Review of The Omega Man (1971) by Aaron R — 17 Feb 2008

I never thought I'd see Chuck Heston do a terrible film, but this is one of them. The atmosphere is unconvincing and looks low budget, the plot goes nowhere, and the music is completely inapprorpiate.

Instead of a creepy post-apoocalyptic world, this one has B movie written all over it, complete with corny, bad dialogue and cheesy, flour-covered, berobed, contact lens wearing "mutants." Like Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction", this is a 70s experiment for Heston, complete with Hollywood's attempts to be more socially conscious; Neville's love affair with Lisa is totally unbelievable, especially given their circumstances, and seems to be there as social commentary arguing for the sake of building a more inclusive society.

The ending is also terrible. If "Planet of the Apes" pushed the envelope, then this one went too far; as far out as it was, a lot of 60s and 70s sci fi was good, if campy. Not so with this one, which hasn't aged well at all.

Heston is too good an actor for this kind of nonsense, and it hurt me to see him in it when surely much better roles were available to him. Avoid it at all costs.