacting, which is appropriate in the context of the film. His outfit must have been bought in a fetish shop. "Zardoz" can be considered a male-centric equivalent of "Barbarella". Sean Connery is eye candy for ladies.

The cheap special effects are annoying. There's an attempt to make psychedelic imagery, but it fails. Robert Fuest would have crafted the film much better. The film has an interesting premise, but the result is disappointing. To me, at least. I've read that the film has a cult following. Watch it and decide for yourselves.

Success Rate:  - 1.8

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