Review of The Quiet Earth (1985) by Justin F — 18 Apr 2015

5 July begins as a normal winter morning near Hamilton, New Zealand. At 6:12 a.m., the Sun darkens for a moment, and a red light surrounded by darkness is briefly seen. Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) is a scientist working for Delenco, part of an international consortium working on "Project Flashlight", an experiment to create a global energy grid. He awakens abruptly; when he turns on his radio, he is unable to receive any transmissions. Zac gets dressed and drives into the deserted city. Investigating a fire, he discovers the wreckage of a passenger jet, but there are no bodies, only empty seats. He enters his underground laboratory; a monitor displays the message "Project Flashlight Complete". The mass disappearance seems to coincide with the moment Flashlight was activated. He notes on his tape recorder: "Zac Hobson, July 5th. One: there has been a malfunction in Project Flashlight with devastating results. Two: it seems I am the only person left on Earth."From this point onward, Zac refers to the crucial moment and its result as "The Effect". After several days, his mental state begins to deteriorate. He puts on a woman's slip and alternates between exhilaration and despair. Eventually he breaks down altogether. He assembles cardboard cutouts of famous people (including Adolf Hitler, Elizabeth II, and Pope John Paul II) and addresses them from a balcony. He declares himself "President of this Quiet Earth", then goes on a rampage. He later bursts into a church and shoots a statue of Jesus off a crucifix. After accidentally crushing an empty pram, he puts the barrel of a shotgun in his mouth, but changes his mind when he witnesses an explosion resulting from his destruction. He settles into a more normal routine. One morning, a young woman named Joanne (Alison Routledge) appears. Zac is attracted to her, and after a few days together they have sex. They decide to scour the countryside for other survivors. They find a third survivor, a large M?ori man named Api (Pete Smith). The three determine why they survived: at the instant of The Effect, they were all at the moment of death-Api was being drowned in a fight, Joanne was electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and Zac had overdosed on pills in a suicide attempt. He had realized there were serious dangers with the experiment and was guilt-ridden for not speaking out. A love triangle develops, but Zac is more concerned about his observations: several universal physical constants are changing, causing the Sun's output to fluctuate. Zac fears that The Effect will occur again and decides to destroy the Delenco facility in an attempt to stop it...

"The Quiet Earth" was nominated for eight New Zealand Film and TV Awards and ended up winning in all eight categories. This science fiction post-apocalyptic film is loosely based on the 1981 science fiction novel of the same name by Craig Harrison. Its other sources of inspiration have been listed as the 1954 novel I Am Legend, Dawn of the Dead, and especially the 1959 film The World, the Flesh and the Devil, of which it has been called an unofficial remake. I reckon back in 1985 this was clearly an intriguing and a different sci-fi production earning it´s awards and attention due to that. As many other movies "The Quiet Earth" has been on my to see list since then, but I should´ve seen it in 1985 and not 2015 as I personally think that "The Quiet Earth" is a bit too slowpaced, a bit boring, uneven and never that exciting to be honest. There´s a story, but the execution is not fully satisfying in my book. But, I will always promote and push for productions from my beloved Australia and New Zealand. So, if you are a sci-fi lover have a look and create your own opinion if you haven´t seen it.