I read more about this film after I found it listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, movies like The Omega Man had already succeeded with the "last man on earth" plot. So it was not an original concept, but it didn't stop this film from New Zealand being made, and I was interested in it, directed by Geoff Murphy (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory). Basically on a normal winter morning in July in Hamilton, New Zealand the sky is darkened for a moment, and a sudden red light surrounded by darkness is seen. Scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) works for Delenco, part of an international consortium working on "Project Flashlight", an experiment to create a global energy grid. He wakes to find no radio broadcasts, and getting dressed and driving around, he finds the city is completely deserted, and a plane crash wreckage with no bodies. Zac investigates his underground laboratory at Delenco, a monitor displays the message "Project Flashlight Complete", the disappearance of humanity coincides with the moment Flashlight was activated, he is lucky to escape the lab as a security breaks causes a fire. Zac broadcasts a repeating radio broadcast, referring to the crucial malfunction as "The Effect", he is asking for any survivors to contact him, first at his home, then at a large millionaire's mansion. As the days pass, his state deteriorates, he at first embraces the fact that he is the only man in the world, feeling exhilaration as he does whatever he wants, including causing his own mischief and havoc, but slowly he returns to despair. Eventually he breaks down altogether, assembling cardboard cut-outs of famous people (including Adolf Hitler, Elizabeth II, and Pope John Paul II) and declaring himself as "President of this Quiet Earth", and shooting up a church, he contemplates suicide with a shotgun, but changes his mind witnessing an explosion caused by his own destructiveness. Zac settles into a more normal routine, but he is surprised when a woman named Joanne (Alison Routledge) suddenly turns up at his doorstep, he is relieved to have company, he is attracted to her, and after a few days they do have sex. They decide to scour the countryside together to find other survivors, and on the outskirts of the city, they find a third survivor, a large Maori 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 drowning, Joanne was electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and Zac had overdosed on pills attempting suicide, Zac feels guilty as he knew the experiment carried serious dangers. A love triangle develops, but Zac is more concerned about his observations about the Earth, the Sun's output is fluctuating, Zac fears the Effect will occur again, and decides to destroy the Deleco facility in an attempt to stop it. The three put their differences aside to drive a truck full of explosives to the installation, only stopped when Zac determines there is high radiation emanating from the plant. Zac goes to town to retrieve a remote control device that can send the truck into the facility, while he is gone, Api and Joanne have sex, Api doubts that Zac's device will work and says he will sacrifice himself and drive the truck. But then Zac reappears in the truck, he drives the truck onto the weakened roof of the underground laboratory, it collapses, as the effect is reaching a maximum, he triggers the explosives. Once again, a red light is seen surrounded by the dark tunnel, Zac finds himself lying face down on a beach, strange cloud formations, resembling waterspouts, rise out of the ocean, as he walks to the water's edge, an enormous ringed planet slowly appears over the horizon. Lawrence carries the first third of the film alone with a beguiling performance, Routledge and Smith are average, so it is a scientific error that caused everyone to be wiped out, it is faultless in capturing the feel of loneliness and eerie dystopia in the early scenes, and the solo man enjoying himself without guilt and interference is interesting to watch, it is when the other two appear it gets a bit predictable, but it is a really worthwhile science-fiction thriller. Good!
Review of The Quiet Earth
