The theme of the human race being wiped out with only a handful of survivors has been explored in a number of films. There are three in particular that I find give the viewer a sense of what it would be like to live in a world of both isolation and freedom. The first is Romero's Dawn Of The Dead simply because it gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to have the material possessions of the world at our disposal. I always remember how fun it looked when our heroes were making a home for themselves in the mall and doing whatever they pleased. The second is The Omega Man where we get a darker view on what this type of existence would be like and watching Charlton Heston recite the dialogue to Woodstock in an empty movie theatre is a prime example that shows us the monotony that has become his life. Still, even though the mutants are monsters, they are still speaking to him giving him somewhat of a sense of reality. The third film and the one that I feel gives the most engaging perception of what life would be like with no life on the planet is undoubtedly The Quiet Earth.

Bruno Lawrence stars as Zac Hobson, a scientist who awakens to find himself in an empty world. Cars are abandoned on the roads, kettles are left on, but all signs of both human and animal life are missing. Zac explores the countryside and city looking for fellow survivors and even goes so far as to record a looping message on the radio instructing survivors on where to find him. As the film goes on, we see Zac become more aware that he is indeed the last man on earth and he begins to slowly go mad. He even goes so far as to dress in a woman's nightie and break stuff. This carries on for almost half of the movie until Zac realizes that he is actually not alone and he tries to understand what has happened and how to start over. Some critics say that at this point, the film loses its steam but I found it was when it picked up a second wind. Seriously, it would not be very interesting or dramatic watching someone wander around alone for a feature-length running time.

This movie is one that raises a lot of questions. It makes us think about how we would handle a situation such as the one that Zac is in. It shows us both the good and bad sides to living a solitary existence and then expands on that to show us that even if we are saved from ourselves, we then need to be saved from each other. In one sense it shows us that we need each other to survive while in another sense, we see that relationships can cause problems even on a small scale in the simplest of circumstances. Movies like this are exceptional to me in that they are able to entertain while at the same time making us think about ourselves and our perceptions of reality and what is important. Some other movies that come to mind that have had a similar effect on me are Blade Runner and Dellamorte Dellamore. I find this to be a most special achievement because these films are able to both entertain and make us think as opposed to the arty-farty pretensions that we usually associate with movies that exercise our minds.

Director Geoffrey Murphy draws us into his world quickly but the main reason we pay attention so much is because of the performance from Bruno Lawrence. It is extremely difficult to carry a movie solo for almost 40 minutes but Lawrence does so from the first moment we see him after a mesmerizing shot of a sunrise. The defeated yet curious look on Lawrence's face as he examines his surroundings keeps us intrigued as we instantly related to both the confusion, pleasure, and loneliness that consume this man often simultaneously. When he discovers that there are other survivors, you almost want to pull him out of the screen and do a happy dance with him.

Assistant director Lee Tamahori went on to direct the excellent Once Were Warriors as well as the last Pierce Brosnan Bond flick Die Another Day. Director Murphy went on to do Young Guns 2, Fortress 2, and Under Siege 2. (Josh Pasnak, 6/11/06)

Directed By: Geoffrey Murphy.
Written By: Bill Baer, Bruno Lawrence, Sam Pillsbury.

Starring: Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, Peter Smith.