There are conventional films, then there are unusual films and, from time to time, there are downright weird films. Zardoz is several stages beyond downright weird. It is a one-of-a-kind science fiction vision which will alienate many viewers because of its sheer bizarreness. In terms of plot, characters and visuals, it is completely unlike anything made before or since. And, on top of all that, it has a few mainstream stars to boot (Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling being the main ones). I can't think of a weirder film than this with such familiar faces in it.
In the future, planet Earth has suffered from years of crime and pollution. Society has split into two groups. In the outlandslive theBrutals, savage and simple people who live in near-medieval conditions and are policed by a group of remorseless, organised killers called the Exterminators. Protected from this savage society within an impenetrable vortex is another group - the Eternals, intellectual people who have learned to live peacefully in an idyllic paradise and have developed knowledge of how to become immortal. One Exterminator, Zed (Sean Connery), penetrates the Vortex by hiding aboard a flying stone head called Zardoz (a God-like invention of the Eternals, who use it to trick the Brutals into doing as they say). Zed's arrival in the world of the Eternals revives long dormant emotions of sexuality and aggression, and brings about the downfall of society in the Vortex.
Zardoz is heavy-going and somewhat confusing, but the more times you watch it the more sense can be made of it. Visually it is wonderful and thematically it is always interesting, though the pretentiousness does get irritating from time to time. What I like about it is that it isn't just a story of good .vs. evil, with lots of laser gun shootouts. Director Boorman is trying very hard here to imagine a plausible future society, and to show the dangers of social division and the even greater dangers of achieving immortality. It's very much a thinking man's sci-fi film, and even then it requires patience and repeat-viewings to unravel the complexities. Zardoz is not enjoyable - it's far too challenging and heavy-going for that - but it is interesting, and it definitely provokes thought and discussion. Best described as a very noble failure.
In the future, planet Earth has suffered from years of crime and pollution. Society has split into two groups. In the outlandslive theBrutals, savage and simple people who live in near-medieval conditions and are policed by a group of remorseless, organised killers called the Exterminators. Protected from this savage society within an impenetrable vortex is another group - the Eternals, intellectual people who have learned to live peacefully in an idyllic paradise and have developed knowledge of how to become immortal. One Exterminator, Zed (Sean Connery), penetrates the Vortex by hiding aboard a flying stone head called Zardoz (a God-like invention of the Eternals, who use it to trick the Brutals into doing as they say). Zed's arrival in the world of the Eternals revives long dormant emotions of sexuality and aggression, and brings about the downfall of society in the Vortex.
Zardoz is heavy-going and somewhat confusing, but the more times you watch it the more sense can be made of it. Visually it is wonderful and thematically it is always interesting, though the pretentiousness does get irritating from time to time. What I like about it is that it isn't just a story of good .vs. evil, with lots of laser gun shootouts. Director Boorman is trying very hard here to imagine a plausible future society, and to show the dangers of social division and the even greater dangers of achieving immortality. It's very much a thinking man's sci-fi film, and even then it requires patience and repeat-viewings to unravel the complexities. Zardoz is not enjoyable - it's far too challenging and heavy-going for that - but it is interesting, and it definitely provokes thought and discussion. Best described as a very noble failure.