Sci-Fi Dystopia Theatre: Logan’s Run (1976)

I couldn’t let this stunning teaser poster go to waste, so to follow up on the previous CINEFANTASTIQUE post, and since our time is limited as evidenced by my blinking red lifeclock, it seems apropos to look back to the future of LOGAN’S RUN. This was MGM’s bid for their big event picture of the Bicentennial Year, 1976, based on the 1967 best-seller by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The novel was written fast and furious as a high-concept response to the decade’s generational war being played out across the media nation. The well-regarded genre authors wrote the book specifically to be sold for film — they even had an iron-clad price of $100,000 that was eventually met by MGM (although they also signed away all other rights). The great George Pal was interested but couldn’t get the studio to back him and various scripts were written over the subsequent years to little avail. Saul David (IN LIKE FLINT; FANTASTIC VOYAGE; SKULLDUGGERY) took over producer chores and hired David Zelag Goodman (MONTE WALSH; STRAW DOGS) to adapt while Michael Anderson (AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS) was brought in to direct. For the most in-depth, honest coverage of the making — or breaking — of the film, refer to the previously mentioned issue of CINEFANTASTIQUE.

The story about a proto-perfect 23rd century domed city where the age limit is 30 (upped from the novel’s more apropos 21) deals with the society’s age policeman known as Sandmen, and Logan 5 (Michael York), who mercilessly tracks down any “Runner” who decides that he/she wants to collect their full Social Security benefits. Logan encounters Jessica (Jenny Agutter), a Runner on her way to the fabled “Sanctuary.” Assigned the task of faking his own final birthday to tag along with Jessica and thus destroy Sanctuary, Logan ends up on a wild chase through the city’s labyrinths, hotly pursued by best friend and fellow Sandman, Francis (Richard Jordan). Upon escape from the dome, the trio find the outside world is lush and pollution-free; more astounding they find the oldest man in the world (Peter Ustinov) among the cat-infested ruins of Washington D.C. Dystopic revelations ensue.

LOGAN’S RUN was released to huge publicity in the summer of ’76, and despite lackluster reviews, was a sizable hit though not what the studio hoped. Had the kinetic novel been truly adapted with a unique vision, the film could have been a critical and audience blockbuster. But under the stolid aegis of Saul David, MGM and uninspired production, LOGAN’S RUN does not fully engage nor reflect the passions of the original story, although it certainly has a fan base and is not without cultural interest. Mired in a low-key 70’s tone and style, the film is one of the last of its kind, a somber, science fiction epic with thematic aspirations. Yet the script jumps from scene to scene without poetry or reason, and the art direction (nominated for an Oscar) is redolent of the mirror-and-crystal design that too many films of the era (QUINTET; ROLLERBALL; CHOSEN SURVIVORS) prophecized with little imagination. LOGAN’S RUN central exploitative gimmick was the promise of actual 3-D holography used at the climax — without the producers figuring out that a 2-D medium would not be able to photographically capture the depth of a hologram. Worse, the special effects are quite subpar for a picture with such a vast budget; the domed city with its winding tubes and levels immediately betrays its miniature origins and never convinces otherwise. Matthew Yuricich’s matte paintings look great in still shots but are less integrated on the 70mm screen. Only the nifty Sandman guns with their four chambered flash has any pizazz, and the deadly robot Box is half a good design. The electronic score by Jerry Goldsmith is certainly one of the esthetic assets.

Overall, LOGAN’S RUN needed a more visionary director than Michael Anderson, a studio journeyman without any discernible style. The whole thing screams old-school MGM with its reliance on staid sets, a new-age FORBIDDEN PLANET, and the producers failed to pick the brains of any number of science fiction writers (including Nolan and Johnson, who wrote a faithful screenplay draft) to prevent the silliness of the New You and Love Shop along with the cliche of the green world outside the dystopic city. The interesting cast does not have as much empathy or interest to drive the narrative, although I would have prefered the underrated, always excellent Richard Jordan as Logan, who has the edge and desperation that the pleasant York lacks. Jenny Agutter is beautiful as ever, but the part is under developed (true of the novel as well) and Box (Roscoe Lee Brown) is dispatched too quick. Peter Ustinov is the most alive character, the film’s only source of humor and a bit too broad. In a small part, Farrah Fawcett Majors was an added promotional bonus for the producers when she became a poster icon during the shooting.

LOGAN’S RUN is infamous among its fans for many scenes deleted after a Sneak Preview screening (some of which can be seen in this rare preview for theater owners). One fan site included the actual soundtrack as recorded by a true geek from this preview, confirming the various lost scenes, including a far more powerful opening with Logan and Francis hunting down a Runner. It would be nice if MGM could restore this version for video, and despite my antipathy towards the film, I too would love to see the original cut. LOGAN’S RUN was successful enough to spawn a short-lived 1978 CBS series, and again, as one of the final bleak, big-budget sci-fi films with typically strange scenes (Logan’s holographic lament and the floating denizens of the “Carousel”), you have to honor its place one year before a less-publicized genre release would forever alter SF cinema and bring light to the dark future — STAR WARS.