The Quiet Earth
by Geoff Murphy
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DVD details
Actor: Alison Routledge, Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Norman Fletcher, Pete Smith (III)Director: Geoff Murphy
Brand: LAWRENCE,BRUNO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-13
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
DVD Reviews of The Quiet Earth
DVD Review: "I've been condemned to live."
Summary: 4 Stars
Imagine this little mind-bending scenario if you will...you wake up one, fine morning, run through your normal routine, leave the house, only to discover you're the last person left on Earth...oh yeah, as if that weren't enough to tweak your melon, throw in the fact that everyone else on the planet has inexplicably disappeared, without a trace...based on a novel by Craig Harrison, The Quiet Earth was directed by Geoff Murphy (Young Guns II, Freejack, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) and stars Bruno Lawrence (Smash Palace, Warlords of the 21st Century, Wild Horses), Alison Routledge (Bridge to Nowhere, The Returning), and Pete Smith (Pandemonium, The Piano, The Legend of Johnny Lingo).
Sunrise...the dawn of a shiny, new day...after three minutes of watching the sun coming up (along with the opening credits), we see a lone, balding man (Lawrence) sleeping in his bed (we later learn his name is Zack), sans any clothes (nekkid man alert), with an item strategically placed over his genitalia...thank the Lord for small favors...anyway, the man awakens at 6:12 AM (a key number) and proceeds with his routine. Strangely, he's unable to pick up any chatter on his radio and a phone call placed goes unanswered...oh well...as he leaves his house (gee, traffic sure is light today), the realization begins to settle in there no one else around. Not only that but it appears as if everyone has just vanished as if they were plucked from wherever they were, doing whatever it is they were doing, all at the same time (you'd think it was The Rapture coming to fruition, but if that were the case I'd expect a lot more people to be running around, at least a lot more non-Christians types). The man finally arrives at a research facility (I'm guessing it's his place of employment given he has an I.D. card allowing him access), we learn of his involvement in some sort of global top-secret project called Project Flashlight...could this have anything to do with the current state of things? Perhaps...so anyway, the man, believing he is the last person on Earth, goes through a number of phases, eventually falling into a deep depression (so much so he's ready to eat the barrel of a gun), but he eventually comes to accept his fate and pulls it together, just it time to discover he's not alone, as a red-headed woman named Joanne (Routledge) makes the scene...well all right...things are definitely beginning to look up. After a time of contemplation, the pair decide to initiate a search to try an locate any others who might be around, and split up to cover more ground, Zack begins investigating the `event', and the possibility that the work he was involved with may have some global, even cosmic, ramifications. Eventually the pair find another man (I should say he finds them), a large, hunky truck driver named Api (Smith)...Adam and Eve...and Api? I guess the party's over, for Zack at least...an interesting dynamic between the trio develops, along with the revelation that the `event' which initiated the disappearance of nearly everyone on the planet may have only been a precursor to something else...
I really enjoyed this New Zealand produced science fiction feature despite finding certain aspects of it thoroughly confusing (perhaps I should have taken that college course in quantum physics instead of advanced basket weaving). I guess I'm just used to films more often than not laying things out for the audience to avoid any real brain strain, but that's certainly not the case here as there's plenty of ambiguity to go around. It's not that I mind being challenged by a film, but it just seems not many out there are willing to put their audiences to the test, at least in terms of mainstream features. While I watched this alone, I'd suggest watching it with others as it will certainly initiate conversation after the film ends. I thought the movie very well put together, and featured some very capable performances, especially in terms of Bruno Lawrence. I actually enjoyed the parts with Lawrence by himself the most, especially the sequences where he went a little loopy and was running around a vacant city in a woman's slip brandishing a shotgun. Eventually the others come into the picture, effectively disrupting the intimacy between Lawrence's character and the audience, but I suppose it had to happen, as I have yet to see a `last man on Earth' film that is truly a last man on Earth film (someone else always shows up). I suppose I could relate to Lawrence's character the most, as Joanne was all weird and emotional while Api was just, well, weird, but then again, who knows how one might react when trying to come to terms with being the last vestiges of humanity. I thought the reasoning behind why the three remained while everyone else disappeared was handled well, but as far as the actual fate of those missing, well, that's left to speculation (my bet is on a cosmic rift). I thought it was pretty funny how Zack speculated on how the `event' came about, and that if it was due to the international project he was involved with, the fault that resulted in the occurrence was most likely caused by the Americans (you know us Americans with our `shoot from the hip' mentality...how could it not be our fault if'n given our invovlment?). Since the story did eventually bring in a couple of other characters besides Zack, I would have liked to have seen a bit more in terms of the relationships and tensions resultant from the fact of there only being two men (one of them a minority prior to the `event') and one woman remaining, as it felt like some of this may have been glossed over. Perhaps the novel provided more in terms of this, I don't know. I feel I should warn some viewers the material can seem dry at times, especially if you're expecting an end of the world, post apocalyptic nightmare story complete with fleshy-headed mutants, as there's none of that here, but only an intimate, thoughtful, intelligent tale of three people trying to cope with the unexpected.
The picture quality on this Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release, presented in widescreen (1.85:1) format, enhanced for 16X9 TVs, looks very sharp and clean, while the Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 audio seems a little soft and uneven at times. Extras include an audio commentary track by co-writer/producer Sam Pillsbury, a theatrical trailer, and an eight page insert booklet with some liner notes. One other aspect I should mention is the DVD comes in a very cool metal case featuring some beautiful cover artwork.
Cookieman108
By the way, the film does feature a scene I believe obligatory to all `last man on Earth' films in that of a bit where those remaining go on a shopping jag, procuring those material items they wouldn't have been able to afford before the stuff hit the fan...
Description of The Quiet Earth
A research scientists awakens to find the world has been destroyed and he soon learns he is not the sole survivor.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 3-SEP-2007
Media Type: DVD
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