Zardoz (1974)

Zardoz: Directed by John Boorman. With Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman, John Alderton. In the distant future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity’s achievements.

“This movie is truly awful, but at the same time itu0026#39;s got to be one of the BEST SCI-FI MOVIES Iu0026#39;VE EVER SEEN!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are so many concepts to digest: Civilizationu0026#39;s end, immortality, genetic manipulation, artificial intelligence, time control, psychic power, space travel, and on and on and on. If youu0026#39;re the least bit interested in science-fiction, thereu0026#39;s more for you in this one movie than youu0026#39;ll find in a yearu0026#39;s worth of Star Trek conventions!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThen why do I say itu0026#39;s awful? Well, within this movieu0026#39;s running time are some of the most cheesy moments ever captured on celluloid!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e From the opening shots of the hairy-backed, leather-thonged, gun-toting Sean Connery (who at least manages to wear more than most of the rest of the cast), to the catch-cry of the Giant Hovering Stone Head (u0026quot;The gun is good! The penis is bad!u0026quot;), as it spews out a torrent of weapons and ammo from its mouth. What about the Eternalu0026#39;s predilection for studying erectile tissue function, by flashing up images of naked mud-wrestling? Or that crazy u0026quot;wobbling-handsu0026quot; thing that they do when in some sort of telepathic communion? Completely laughable!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite these moments of u0026quot;cheesy-nessu0026quot;, Zardoz tells an utterly engaging and compelling story. The moment of revelation of the meaning of u0026quot;Zardozu0026quot; took me completely by surprise, even though all the clues had been under my nose right from the beginning! (The Magritte painting u0026quot;La chateau des Pyreneesu0026quot;, hanging in Franku0026#39;s house, reminiscent of the hovering stone head, for example.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you like hard-core science fiction, and can put up with a few minor flaws, then I think youu0026#39;ll really enjoy Zardoz! Itu0026#39;s weird, itu0026#39;s brilliant, itu0026#39;s unique! (Just make sure you watch it while youu0026#39;re wide awake, though, or you may drift off from time to time!)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e9 out of 10!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ejon :-)”