The Quiet Earth (1985)

Excellent but underrated film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Man wakes up and everything is somehow strange, but it takes some time until he realizes that everybody else is gone and he seems to be the last man on Earth. In first part of the movie we go with him through all psychological phases, through madness till he finally takes over control and tries to reorganize. I saw few movies with this kind of plot and it seems to me this one is the most realistic. Then plot thickens and speeds up and magical atmosphere of this movie slowly fades. Still, movie keeps your attention and its quality almost to the very end. Ending scene... I did not understand it at all and I had a feeling as they took the ending of some other movie and simply stick it to this one. It feels completely wrong. I guess what they wanted to accomplish with it, but to me it spoiled impression of this movie as a whole and it lowered my rating to7/10.

Directed by Geoff Russell, this is one of the most visionary and imaginative science fiction films ever produced. Years ago on a Saturday night, this movie served as my introduction to the SciFi Channel. That was back before SyFy and when great science fiction films were shown instead of schlock and reality junk. This was a terrific introduction and one I've never forgotten. Featuring an outstanding and memorable performance by Bruno Lawrence, it is that rare combination of an intelligent script and superb direction fulfilling the true potential of science fiction to tell a meaningful story. The existential power of this film is realized in a stunning closing sequence of incredibly haunting imagery, beautifully scored by composer John Charles, with special effects that are simple yet breathtaking. It may be one of the most moving, breathtaking, and thought provoking motion picture climaxes ever filmed. It is certainly one you will never forget. This is science fiction at its finest and deserves to be recognized as nothing less than a classic.

I believe I'm now the third reviewer (here on IMDb) who caught this film at the old, wonderful Balboa Theater back in 1985. I haven't viewed the film since and, not being a sci-fi fan, I don't believe that I'm qualified to say if it's among the best of the genre; however, I still have strong memories of enjoying this production and of it being very entertaining. In other words, it grabbed my attention quickly and kept it throughout via an intriguing and beguiling storyline. Too bad that old theater is long gone--they showed so many terrific art-house and classic films (but that's another story for another time). "The Quiet Earth" is definitely worth a look-see.

This is one of those movies that after seeing you'll be thinking hey what a great movie . It's a film that lingers long in the memory then when you see it again you're left thinking , oh I wonder why I liked it so much ? There's little dispute as to why I thought it so good first time I saw it and that's because of the very memorable ending which overwhelmed all the other elements of the film that came before itTQE has a very old fashioned attitude to science as in " These nasty scientists have just gone and destroyed the human race again " which was common in 1950s sci-fi where nearly every alien menace was a metaphor for the atomic bomb . Yes science might have given humanity the power to destroy itself but it's also given us medicine , electricity and the internet so the good outweighs the bad It's a film that has three distinct acts with one being Zac waking up to find himself alone and flirting with madness caused by his loneliness , the second act featuring Zac finding a fellow survivor Joanne and the third act dealing with sexual rivalries caused by a third protagonist Api joining the duo . It's not often you see all the men in the world fighting over a ginger and this is probably the first and last film you'll see this as a premise In this type of film which concentrates on character instead of action and spectacle it's important that the casting is perfect but unfortunately I wasn't compelled by the acting . Bruno Lawrence is merely okay , Alison Routledge is bland and Pete Smith lacks the dangerous edge his character cries out for . I read online that Jack Nicolson was asked to play Zac but wanted too much money and perhaps the producers would have been better getting a well known bad boy actor to play Api The film ends with a great image which makes the film . Of course when you're left to ask what it means in both he context of the film and a possible future for Zac you'll be be left scratching your chin . In effect this is one of these movies that is remembered for its imagery or rather one final image at the end . Everything leading up to it isn't all that good except perhaps for the deserted streets sequences