The Quiet Earth

At first I had no idea this movie was filmed in New Zealand, and as a resident of the country myself; I know all too well the kind of productions that are delivered. Most of them unfortunately are a crap-fest.

However, with The Quiet Earth, I was very pleasantly surprised. The plot is original, it has never (in my geeky, sci-fi junkie knowledge) been done before. The camera work is superb, the way the movie is set out on a striking background makes this film all the more beautiful.

The plot is surprisingly simple, it does not involve a lot of consideration, which in my particular case, allowed me to enjoy what was happening visually. A man wakes up only to find civilization has vanished, and he is the sole remaining species.

I'm sure we have all fantasized about this, and what we would do. The main character relates to his imagination, and to ours, he takes a small advantage and delivers it with such passion and comedic structure. Of course however, this would drive anyone insane if they weren't used to living a life of recluse and complete solitude, and he eventually does dance along the rope of reality, slipping momentarily until the plot drives forward.

It is an entertaining movie, it has it's thrills, it certainly has a tad suspense and a slight nudge of bad acting, however in saying that; the movie makes up for this tedious flaw with a terrific script, and a most peculiar story-line which will leave the viewers wondering what on Earth will happen (ignore the pun).

I enjoyed this movie a great deal, it was a fun way to spend an evening watching the well adapted characters explore the possibilities of their flawed world.

For some reason, I saw this film at the cinema when it first came out. I think I might have been attracted by the classic S.F. poster, with the ringed planet rising behind a city. Well - I remember being intrigued by the film, but a little disappointed, and on watching it again on DVD all these years later, I feel just the same way.

It's worth a watch, and in many ways it's a neat and original little film. It's much more effective in the first half, when the narrative is driven by the main character's discovery of the disaster that has occurred.

The reaction of the protagonist to his new found "freedom" is well handled, believable and treads just the right line between comedy and tragedy. But when the other characters start to appear, the rot sets in, and I felt the film lost its way.

Also - the basic film-making began to creak. Some really bad acting began to be noticeable, and the director seemed to be grabbing at Hollywood action clichés to bulk out his film (eg the narrow squeeze driving the lorry through the gap, the pointless and unresolved stand-off between the two guys over the girl etc).

In science fiction terms, the basic premise was neat and interesting, but not really explored at all. And the more that was revealed, the worse it got - disbelief was NOT suspended!

But - I still like the film, would recommend it, and might even watch it again myself in another 20 or so years!

New Zealand surely isn't that illustrious, but this film is an incredible work that is begging to be rediscovered. It isn't a science- fiction in the way of aliens and action; despite it's meager budget, it uses mood, suggestion and great storytelling. The protagonist doesn't fight bloodthirsty monsters, but human nature.

Zac wakes one morning to find himself alone; the entire human race has seemingly disappeared overnight during a phenomena known as "The Effect". As his mental state begins deteriorating, he meets two other survivors, but it isn't long before problems in their relationships begin to happen.

For an inexperienced director, inexperienced cast, and probably inexperienced crew, the movie is surprisingly professional. At a time when other sci-fi movies like Back to the Future and Brazil, The Quiet Earth unfortunately and undeservedly faded into obscurity. Plus, dare I say, this movie features the greatest ending ever put to film (Think Planet of the Apes x10).

Please do your best to find this movie, you will surely enjoy the wonders of filmmaking outside of Hollywood once you do.

I'm another person who saw this movie in a small art theater on Balboa Island, CA, in 1985. "Quiet Earth" was so haunting that, while channel surfing 15 years later, I saw just a flash of the image of Zac awakening and recognized the film instantly. I settled in to watch the film again--even knowing the ending--and its impact was still incredible.

Maybe it's not for serious sci-fi fans but definitely for people who like movies with apocalyptic themes, such as "A Boy and His Dog".

An engaging sci-fi drama about a man who awakens to find himself, seemingly, the last person alive on earth. What does he do? What would you do? Everything's free. You could drive what you want. Wear what you want. Live in the fanciest hotel or simply pick a house to move in to. No laws to obey except those imposed by reality.

But might it not get lonely? And what if you did find someone else?

I plucked this movie off the rental rack on a whim, not expecting much really, but I was pleasantly surprised. By no means was it a 'great' movie, but I think virtually anyone would find it interesting--certainly more so than the claptrap currently being churned out by Hollywood.