Review: Zardoz (1974)

Zardoz (1974)
Zardoz poster Rating: 5.8/10 (24,472 votes)
Director: John Boorman
Writer: John Boorman
Stars: Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman
Runtime: 105 min
Rated: R
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Released: 06 Feb 1974
Plot: In the late 23rd century, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.

Whilst watching Zardoz, one recurring thought that comes to mind is the question, “How much acid was Boorman taking when he made this film?”  Set a couple of centuries in the future (2293 to be specific), Zardoz presents a world where mankind has split into two groupings – the ‘Brutals’ and the ‘Eternals’.  The Eternals live immortal lives within a protective dome area known as The Vortex, whilst the Brutals are manipulated by their gods through giant talking heads to kill  and harvest on behalf of the Eternals.  The gods, in reality, are Eternals themselves, one named Zardoz in particular.  One brutal named Zed, however, sneaks on board the flying head and temporarily kills Zardoz, before the head returns to The Vortex.  At the Vortex Zed finds himself observed as an experiment and servant by the Eternals, some of which want to kill him, others who want to learn from him.  He discovers that all is not well for the peaceful Eternals, and their immortality has made some regretful, others apathetic, and others simply bored.  But there may be a secret locked within Zed that will free them from their plight…

Parties at Connery's place were always a strange affair...
Parties at Connery’s place were always a strange affair…

John Boorman conceived the idea for Zardoz whilst working on an aborted adaptation of Lord of the Rings.  He wanted to craft a mythical-styled tale, building a world from the ground up, and you can see elements of great ideas embedded within the end film.  The dual nature of man, the battle of mind version emotion, the nature of deity and worship, and manipulation through dovtion, ideas which have permeated good sci-fi for decades.  Sadly these ideas are embedded in a rushed, confusing, and muddled film that tries to do too much in the short running time it has.  Given an epic length production, or a mini-series, there is no reason why the basis of this film couldn’t make for compelling sci-fi.  But with just under one and three quarter hours to play with, the story darts around haphazardly, before racing towards a revelatory conclusion.

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Connery as Zed seems, at least, to be trying his best with the material, as does Charlotte Rampling as Consuella, the eternal who distrusts Zed at the offset, and leads a revolution to destroy him.  John Alderton also has fun with his role of Friend, an Eternal who bucks against the rules, and who introduces Zed to life within the Vortex.  But aside from that, the rest of the cast seem as spaced out as Boorman must have been when making the film, and moments that should be thrilling and tension filled are strangely hilarious as a result.  Whether some of the film’s funnier moments were intentional is unclear, and this is the kind of film that is ideal for drunken nights in front of the TV, mocking whatever is on.   The effects work is adequate, but as with most films of the era hasn’t dated well, and without other strong factors to compensate, they create a few more chuckles when they should be provoking shocks or thrills.

"Can someone help John up again.  I think he's taken too many pills!"
“Can someone help John up again. I think he’s taken too many pills!”

Zardoz is a curiosity of a bygone time, a film too late to be classed as part of the trippy-60s era, but too early to be a mocking homage to that time.  It’s a film with more ambition than the production can manage.  Channel 4 may have declared it the best film Boorman ever made, but that more highlights how Channel 4 clearly haven’t seen Deliverance or Excalibur, rather than being a statement about the quality of this film.  Worth seeing for a laugh, but that’s about it.

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