Alamo Drafthouse had a late-night showing Somara and me couldn’t pass up, especially with the rumors of a remake underway starring…ugh, Ryan Gosling and Rose Byrne. I know the 1976 film has little in common with the original novel but the movie starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter developed its own charm; I think it reflected many people’s concerns about overpopulation too.
The last time I saw Logan was on TCM. I think we were still living in our last apartment and despite the cinephile network’s boast about no commercials, they did pixelate out a nude scene I remembered. Before then, it was through multiple showings via HBO during my formative grade school years plus the rating shifted from R to PG like Jaws, much to Mom’s ire after overhearing some dialog. How well does it stand up 36 years later? The music is cooler than I recalled, maybe all the Beyond the Black Rainbow flashbacks? I did giggle at the technology, the communicators are humorously large! The audience laughed over Farrah Fawcett’s stilted performance. Overall, Logan could use more work on tightening the story; the bit with the cubs didn’t do anything beyond consuming time; but I feel it remains pretty excellent as is. It’s not a perfect SciFi flick yet Logan earned a place in the Essential Library under the Dystopian Seventies section alongside The Omega Man and Soylent Green, the latter being the more gruesome solution to overcrowding.
I’m glad I got the chance to see this again on the big screen. Being eight in 1976 with parents who didn’t believe in taking their kids to R-rated movies prevented my first opportunity. If it passes through your area, I would consider giving Logan another look before the barrage of complaints about Ryan Gosling start in 2013.