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At exactly 6:12 am, government research scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) awakens to discover that he may be the last man on earth: homes, highways and entire cities are deserted. Empty planes have fallen from the sky. Every living thing has disappeared. But for Hobson, the ultimate shock is still to come months later when he finds that he is not alone. With the addition of a beautiful young woman (Alison Routledge) and a Maori trucker (Pete Smith), the apocalypse suddenly becomes very personal. What has happened to everyone else on the planet? Why has Zac himself survived? Will sexual tension lead to sudden violence? And what is the ultimate responsibility for a man of science when the end of the world may be just the beginning? (official distributor synopsis)
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The idea and atmosphere are interesting, but The Quiet Earth is a half-baked sci-fi flick in terms of its story. And the characters behave very strangely in places. Geoff Murphy is an engaging post-apocalyptic director, but he’s a terrible psychologist. The popcorn flick I Am Legend isn’t much deeper or smarter, but it’s at least more entertaining and doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t.
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An interestingly conceived and unusually ended story about a man who wakes up one day to find that all the people on the globe had disappeared and he was left alone. A very imaginative script, a great performance by New Zealand star Bruno Lawrence, and most importantly, proof that you can make great science fiction without big special effects. In hindsight, I see this film as a truly unique piece of New Zealand cinema that was still in its infancy in terms of international recognition. Really, this film gets under your skin and stays there for a long time. I watched it almost 15 years ago on ČT2. Interesting fact: director Geoff Murphy later assisted Peter Jackson with the battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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A superb film is born from one brilliant idea incorporated into an excellent screenplay, three talented actors, and maximized formal elements. Expensive digital effects, once unthinkable for their time, were replaced by costly set designs (the airplane in the wreckage, the destruction of the gas station), and the final result is even more impactful. Nothing matches the depressing atmosphere of the desolate streets. Perhaps it's unfortunate that the whole unraveling of the story is unnecessarily complicated (in terms of the screenplay), while it's presented so simply (in terms of direction). But let's be honest, when the protagonist says "And now, I am God!" in the middle of the film, who wouldn't want to switch places with him at that moment?
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A very good film that manages to very effectively depict what the world would be like after only one person remained on it. Or just a few people. The introduction is truly excellent and the behavior of the sole person is understandable if you put yourself in his situation, which is not that difficult in this case. The finale is a bit peculiar, but not so much in the case of sci-fi.
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