The Quiet Earth

El tema del último superviviente en la Tierra es un paradigma recurrente en la ciencia-ficción, sobretodo en el cine. Conocidas de sobra son las versiones protagonizadas por Charlton Heston o Will Smith, pero esta versión no tiene nada que envidiar y en cambio sí mucho que aportar. Pionera en muchos aspectos respecto a “Soy leyenda”, ahonda en la psicología del último hombre vivo, en sus temores y deseos. Una joya con un plano final sublime.

A very cool, stylish and thoughtful post-apocalyptic movie. Similar terrain is covered later in the tv show Last Man on Earth, and similarities with Omega Man are bound to happen. This movie does a great job of showing the crushing loneliness that would ensue in such a fantastic situation. I do think it is cool that the main character is a scientist and knowledgeable with physics but doesn’t have some dumb scene where he announces it.

This movie was not done on a huge budget, but it is inventive and interesting in how and when it deploys.

It is not a spoiler to say that he finds other people, and things get a little complicated.

The film is atmospheric and a bit offbeat. No spoilers, but a hell of an ending.

très chouette film culte que je cherchais depuis des années. bon transfert en Blu-ray. achat très satisfaisant

Imagine this little mind-bending scenario if you will…you wake up one, fine morning, run through your normal routine, leave the house, only to discover you’re the last person left on Earth…oh yeah, as if that weren’t enough to tweak your melon, throw in the fact that everyone else on the planet has inexplicably disappeared, without a trace…based on a novel by Craig Harrison, The Quiet Earth was directed by Geoff Murphy (Young Guns II, Freejack, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) and stars Bruno Lawrence (Smash Palace, Warlords of the 21st Century, Wild Horses), Alison Routledge (Bridge to Nowhere, The Returning), and Pete Smith (Pandemonium, The Piano, The Legend of Johnny Lingo).

Sunrise…the dawn of a shiny, new day…after three minutes of watching the sun coming up (along with the opening credits), we see a lone, balding man (Lawrence) sleeping in his bed (we later learn his name is Zack), sans any clothes (nekkid man alert), with an item strategically placed over his genitalia…thank the Lord for small favors…anyway, the man awakens at 6:12 AM (a key number) and proceeds with his routine. Strangely, he’s unable to pick up any chatter on his radio and a phone call placed goes unanswered…oh well…as he leaves his house (gee, traffic sure is light today), the realization begins to settle in there no one else around. Not only that but it appears as if everyone has just vanished as if they were plucked from wherever they were, doing whatever it is they were doing, all at the same time (you’d think it was The Rapture coming to fruition, but if that were the case I’d expect a lot more people to be running around, at least a lot more non-Christians types). The man finally arrives at a research facility (I’m guessing it’s his place of employment given he has an I.D. card allowing him access), we learn of his involvement in some sort of global top-secret project called Project Flashlight…could this have anything to do with the current state of things? Perhaps…so anyway, the man, believing he is the last person on Earth, goes through a number of phases, eventually falling into a deep depression (so much so he’s ready to eat the barrel of a gun), but he eventually comes to accept his fate and pulls it together, just it time to discover he’s not alone, as a red-headed woman named Joanne (Routledge) makes the scene…well all right…things are definitely beginning to look up. After a time of contemplation, the pair decide to initiate a search to try an locate any others who might be around, and split up to cover more ground, Zack begins investigating the `event’, and the possibility that the work he was involved with may have some global, even cosmic, ramifications. Eventually the pair find another man (I should say he finds them), a large, hunky truck driver named Api (Smith)…Adam and Eve…and Api? I guess the party’s over, for Zack at least…an interesting dynamic between the trio develops, along with the revelation that the `event’ which initiated the disappearance of nearly everyone on the planet may have only been a precursor to something else…

I really enjoyed this New Zealand produced science fiction feature despite finding certain aspects of it thoroughly confusing (perhaps I should have taken that college course in quantum physics instead of advanced basket weaving). I guess I’m just used to films more often than not laying things out for the audience to avoid any real brain strain, but that’s certainly not the case here as there’s plenty of ambiguity to go around. It’s not that I mind being challenged by a film, but it just seems not many out there are willing to put their audiences to the test, at least in terms of mainstream features. While I watched this alone, I’d suggest watching it with others as it will certainly initiate conversation after the film ends. I thought the movie very well put together, and featured some very capable performances, especially in terms of Bruno Lawrence. I actually enjoyed the parts with Lawrence by himself the most, especially the sequences where he went a little loopy and was running around a vacant city in a woman’s slip brandishing a shotgun. Eventually the others come into the picture, effectively disrupting the intimacy between Lawrence’s character and the audience, but I suppose it had to happen, as I have yet to see a `last man on Earth’ film that is truly a last man on Earth film (someone else always shows up). I suppose I could relate to Lawrence’s character the most, as Joanne was all weird and emotional while Api was just, well, weird, but then again, who knows how one might react when trying to come to terms with being the last vestiges of humanity. I thought the reasoning behind why the three remained while everyone else disappeared was handled well, but as far as the actual fate of those missing, well, that’s left to speculation (my bet is on a cosmic rift). I thought it was pretty funny how Zack speculated on how the `event’ came about, and that if it was due to the international project he was involved with, the fault that resulted in the occurrence was most likely caused by the Americans (you know us Americans with our `shoot from the hip’ mentality…how could it not be our fault if’n given our invovlment?). Since the story did eventually bring in a couple of other characters besides Zack, I would have liked to have seen a bit more in terms of the relationships and tensions resultant from the fact of there only being two men (one of them a minority prior to the `event’) and one woman remaining, as it felt like some of this may have been glossed over. Perhaps the novel provided more in terms of this, I don’t know. I feel I should warn some viewers the material can seem dry at times, especially if you’re expecting an end of the world, post apocalyptic nightmare story complete with fleshy-headed mutants, as there’s none of that here, but only an intimate, thoughtful, intelligent tale of three people trying to cope with the unexpected.

The picture quality on this Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release, presented in widescreen (1.85:1) format, enhanced for 16X9 TVs, looks very sharp and clean, while the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 audio seems a little soft and uneven at times. Extras include an audio commentary track by co-writer/producer Sam Pillsbury, a theatrical trailer, and an eight page insert booklet with some liner notes. One other aspect I should mention is the DVD comes in a very cool metal case featuring some beautiful cover artwork.

Cookieman108

By the way, the film does feature a scene I believe obligatory to all `last man on Earth’ films in that of a bit where those remaining go on a shopping jag, procuring those material items they wouldn’t have been able to afford before the stuff hit the fan…

This was a movie that spark the survivor in me. Since then I was always looking for it, even after all these years , I still enjoy watching it again.

Wow its been years since I last saw this, and I didn’t remember how good it really is, the vhs is a good clear picture still and color is in tact because I don’t know for sure but I think this is orig not restored or anything, so I was pleased, great story, the ending blew me away along with film,FX, at the end, infact you have to decide for yourself the true nature of events. I decided to edit my review since ordering the amazon digital of the restored edition for my video library, WOW! I think i’d better retire the vhs, what a beautiful picture! Don’t understand the one star reviews. As it is about the last man on earth, not Omega Man but another great apocalyptic story type I am a fan of, the actors so believable and yes the ending sending your imagination to speculate the meaning behind it. Like Cecil Kelloways quote as Harry Willis in Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, its my favorite mystery.