Logan's Run (1976)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

The second film in the pairing Jeff calls "The Myth of the Post-Apocalyptic Recovery" moves ahead in real time six years to 1976. Based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johns, and directed by Michael Anderson, this film introduces viewers to a seeming utopia within a domed city. Run by computer, each person born has a crystal embedded in the palm of their left hand, which changes color as they age. When the crystal quickly blinks red and black, they are expected to report to the arena-like "Carousel" where they will attempt to gain renewal and be born again. Those who run from this responsibility are known, fittingly enough, as runners, and it is the job of the Sandmen to hunt them down and kill them. The story follows Logan 5 (Michael York) and Francis 7 (Richard Jorden), two Sandmen who revel in their work. But when a chance encounter with an ankh ensares Logan in the master computer's quest to find a place called "Sanctuary," his lifeclock is sped up and he become a runner himself. Helped by Jessica (Jenny Agutter), a woman who has connections in the underground, Logan must outwit Francis and escape the dome. But when he does, what he finds is not at all what he expects! The proto-typical science fiction film about the truth of utopias and the necessity of freedom, this is a seminal work in the genre, even if the special effects haven't aged particularly well. And the trio explain why they've bumped back their list in order to pay tribute to a famous character actor who recently passed away!