Movie: Logan's Run (SF)

Several reviews of this year's The Island (which I cannot wait to see!) mentioned its similiarity to 1976's Logan's Run, so I decided to check it out--and was pleasantly surprised!

In the domed cities of the year 2276, humans live lives of ease and pleasure until the age of 30, when they are killed in a state-sanctioned ritual the people have been brainwashed to see as an opportunity for "renewal." The film shows the steps the government takes to eliminate independent thinking in order to preserve its control and how effectively the group members keep each other in line.

Logan is a "sandman," a police officer charged with hunting and destroying anyone who tries to escape the city and live outside the domes. Under official orders to infiltrate a group of runners who have escaped the city, Logan instead finds himself sympathizing with them--and wishing to live a long life himself.

Apparently, no people of color survive in the future, and scantily-clad females can be ordered like room service. Some of the film's women are vacuous and screamy. On the other hand, Logan's first personal encounter with a free-thinking runner is with a woman who has a strong sense of identity and purpose outside of society's plans for her. Interestingly, the computer used to give orders to the sandmen has the voice of a woman in another example of using social pressure to reinforce the social agenda. Disturbing, yet effective.

Despite the '70s-style big hair and cheesy special effects, I was pleased with the timelessness of the themes addressed. The nature of government, the relationship between science and the quality of human life, even the interdependence of personal and social relationships, are handled thoughtfully. These essential themes make great SF, and the story itself has withstood the test of time. Grade: A-