Zardoz
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Movie Reviews of Zardoz
Movie Review: Every year I throw a Zardoz party...
Summary: 5 Stars
... for my friends and I, this is one of the most anticipated events of the year. about 50 of us scramble into my living room, or a friend's living room and we turn this movie on.As a child of the 80's, I didn't appreciate the TV edited version my sci fi loving dad made me watch with him at the age of 12. 3 years later, my father ordered a real copy of Zardoz on VHS and the fun started.
What was initially a romp of bad acting and T&A became what i thought to be one of the unintentionally funniest movies ever made. It tries to make all these points about life, the curse of immortality and what could happen in a possible future, but the inherent campiness of the era this was filmed in makes the film miss it's point almost entirely. However, this flaw is actually the films' strength, in showing how this sitirical look on an alternate future makes for some ground breaking, shocking and downright hysterical entertainment.
Where else does a giant stone head give lectures about the penis being evil? Where else are you introduced to a movie by a guy's face with a badly painted on mustache floating around? Where esle is plastic wrap referred to as "Indestructible" and a defendant's plea includes the words "I try to supress these thoughts, but they leak out in second level through the head wound of my 3rd death?" This is only skimming the gems found in this film. It gets better and better. Take it seriously, or laugh out loud. Everyone must see this film. I'm almost 20 now and I still laugh as loud as i di the first time i saw this film unedited. I can't wait to own this DVD and hear the commentary. It'll make for the best Zardoz Party yet!!! Enjoy, happy viewing and show all your friends. they'll love you for it :)
Movie Review: Not really a movie, more of an experience
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say about this movie? I had never heard of it before until one night my roommate and I were watching some documentary about science fiction on A&E (or some similar channel). They were showing various movie clips and interviewing various SF authors, and then, out of nowhere, comes this clip of ZARDOZ: A stone head floats into view amongst masked warriors on horseback, makes a scary speech about how guns are good and the penis is bad, then a plethora of guns gushes out of the stone head's mouth.
It blew my mind.
Needless to say, as soon as possible a pilgrimage to the video store commenced and ZARDOZ was attained and watched. Twice. Then again. And again. It's a truly unique movie, after seeing it I really began to pay attention to John Boorman's other work (I've seen all of them, except for THE GENERAL and the current TAILOR OF PANAMA), this is a pretty good summation of 70's SF in general, with lots of winks to Heinlien in particular.
The only problem is that it's dated, very much a 70's tainted view of the future...so much so at times it's laughable ("You have been found guilty of psychic violence..."). And Connery running around in a red diaper the whole time is most amusing. And ok, ok, it is rather pretentious at times. But this cheesiness is half the fun. Fundamentally, it's an intelligent and challenging film that reveals more with each viewing. I shall buy this DVD right now, as I'm interested in a)a sharp picture, the VHS copies I've seen were hopelessly grainy and worn and b)Boorman's commentary, I'm sure he's got some interesting insight.
It's really quite simple, if you haven't seen ZARDOZ, you must. Immediately.
Movie Review: We are custodians of the past for an unknown future!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since my teenager days, "Zardoz" literally fulminated me due its impressive, absorbing and demolishing script, filled of amazing special effects by then apart of the overwhelming direction efforts of one of my top British directors the always well reminded John Borman (Point blank, Deliverance, Excalibur).
Zed is the brave warrior chosen by an enigmatic God whom the human race obeys without reserves, giving him all its harvests and receiving weapons for its unconditional loyalty.
When he realizes the origin of the name a smart device (that I won't reveal you because it's part of the puzzle) he travels into the stone head (or should I say Stone- Henge? ) to discover an isolated oasis - far from the madding world - where the instructed people lives into a big burble of peaceful comfort but also an unbearable existential boring ( the renegades a sort of human people condemned to live forever and the indifferent ones ).
Once he comes he is imprisoned and analyzed until the same entrails of that race will make all their best in order to destroy that state of eternal bliss.
A fabulous film loaded of dark humor, smart cites and acidic vision respect the eternal and so expected paradise, beyond God and evil.
Bernard Shaw said once this clever affirmation: "A perpetual holidays: Here you have a very close approach about the meaning of the hell "
Movie Review: Must see -- at least to have an opinion...
Summary: 5 Stars
You can't call yourself a true film geek unless you've seen Zardoz. Hate it or love it or whatever, this is one of those ink blots that reveals. Me, I give it credit. At worst, I'd say it's a spectacularly, interesting failure. I feel for it, because it's the kind of movie I would have wanted to make if you'd given me a film camera and a million bucks at age 14. It's full of big ideas, grand scope, science fiction ambitions, action, and sex, and kind of the smarty pants ideas, but Zardoz has absolutely no maturity, taste, or sense of propotion whatsover. Most movies these days take no chances, and won't try anything that won't be perfect, whereas this thing is one of those films that's just all over the map, and has a lot of it flubs, but occasionally it gets a few things right. It's got a ton of that screwball 70's new-agey 'ooh we've just discovered LSD and we're sooo open-minded' kind of lunacy that's interesting from a historical perspective. The action and violence is a little clumsy, which considering Deliverance, doesn't make much sense. I assume it was rushed a little bit. The DVD is beautiful. Amazing print. Probably didn't look as good in the theater.If you're new to the 70's new-agey, big profound over-the-top ideas sci-fi, the film to start with is probably not Zardoz, but rather Logan's Run, which covers approximately similar territory, but which, to me at least, ends better, among other things.
Movie Review: Zardoz: Ultimate cult classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Somewhere past the James Bond years, Sean Connery took on a series of odd roles, including this curiosity as Zed, a "Brutals" killer. Of course this is taking place many thousands of years in the future where society is split between primatives surviving in the post-apocalyptic (is there any other kind) wasteland, worshiping their God ZARDOZ; and the immortals barricaded in their pristine enclave and bored to death. Or at least they wish they were. Thay can age, when punished, but they cannot die by their own hand. Oh, each commits multiple suicides but always are reborn asexually. There is no passion, no accomplishment, only existance.
Zed arrives and the society is quickly torn apart as they must face their own fears, desires, and an all consuming wish to die. Is he their savior, and in what form?
This is another visually stunning John Boorman film (Emerald Forest) which moves briskly while presenting some pretty heady material. Not your typical Sci Fi epic and is not for everyone. While sometimes a bit too obvious (Do you really not know what Zardoz is), it offers solid performances and enough quirks to keep you guessing.
Enter if you dare, but do not say you were not warned. Definitely not for children since I am sure there were never any Zardoz related toys sold at TRUS.