I first saw "The Quiet Earth" on Cinemax in the late-1980's (every Wednesday night, Cinemax would show foreign films). Yeah...as many other users have pointed out, this isn't your typical sci-fi flick (no monsters, no extended action scenes). But this movie is unique in that way -- it's a sci-fi flick without much sci-fi in it.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge sci-fi geek -- but the thing that kept my interest while I was watching this movie the first time (and what makes it stick in my mind to this day) is the realistic way this movie deals with a totally unrealistic subject. Bruno Lawrence's reactions to his situation were not your usual Hollywood teen flick "Hey, there's nobody else in the world...let's party!" reaction. Instead, you see Zac (Lawrence) change from a man who couldn't care less about people into someone so desperate for companionship that it drives him temporarily insane (to the point of where he thinks that he's God).
Yeah...strangely enough, the addition of other characters into the picture actually hurts the story a bit, but it also allows Zac to explain to everyone what may have caused the world's population to disappear. It also gives Zac a reason to try to right a wrong that he had a hand in (thus redeeming himself).
The amazing beach/planet-rise visual at the very end of the movie is an image that has stuck in my head for all of these years. It's one of the few actual sci-fi elements in the film, and it has a great look to it (almost a modernized version of those classic "Forbidden Planet" backdrops). As enigmatic as the ending is, I always felt that it was a perfect ending for a movie that had an enigmatic beginning -- it basically brings the movie full-circle.
Sure, "The Quiet Earth" isn't your classic sci-fi movie...and it definitely is NOT for all sci-fi fans, but if you're looking for something different without all of the overdone Hollywood flash, you may want to check it out. I'm on a bit of a search thru my local DVD stores to find a copy of it, myself (I'm sure I'll find it in one of the bargain bins...because I doubt any video store manager will appreciate the quality of this forgotten gem).
Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge sci-fi geek -- but the thing that kept my interest while I was watching this movie the first time (and what makes it stick in my mind to this day) is the realistic way this movie deals with a totally unrealistic subject. Bruno Lawrence's reactions to his situation were not your usual Hollywood teen flick "Hey, there's nobody else in the world...let's party!" reaction. Instead, you see Zac (Lawrence) change from a man who couldn't care less about people into someone so desperate for companionship that it drives him temporarily insane (to the point of where he thinks that he's God).
Yeah...strangely enough, the addition of other characters into the picture actually hurts the story a bit, but it also allows Zac to explain to everyone what may have caused the world's population to disappear. It also gives Zac a reason to try to right a wrong that he had a hand in (thus redeeming himself).
The amazing beach/planet-rise visual at the very end of the movie is an image that has stuck in my head for all of these years. It's one of the few actual sci-fi elements in the film, and it has a great look to it (almost a modernized version of those classic "Forbidden Planet" backdrops). As enigmatic as the ending is, I always felt that it was a perfect ending for a movie that had an enigmatic beginning -- it basically brings the movie full-circle.
Sure, "The Quiet Earth" isn't your classic sci-fi movie...and it definitely is NOT for all sci-fi fans, but if you're looking for something different without all of the overdone Hollywood flash, you may want to check it out. I'm on a bit of a search thru my local DVD stores to find a copy of it, myself (I'm sure I'll find it in one of the bargain bins...because I doubt any video store manager will appreciate the quality of this forgotten gem).