Zardoz 1974 Movie - Random Users Review
Zardoz
1974
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Writer:
Main Cast
Synopsis
2293. Zardoz, an unseen "God" who speaks through an idol, a large stone statue of a head, leads a barbaric race called the Brutals, who live a harsh existence in the Outlands. Zardoz tells the Brutals that once they die, they will be transported to the Vortex, where they will live happily as immortals. He has armed a small group, the Exterminators, with guns, as Zardoz's philosophy is that killing is good, and procreation is the root of all that is bad. In reality, Zardoz is Arthur Frayn, from a competing, more advanced race, called "the Eternals", who live in paradise in the Vortex. The Eternals truly are immortal as they do not age and their bodies undergo reconstruction if they "die". As such, they truly do not believe in procreation as their society has reached perfect equilibrium. Past human acts such as sex and sleep are obsolete in their advanced state. All major decisions are achieved through pure democracy. The Eternals, however, are not immune to non life threatening disease or sin, the latter which is punishable by aging, only making their life less pleasant, but not ever killing them. Arthur's mission as Zardoz is to control, monitor, and study the Brutals for the Eternals. Being in the Outlands, Arthur is isolated without communication back to the Vortex and the Eternals. In his work as an Exterminator, Zed, by accident, is able to find his way to the Vortex as a still alive being. The Eternals vote to keep Zed alive temporarily so that they can study him before they kill him. Amongst the Eternals who have direct interactions with Zed are: May, the lead scientist, who believes Zed is a blessing in that they have not had access to a Brutal in some time; Friend, a hedonist who wants to use Zed as the animal he considers him to be; and Consuela, the hard lined one who believes in vigilante justice. In the Eternals' access to Zed, they may learn if he making it to the Vortex was indeed an accident. In addition, their so-called Utopian society may be exposed for what it truly is. —Huggo
User Review
Incredibly profound allegory disguised as a cheezy movie
Any time a film begins with a giant, 5-story stone head saying, "The gun is good. The penis is evil," you know you're in for a wild ride.Oh, I also forgot the horribly silly prologue spoken by some dude with a magic marker moustache and an equally contrived pseudo-Elizabethan accent which is really what makes most people throw in the towel after 5 minutes. But if you can get past all that, it gets a lot better.Once the Beethoven music begins (7th Symphony, 2nd movement--one of the most powerful compositions ever. Check it out on YouTube), the film takes on a decidedly more serious and legitimate personality. Some IMDb reviewers have said this is SOLELY due to the Beethoven music, and I suspect they're right. But hey, all is fair in film-making.Anyway, whether it's due to the music or whatnot, the film progresses from the initial cheeziness shock, and we start to uncover some complex & interesting themes. The plot itself becomes more challenging as we realize it's not as straightforward as we had assumed at first. Some nice twists & turns, some clever deception, and a good old fashioned whodunnit type mystery come to the surface. There are some really surrealistic scenes like at the insane asylum which border on Kubrickian genius if you're into that sort of thing (the 3rd part of 2001 A Space Odyssey).Acting is very good. You even come to accept the goofy guy with the magic marker moustache after a little while, because you realize he's just a jokester... sort of like the Shakespearian "fool".And stay tuned because the payoff is the meaning of the word "Zardoz" which makes a powerful metaphor if you're paying attention. Overall, this is a nifty flick which--if you're into cool 70s dystopian scifis (Rollerball, Logan's Run)--you'll really enjoy. I'm tempted to rate it higher than a 7/10, but I just can't get over that gun/penis line LOL.
Review By rooprect
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