Cinema Sunday: Logan's Run

This week, Cinema Sunday's "Journeys to Past & Future" looks ahead to the future to the end of the world.

Actually a bit beyond that. 

When the world ends, what happens next? 

Which brings us to the 1976 science fiction film Logan's Run.

It's the year 2274 and what's left of human civilization that survived the end of the world lives in a sealed city, a cluster of domes where life and resources are managed by computer. It's a virtual utopia where the population live without fear, free from want and to pursue whatever hedonistic pleasures the heart desires.  

The only obligation is the rite of "Carousel" which occurs when the citizens of the city reach the age of 30. These people are "renewed" and "ascend" to a higher....

They're all killed, all right? Turn 30 and die. Small price to pay for paradise, right? 

Logan 5 is a Sandman, an officer charged with maintaining order including rounding up "Runners", anyone who doesn't want to cooperate with "Carousel". Logan 5 and his partner Francis 7 are content to do their job. They believe in the promise of "Carousel" and their beloved utopian society.   

Then Logan 5 meets Jessica 6 who is a member of a secret group who help Runners in a quest to locate a place called "Sanctuary" where people are free to live out their natural lives.

There are some complications, contrivances and shenanigans to lead Logan 5 to go from hunter to hunted and join Jessica 6 on a quest for Sanctuary.  

Logan's run has begun with his best friend Francis 7 on their tail.   

There are various obstacles, dangers and traps that Logan and Jessica must evade as they make their way outside the sealed environs of the city and see the sun for the first time.   

What is left of the old human civilization has become an overgrown wilderness including what used to be Washington DC. It is here that Logan and Jessica encounter the Old Man which is weird to them since they've never seen anyone over 30 years old before. 

The Old Man has a lot of cats. 

Meanwhile, Francis shows up and despite the overwhelming evidence he has seen and experienced outside the sealed city that all he knew was a lie, he is still determined to kill Logan and Jessica for running from Carousel.    

In a knock down drag out fight with Logan, Francis is killed, still denying even in death everything he has learned.

Yep, Francis is a MAGA Republican. 

Logan's Run was released in 1976 and boy is it obvious with all the polyester, nylon and spandex outfits along with the hair styles and day-glo color palate.  

The characters lack depth, designed to facilitate the plot but lacking in any sense of empathy of why we should care about any of them. These under 30 whippersnappers give us few reasons to give a damn about any of them. The best performance of the movie is Peter Ustinov as the old man. 

Coming in 2nd are his cats.  

I supposed  buried in among the sci-fi action shenanigans is a thoughtful examination of the perils of ageism, an over reliance on technology and a creeping fascism that we're willing to tolerate as long as it doesn't impact our own good time.  

If nothing else, Logan's Run is a cinematic snapshot of the 1970's era in which it was made.  

Next week on Cinema Sunday: What is cute and pink and will make you feel and think and question the very meaning of existence?  

It's Barbie!