Movie Review: Logan's Run

Hey! During another trip to our local library, Mom and I picked up another movie. She showed it to me, telling me that she saw it with her family at the drive-in when she was little. So why not give it a shot?? Summer Movie Nights at The Real World According To Sam is happy to present to you this film from the 1970s.


Logan's Run
Release Year: 1976
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Thriller
My Rating: 2/5

The Premise:
(as written on the back of the cover)

"Live it up today, your time is up tomorrow. In the Year of the City 2274, humans forsake the ravaged outer environment by living in a vast, bubbled metropolis. There, computerized servo-mechanisms provide all needs and everyone can pursue endless hedonism. Endless, that is, until Lastday. That's when anyone who's 30 must submit to Carrousel, a soaring, spinning trip to eternity and supposed rebirth.

The screen's first use of laser holography provides some sci-fi kicks in this post-apocalyptic saga honored with a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. Michael York plays Logan 5, a Sandman authorized to terminate Runners fleeing Carrousel. Logan is almost 30. Catch him if you can."

Based on the 1967 novel of the same title by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, Logan's Run takes us into the future in a time where humans live in a domed city and live for nothing but pleasure. They only live to the age of 30. While it was given an award for its special effects, I am very sad to say that this movie is extremely dated. The concept is extremely intriguing, however I must say that the execution would be much better now, in the 21st century.

At only 2 minutes short of 2 hours, this movie unfortunately drags on much longer than it should. There are about 3 different scenes that feel like the ending, but unfortunately the 2 prior to the ACTUAL end come entirely too soon. Many things in this movie didn't quite add up and there were a lot of scenes that just did not match up. The sequence was very choppy. The scenes did not link or connect very often. I felt like I watched one bit of film, and then another and so on in order to just see the story. I didn't feel the story and I certainly didn't feel immersed in the experience.

Other scenes weren't even necessary. I liked the character of the old man, but the whole deal with the cats just didn't click. The cats were definitely not necessary. The old man could have just lived alone for years and it would have been more effective and contributed more to the movie as a whole. 

Also, one thing I really disliked about this movie, was seeing everything with Logan. Sure, he is the main character and is in practically every scene, but in the end the lack of multiple viewpoints just results in a very limiting experience. Francis never questioned Carrousel or the way things were, but we never really saw how any of the other young people living in the domes felt. You can see their excitement during the first scene of Carrousel, but other than that we know nothing about them. I honestly think that 1 scene presenting a conversation between other minor or extra characters would have been a great way to show the overall attitude and reaction of the humans to their environment and lifestyle. I thought the focus was supposed to be on the way things are in the year 2274, but all I was really given was how one guy sees it all happen. How did things become the way they are in that time?? Why is everyone separated by age using colors? Why are the children so hostile? Who runs the place?!?! Is it run by an actual government, or is it run by the computer? These are questions I had that were never even brought up. These are the questions that, if answered, would have made the movie that much more effective.

For years, there have been plans to produce a remake of this movie (as read here: Logan's Run Remake), based more so on the original novel than on the original movie. Once the remake is completed, I will most definitely watch it. The concepts for this story are great! They show lots of promise. Perhaps with modern technology, the execution will prove far more impressive. One of the main problems I had was with the way the original movie was written. Hopefully there are more talented writers working on the newer version than the ones who worked on the original (no offense intended to any of the original writers). I honestly believe that this movie could be a hit, if done properly. I'm going to do my best to get my hands on a copy of the novel, to see where the original movie [& hopefully future remake] measure up. I would love to see where the differences lie and what could have made the original so much better. I am intrigued by the thought of seeing how well the new production team will adapt Logan's Run for present-day audiences. 

Overall, this film is enjoyable, but not highly thrilling or moving. With outdated special effects and poor writing, Logan's Run leaves much to be desired and I'm very sad to have seen so much promise and potential wasted.