Imagined Futures in Sci-fi: Zardoz

I am taking a course called "Utopia/Dystopia: Imagined Futures in Sci-fi" which focuses on science fiction films from the fifties to the present. I will be writing a few words about each of the films I watch in class.

Zardoz
Directed by John Booman
Released February 6, 1974

This has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The problem here is not the fact that it was made a while ago and might seem dated. The first scene features a talking head with a drawn-on goatee, and then another floating head decreeing that "the penis is evil." It does not get much better after that. The real mystery is just how few clothes everyone can wear. Sean Connery is beyond ridiculous as the token "brutal" who infiltrates a society of immortals. The story is inane and ridiculous, and sure there are echoes of "1984" and a message buried under the rubble of ludicrousness. Nonetheless, this movie is as crazy as you can get. It is hard to get through it because it is just so wholly preposterous. Try it if you dare.

F-