Review of Logan's Run (1976) by Marko S — 16 Aug 2010

Loganâ??s Run premiered in 1976, a year before Star Wars and two years before I was born. I first heard about it years ago while searching through some old comic books. I asked the store owner about them and he said they were made to correspond with the movie, which barely touched the surface of the issues and adventure presented in the book.

With Tron: Legacy being released this December, I decided to rent the original through Netflicks, but apparently the waiting list is very long. So, needing a late1970â??s-early 80â??s sci-fi fix, I decided to get Loganâ??s Run.

I had been forewarned that it was not a great movie and that the book was much better. However, I must say it was not a bad movie at all. It stars Michael York (Cabaret, Austin Powers) and has a small appearance by Farrah Fawcett.

However, with highly outdated special effects, the story makes the movie. Itâ??s the 23rd century and the remaining human beings on Earth live in a domed city with no idea of the outside world. A computer runs the city and the humans live in paradise, except when they turn 30 they have to face Carousel where the computer essentially executes them per its programming.

Logan is a cop whose job is to make sure the 30 year olds show up for Carousel and track down those who try to escape, called runners. Logan returns to his room one evening and the computer gives him special instructions to pose as a runner and seek sanctuary.

Logan becomes a runner and takes his guide Jessica to sanctuary, which doesnâ??t exist because no one has ever escaped. They actually leave the city and find an old man living on the floor of the U.S.

Senate chamber. Apparently, he is the last survivor of humans who refused to join the city. Logan and Jessica soon realize that what they understand about life was false and empty. So, they return to the city to notify the people but are captured.

The computer interrogates Logan and cannot compute life outside its program and then self destructs. Overall, it has a great message about the dangers of false utopias and why mankind cannot simply remove itself from the environment.

Itâ??s a movie in real need of a remake with new technology, but it has the potential to be phenomenal.