Saturday, May 26, 2012

Zardoz (1974)


Zardoz, had it been done properly, could have been entertaining and maybe even thought-provoking. As it stands, it's a failed attempt at high-concept plagued by self-indulgence, camp, and sloppiness. Sean Connery stars as Zed, an exterminator that discovers he has a purpose among the seemingly foreign "Eternals" who are forever youthful psychics. But despite their utopia, there's trouble bubbling in their society. Connery spends most of his time gallivanting around in a bright orange speedo, acting as the Eternals' experiment and slave. In terms of style, other than the miniature of Zardoz, the film seems to go the route of low budget, lo-fi "effects" which causes some laughable moments. There was a certain sloppiness to the whole thing. I thought the underlying foundation of the plot/setting was fascinating and creative, but the execution was very poor. Zardoz is a film that unfortunately hangs between quality and camp. Not good enough to be good, but not bad enough enough to be funny.

3/10

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