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Special Features
Commentary by Michael York, director Michael Anderson, and costume designer Bill Thomas
Vintage featurette: A Look into the 23rd Century
Theatrical trailer
Vintage featurette: A Look into the 23rd Century
Theatrical trailer
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If you can stifle the urge to laugh at its pastel unisex costumes and futuristic shopping-mall décor, this extravagant science fiction film from 1976 is still visually fascinating and provocatively entertaining. Set in the year 2274, when ecological disaster has driven civilization to the protection of domed cities, the story revolves around a society that holds a ceremonial death ritual for all citizens who reach the age of 30. In a diseaseless city where free sex is encouraged and old age is virtually unknown, Logan (Michael York) is a "sandman," one who enforces this radical method of population control (but he's about to turn 30 and he doesn't want to die). Escaping from the domed city via a network of underground passages, Logan is joined by another "runner" named Jessica (Jenny Agutter), while his former sandman partner (Richard Jordan) is determined to terminate Logan's rebellion. Using a variety of splendid matte paintings and miniatures, Logan's Run earned a special Oscar for visual effects (images of a long-abandoned Washington, D.C., are particularly impressive), and in addition to fine performances by Jordan and Peter Ustinov, the film features '70s poster babe Farrah Fawcett in a cheesy supporting role. Jerry Goldsmith's semi-electronic score is still one of the prolific composer's best, and Logan's Run remains an interesting example of '70s sci-fi that preceded Star Wars by less than a year. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
In the Year of the City 2274, humans live in a vast, bubbled metropolis, where computerized servo-mechanisms provide all needs so everyone can pursue endless hedonism. Endless, that is, until Lastday, 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 highlights this post-apocalyptic winner of 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.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
197 of 219 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
UPDATED FOR BLU-RAY VERSION 11/12/09
For those thinking of upgrading to the Blu-ray of "Logan's Run" there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that while this does improve on the original DVD, it's not a huge jump in quality. The film needs some restoration and it appears this is a new transfer (the same one that was used for the reissued DVD with the same cover). The image quality is soft throughout lacking the sharp image quality that you'd expect from a recent film or one that has been restored.
The other bit of bad news is that we get none of the extras that were included on the old three disc laserdisc instead getting only the original special features ported over from the DVD (which is good news in a way since this could have been bare bones).We also get the commentary track featuring director Michael Anderson, star Michael York and costume designer Bob Thomas discussing the making of the film.
Anderson points out in the commentary track WHY there are some plot holes (the film under went some heavy editing to allow more showings per day and move it from a potential "R" rating to "PG")but it's a pity that none of this footage has been found or and restored for a director's cut more than likely the footage is missing.
(The 2002 original soundtrack album CD by the way notes some of the sequences in the booklet that were cut including a longer sequence in the ice cave with box--cut to earn a PG rating and some other sequences which appear to be lost)
The flaws in the film are less of an issue for me 33 years later. Sure, the production design can be cheesy at times but "Logan's Run" is a product of its time. The themes examined by Anderson and screenwriter David Zelag Goodman still does a good job even if the last third of the film falls apart.
The 5.1 mix sounds pretty good overall which is more good news but it would have been nice to have Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful score available as an isolated track. The score is availabe here Logan's Run [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]which 73 minutes of Jerry Goldsmith's praised score.
Many of the visual effects look dated with the miniature work in particular leaving a lot to be desired but the for time it was pretty good. The matte paintings by Matthew Yurichich are one of the few highlights of the visual effects in the film.
Logan's Run started off with a pretty amazing concept--(courtesy of science fiction writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson)what if our youth obsessed society put everyone over the age of 30 (21 in the novel)to death as a means of population control? This film version of a classic cautionary tale is intermittantly successful. David Zelag Goodman's screenplay condenses and changes around several key characters.
The basic plot--In the future our society is enclosed in domes. As a means to control the population, everyone has a life clock crystal on their hand. When you reach 30 you have the option to become "renewed" in a ceremony attended by the citizens. Logan (Michael York) and Francis (Richard Jordan) are Sandmen who hunt, capture/or kill runners (people who choose to not go through renewal and try to escape).
Logan is sent undercover by the computer that runs the city to find the location of Sanctuary and uses Jessica (Jenny Agutter "Walk About")who helps runners escape. He and Jessica discover more than they could possibly imagine.
The film is quite good despite some gaping plot holes. Michael York gives a impassioned performance as Logan 5. Jenny Agutter is enchanting as Jessica. Richard Jordan shines as Logan's former partner Francis who feels betrayed and hunts Logan down. Roscoe Lee Brown is exceptional in his cameo as the demented cyborg Box.
Logan's Run attempted to tell an adult cautionary tale in a world of light weight escapist movies. It's a commendable film and the film makers frequently bite off more than they can chew. I'd rather have a film that's too ambitious than not at all.
Still, I appreciate the ambitions if not the execution. 3 1/2 stars.
For those thinking of upgrading to the Blu-ray of "Logan's Run" there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that while this does improve on the original DVD, it's not a huge jump in quality. The film needs some restoration and it appears this is a new transfer (the same one that was used for the reissued DVD with the same cover). The image quality is soft throughout lacking the sharp image quality that you'd expect from a recent film or one that has been restored.
The other bit of bad news is that we get none of the extras that were included on the old three disc laserdisc instead getting only the original special features ported over from the DVD (which is good news in a way since this could have been bare bones).We also get the commentary track featuring director Michael Anderson, star Michael York and costume designer Bob Thomas discussing the making of the film.
Anderson points out in the commentary track WHY there are some plot holes (the film under went some heavy editing to allow more showings per day and move it from a potential "R" rating to "PG")but it's a pity that none of this footage has been found or and restored for a director's cut more than likely the footage is missing.
(The 2002 original soundtrack album CD by the way notes some of the sequences in the booklet that were cut including a longer sequence in the ice cave with box--cut to earn a PG rating and some other sequences which appear to be lost)
The flaws in the film are less of an issue for me 33 years later. Sure, the production design can be cheesy at times but "Logan's Run" is a product of its time. The themes examined by Anderson and screenwriter David Zelag Goodman still does a good job even if the last third of the film falls apart.
The 5.1 mix sounds pretty good overall which is more good news but it would have been nice to have Jerry Goldsmith's wonderful score available as an isolated track. The score is availabe here Logan's Run [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]which 73 minutes of Jerry Goldsmith's praised score.
Many of the visual effects look dated with the miniature work in particular leaving a lot to be desired but the for time it was pretty good. The matte paintings by Matthew Yurichich are one of the few highlights of the visual effects in the film.
Logan's Run started off with a pretty amazing concept--(courtesy of science fiction writers William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson)what if our youth obsessed society put everyone over the age of 30 (21 in the novel)to death as a means of population control? This film version of a classic cautionary tale is intermittantly successful. David Zelag Goodman's screenplay condenses and changes around several key characters.
The basic plot--In the future our society is enclosed in domes. As a means to control the population, everyone has a life clock crystal on their hand. When you reach 30 you have the option to become "renewed" in a ceremony attended by the citizens. Logan (Michael York) and Francis (Richard Jordan) are Sandmen who hunt, capture/or kill runners (people who choose to not go through renewal and try to escape).
Logan is sent undercover by the computer that runs the city to find the location of Sanctuary and uses Jessica (Jenny Agutter "Walk About")who helps runners escape. He and Jessica discover more than they could possibly imagine.
The film is quite good despite some gaping plot holes. Michael York gives a impassioned performance as Logan 5. Jenny Agutter is enchanting as Jessica. Richard Jordan shines as Logan's former partner Francis who feels betrayed and hunts Logan down. Roscoe Lee Brown is exceptional in his cameo as the demented cyborg Box.
Logan's Run attempted to tell an adult cautionary tale in a world of light weight escapist movies. It's a commendable film and the film makers frequently bite off more than they can chew. I'd rather have a film that's too ambitious than not at all.
Still, I appreciate the ambitions if not the execution. 3 1/2 stars.
73 of 82 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Logan's Run fan, if such a thing exists, and was overjoyed to see the film released to DVD. The transfer looks great, and the letterboxed format preserves the lovely cinematography.The acting is, by and large, pretty good. Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Richard Jordan are all in fine form. Peter Ustinov chews scenery in his portions of the film, but isn't that what you put him in a movie for?The visual effects won an Oscar back in '76, pre-Star Wars. I would place their quality somewhere above Marooned, but below 2001:a Space Oddyssey. The Aerial view of the city that opens the film looks really cheesy, but the Carrousel sequence is downright eerie. It is even more remarkable when you learn that the whole sequence was done in-camera, on-set with no compositing aside from the white beam of light that emanates from the ceiling. The compositing and matte paintings are breathtaking.The film takes a lot of flak for its costumes and for looking like it was shot in a shopping mall. I think the costumes are moot--who know what we'll be wearing in the future? These people live in a hedonistic, weather-free society. It stands to reason that they would be very revealing and purely cosmetic for those very reasons. As far as the look of the sets goes--this is a materialistic, consumer-mad, hermetically sealed society that the film portrays--of course its going to look like a shopping mall.The film is not exactly an accurate representsation of the events in the book (something I wouldn't mind seeing someday). Budgetary, time and technological constraints would made doing so impossible at the time. Still, it holds up well on its own merits.One last note: Am I the only one who finds the love story angle of this movie touching? It's interesting to see two people experiencing love for the first time, especially in the world portrayed in Logan's Run, where people don't have lasting emotional ties to one another.What the love story kind of implies is that this is the first time in hundreds of years that people have thought and felt in terms of strong emotions for each other. In an era like our own where the word is bandied about so much as to be meaningless, it's refreshing to see a future where its meaning is rediscovered.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By PolarisDiB
Format:DVD
Ah, 70s science fiction... ridiculous costumes, campy visual effects, social commentary... and an underlying weirdness you just can't ignore. Logan's Run is something like THX 1138, only to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World instead of Orwell's 1984. And in the words of the character Logan himself, "It all made sense until Box..." In the future, mankind survives in a mall-like bubble of society that entirely subsists off of pleasure and materialism. Everyone is forced to die at the age of 30, basically to prevent the knowledge of suffering from getting into their minds. Those who do not want to die at 30 are "runners" that get tracked down by "sandmen" who blast them with what essentially amounts to flare guns. Despite this, the walls are not TOO scorched with spent rounds, and most people go on happily. Unfortunately for the status quo, this world is a lie and not everyone is happy, resulting in one particular sandman, the eponymous Logan 5, to have to become a runner himself.
There are some pretty bizarre scenes in the lieu. The whole rite of the carousel is actually quite disturbing if you think about it. An entire quadrant of the city is filled with derelicts and gangmembers, and of course this part is the one called "The Cathedral". On the other hand, there's visual candy as well, with superb modeling for the cityscapes and, yes, Jenny Agutter in a miniskirt that only gets more revealing as it slowly falls apart over the course of the movie.
Unlike THX 1138, Logan's Run doesn't end upon successful exit of the city; that's only the first half. Afterward the audience is treated to a gorgeous vision of the empty and abandoned Washington D.C. The movie kind of drags at this point, but is made up for mostly by the disturbing visions of American landmarks in various states of decay. When all else fails, science fiction's greatest asset is the ability to displace the audience with what they feel are familiar landscapes--just look at Planet of the Apes or 28 Days Later...
This is a very enjoyable movie, nonetheless. People who like the fact that Star Wars is a Campbellian construction of the Hero's Journey should definitely check this movie out--it might as well have been the primary source for George Lucas' later work. And for science fiction fans as a whole, it's a classic example of the form.
But MAN, was that robot and the ice cave WEIRD.
--PolarisDiB
There are some pretty bizarre scenes in the lieu. The whole rite of the carousel is actually quite disturbing if you think about it. An entire quadrant of the city is filled with derelicts and gangmembers, and of course this part is the one called "The Cathedral". On the other hand, there's visual candy as well, with superb modeling for the cityscapes and, yes, Jenny Agutter in a miniskirt that only gets more revealing as it slowly falls apart over the course of the movie.
Unlike THX 1138, Logan's Run doesn't end upon successful exit of the city; that's only the first half. Afterward the audience is treated to a gorgeous vision of the empty and abandoned Washington D.C. The movie kind of drags at this point, but is made up for mostly by the disturbing visions of American landmarks in various states of decay. When all else fails, science fiction's greatest asset is the ability to displace the audience with what they feel are familiar landscapes--just look at Planet of the Apes or 28 Days Later...
This is a very enjoyable movie, nonetheless. People who like the fact that Star Wars is a Campbellian construction of the Hero's Journey should definitely check this movie out--it might as well have been the primary source for George Lucas' later work. And for science fiction fans as a whole, it's a classic example of the form.
But MAN, was that robot and the ice cave WEIRD.
--PolarisDiB
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A movie from my youth
I loved this movie from my younger days.
It came as promised and new.
The blu-ray transfer is a bit fuzzy, but, very watchable. Read more
It came as promised and new.
The blu-ray transfer is a bit fuzzy, but, very watchable. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Rock Steady DJ
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give me a break- it's a film from the 70's.. :P
This is one of the very first Sci-fi films I saw in a movie theater.... I was blown away, to say the least. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mark A. Laus
4.0 out of 5 stars
Logan's Run Blu-Ray
This is a difficult Film fo me to review fairly,as I have some fond memories of taking a lovely girl to see it in the theatre,on a motorcycle as a young man. Read more
Published 2 days ago by John Swanson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Seventies
Logans Run may have been considered good in it's day the 70's, but by todays standards it was hokey at best.
Published 3 days ago by Elaine Costello
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic 70's Sci Fi
Hokey by today's standards, but a fun watch if you want to see 1970's special effects, acting style and character development (our hero thinks for himself and develops admirable... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Noel William Campbell
2.0 out of 5 stars
scratches on outside of DVD.
second time for this problem. When it happenes with one copy it seems to happen with all copies of same item, something to look into. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Arthur J. Pellerin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great retro movie
Futuristic blast from the past. Young Michael York, Jennie Agutter and Roscoe Lee Browne were great & just as I remember them.
Published 10 days ago by Michael Lea
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great concept....Bad movie
For years, I have been told this is a must-see sci-fi movie. I finally watched this on Amazon Instant Video yesterday. I will never be able to get those two hours back. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
An oldie but a goodie...
Logan's Run is the quintessential sci-fi movie..an ominous Big Brotherish dome world where everyone blindly submits to death before age 30 on the "Carousel"unless they try... Read more
Published 16 days ago by robert marki
5.0 out of 5 stars
retro perfect
farrah Fawcett is in here.
great retro sci-fi with a relevant tie to today with our excessive old population.
solve the problem - Logans Run. Read more
great retro sci-fi with a relevant tie to today with our excessive old population.
solve the problem - Logans Run. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Frank Lopez
