Shhh, don’t make a sound because this week we’ll be tiptoeing our way around The Quiet Earth (1985).
The Basics
A scientist finds himself all alone in a big city after everyone in has been wiped out. He spends his time looking for other survivors all the while suspecting government shenanigans as being responsible for everyone dying. Sound familiar? Yep, yet another post-apocalyptic scenario (gonna start calling it post-ap…or maybe not…). Soon other people start popping out amidst the devastation and they all try and uncover why they’re the only survivors left alive.
The Review
Again! If you’re looking for flashy special effects and massive explosions and messed up looking aliens hopping about everywhere then stop reading and go away. Coming from the same place as everyone’s favorite post-ap movie Lord of the Rings, this New Zealand film takes a good hard look at what it actually might be like to be the last person on earth. You may have thought that you’ve seen this done well in The Omega Man or even more recently with I Am Legend, but those flicks only barely grazed the issue. For starters, our protagonist is portrayed as rather average and a bit dull; you know, like the rest of us. When he wakes up one day and realizes that there aren’t any people around he takes it pretty well especially considering that he never was much of a people person, but after a while goes a little nuts as he realizes that companionship may actually be a necessity. Visually this movie is very much like the rest of New Zealand’s cinematic output of the time. There are some neat camera tricks and the pacing is even, and the movie is bookended with some rather starkly unique scenes that wrap things up quite nicely. The acting is quite convincing, especially when the protagonist Zac (played by Bruno Lawrence) is still all by himself. Trust me though, you haven’t seen anything like this movie and you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’ve barely scratched the surface in this little review because I know that if you sat your butt down and watched it yourself you’d realize that. Two big toes up from me…way the f@#$ up there.
The Trailer
Rated C for Crikey!
