Directed by: Michael Anderson
Premise: In the 23rd century, humans
live in an idyllic civilization where physical pleasure is readily available but
everyone is sacrificed at the age of thirty in a ceremony through which it is
believed that they will be reborn. When Logan (Michael York) faces his thirtieth
birthday, he flees civilization in search of the truth.
What Works: Logan’s Run is part of a crop
of 1970s pre-Star
Wars science fiction films that dealt with dystopian futures. Logan’s
Run is among the best in that it follows through with the metaphors and has
an ending that brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion, which many of
these films did not. As a film of its time, Logan’s Run has some
interesting characters and some strong visuals, especially the Carousel ceremony
and the psychedelically influenced finale. The film is well paced and manages to
engage some interesting intellectual ideas and work them into the narrative.
Like the literature of Ray Bradbury, Adolphus Huxley, and George Orwell, Logan’s
Run questions what it means to be human, demonstrates how technology changes
the way we think about ourselves, and exposes how tyranny can have a deceitfully
pleasurable appearance.
What Doesn’t: Like many other science fiction
films from the early 1970s, Logan’s Run has not aged particularly well.
A lot of the miniatures are pretty obvious and the sets look like they were used
on the original Star
Trek television series.
DVD extras: Commentary tracks, featurettes.
Bottom Line: Logan’s Run is an important science fiction film, as its influence can be seen in later films like The Matrix and The Island. Although elements of it have not aged well, fans of science fiction ought to check it out.