Ah, you've got to love the 70's. Only in that decade could a film so wilfully weird as Zardoz be released by one of the major studios. This was the decade where Hollywood went left-field and consequently released a large number of brilliantly odd movies. It would probably be fair to say that Zardoz is among the most bizarre. In those halcyon days between the release of the highly popular but highly strange 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and the decidedly more straightforward but astronomically successful Star Wars (1977), what constituted cinematic science fiction was often more conceptual than action-oriented. Zardoz is a pretty good example of this. Its writer and director was John Boorman who had just come off the back of the highly successful, yet decidedly disturbing, Deliverance (1972). The success of that film gave him enough leverage with Twentieth Century Fox that they gave him full control on his next feature, which was of course Zardoz. The result was a highly unusual and distinctive science fiction oddity. On release it seems to have quickly attained something of an infamous reputation. It was considered by the critics as an incoherent and self-indulgent mess. In fairness, it's not really surprising that it attracted such hostility, as while it is a film with lots of ideas, they are presented in a confused manner, with a somewhat muddled plot. However, I think from the point-of-view of today, this can surely now be mostly forgiven and we can appreciate the very fact that this was a sci-fi opus that wasn't afraid to simply let loose and go for it fully, with impressively little regard for commercial considerations.
Just recounting a brief synopsis reminds me just how strange the basic story for this one actually is. In the 23rd-century, in a post-apocalyptic Earth, we have a character called Zed. He is an Exterminator, one of the professional killers who eliminate Brutals on orders from a god known as Zardoz, who in turn is a giant floating stone head who spews forth weaponry for the Exterminators to use. Severe doubts lead Zed to stow away in the head of Zardoz and from this vantage point he enters the Vortex, which is the world of the immortal Eternals, a group of fey fops who are guardians to human culture and art. The introduction of this savage mortal into their midst is the catalyst for irrevocable changes in the Vortex.
See what I mean? The synopsis reads like madness. This is about as far removed from a high concept movie as you are likely to get. Its story-line is totally out there. But that is a significant part of this film's appeal, as unlike most films this one is highly unpredictable. You just can't really work out where it's going to go next and this is something of a serious plus point in its favour. It considers the ideas of utopia and immortality, and the resultant boredom associated with each. There is maybe a little too much convoluted high-minded dialogue about various matters but some of the ideas connect. It's stylised in that it is the future as seen from the 70's. Some people used the word 'dated' to describe the likes of this. I personally do not like that word and consider it meaningless, moreover I think the look of the future from the point-of-view of the 70's is actually a pretty interesting one and is another plus point for this film. Visually, this one has much going for it generally, with some psychedelic sequences and surreal moments. It's colourful, bizarre and imaginative. In films so offbeat as this acting performances often feel like something of an afterthought but special mention has to be made for Sean Connery who is in a role about as far removed from James Bond as is emotionally possible. He goes around in a deeply unflattering outfit but does so in an impressively committed way, so kudos to Connery for giving such a serious performance in a nappy. Ice queen Charlotte Rampling is also on hand, as is perfectly cast as one of the aloof Eternals; it sometimes feels like Rampling only appeared in cult movies and, well, this sure qualifies as another one. In summary, Zardoz is most certainly not for everyone but it's a movie that grows on you, there really is nothing else like it.
