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Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett ... see more see more... , Michael Anderson Jr. , Peter Ustinov , Randolph Roberts , Lara Lindsay , Gary Morgan , Michelle Stacy , Camilla Carr , Carole Ann Ford , Greg Lewis , Greg Michaels , Bob Neill , Denny Arnold , Glenn Wilder , David Westberg , Laura Hippe , Bill Couch , Farrah Fawcett-Majors

In a hermetically sealed post-apocalyptic urban environment several centuries hence, Logan 5 (Michael York) and his friend Francis 7 (Richard Jordan) lead unquestioning lives of hedonism. Entertainmen... read more read more...t comes in the form of casual sexual liaisons and gladiatorial games in which those who do not wish to undergo euthanasia at the age of 30 vie for the illusory chance of continued life. As "sandmen," Logan and Francis are charged with tracking down and killing "runners" -- those citizens who will submit to neither "renewal" (a peaceful death) nor "carousel" (a gladiatorial battle) when their time comes. When Logan grows intrigued by a beautiful young woman, Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter), who plans to become a runner, he is forced to question the fundamental principles of his society. And when his superiors force him to pose as a runner himself to weed out Jessica's guerilla underground, Logan finds himself fleeing the city in search of a mythical place called Sanctuary, where people are allowed to live out their natural spans. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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68% liked it

28 critics

PG, 2 hr.

Directed by: Michael Anderson, Michael Anderson Jr.

Release Date: June 23, 1976

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DVD Release Date: September 29, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (2,074)

  • brooklynspo
    April 3, 2007
    brooklynspo
    HaHa - I wonder how this one holds up?
  • mumby1988
    September 10, 2011
    mumby1988
    Ever since Star Trek first arrived on our screens, it's been almost fashionable to dismiss science fiction as little more than enjoyable pantomime hogwash. Whatever interesting ideas the series tried to raise, more often than not the ideas would take a back seat to silly fighting... read more, hammy acting and increasingly bizarre costumes. Coming a year before Star Wars rewrote the sci-fi rulebook, Logan's Run is a kindred spirit to the original Star Trek: campy, silly and utterly escapist, yet still passingly entertaining.

    One of the initial disappointments of Logan's Run is how little of the original novel survives in the screenplay. The novel, written by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, used the counter-culture and youth movements of the mid-1960s as a platform for a story about eugenics and social engineering, predicting a society where the power of youth was so great that ageing beyond 21 was forbidden. But in the screenplay for Logan's Run, written by Straw Dogs scribe David Zelag Goodman, this fascinating premise is compressed into an old-fashioned action-adventure story, with most of the political undercurrents being taken out.

    Logan's Run still has an interesting premise in spite of this - people can only live to 30 before they are elaborately executed - but in both its execution and its place within the sci-fi canon, it is much more old-fashioned than its source material. The film is directed by Michael Anderson, who had reached his peak in the 1950s with The Dambusters and the Oscar-winning Around the World in Eighty Days. He approaches Logan's Run in the same way as his classic work: as a star vehicle with a lot of locations and fun-packed action, and not much room for the darker, more political aspects of science fiction.

    Logan's Run contains many references to other sci-fi works, some classic, some contemporary. The idea of a totalitarian society in which people live only for pleasure can be traced back to Brave New World, Aldous Huxley's extraordinary novel which predicted (amongst other things) anti-depressants, test tube babies, and interactive media with the 'feelies', where you could see, hear and touch what was happening on screen. The Carrousel scenes are like more elaborate versions of the funeral from Soylent Green, while the general camp tone nods towards Planet of the Apes and its sequels.

    In light of Anderson's track record, the film to which Logan's Run most closely aspires is The Time Machine, directed by The War of the Worlds producer George Pal. The whole of Logan's Run is comparable to the final act of The Time Machine, in which a docile, hedonistic and ignorant society are held captive by evil forces - respectively morlocks and time itself. But in its overly frequent use of model shots and strange collection of weapons, Logan's Run is much less George Pal than Gerry Anderson. The wide shots of the domed city are closely reminiscent of Thunderbirds or Stingray, while the costumes are akin to Anderson's contemporary venture, Space: 1999.

    Logan's Run is clearly a product of its time, particularly where sets and costumes are concerned. While the men get to wear full-length uniforms or jumpsuits, the women are paraded around in a series of dresses and skirts which leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. When we first meet Jenny Agutter, she doesn't appear to be wearing any underwear - something which is confirmed on no less than two separate occasions. Despite having a budget of $9m (around the same as Star Wars), the film looks like it was made on the cheap and in a hurry. Whole sections of the domed city look like the inside of a shopping mall (which it is), with seemingly little time being spent on set-dressing.

    For most of its running time, Logan's Run is a very silly film. We quickly forget that Logan 5 is infiltrating the runners with the intention of finding and destroying Sanctuary - we forget, in other words, that he is a government puppet whose lifeclock has been artificially accelerated. After Logan initially defeats Francis, the plot descends into a series of set-pieces in increasingly elaborate sets until Peter Ustinov turns up to help us get a grip.

    The tone of these set-pieces is generally light-hearted, with our heroes surviving seemingly implausible scenarios while managing to maintain their perfect hair and make-up. But in the midst of this frivolity there are little pockets of creepiness, such as their encounter with Box. He trundles into shot like a bargain basement Dalek and starts spouting off about plankton and sea greens, all of which seems completely harmless. But then he leads Logan and Jessica to a corridor of runners frozen in ice: Box implies that they are now being used for food, pulls out two guns and laughs wickedly. While still silly at heart, it's as though we had accidentally wandered into Soylent Green.

    The silly, campy tone of Logan's Run is consolidated by the acting. Michael York manages to keep his dignity for the most part: his unique voice gives him an air of authority while keeping his more sensitive moments believable. Jenny Agutter makes the very best of a duff role: she spends a lot of her opening scenes wandering around open-mouthed in next to nothing, but she eventually gets into her stride. But aside from the leads the acting is very wooden, and while no-one comes close to the 'quality' of Charlton Heston or William Shatner, it's difficult not to snigger at how straight-laced everything is. The film lacks the knowing deftness of Flash Gordon, with only a small fraction of the cast being in on the joke.

    But in spite of its copious flaws, Logan's Run eventually emerges as a passingly enjoyable slice of science fiction. The irony is that once we have given up trying to take it seriously, the film begins to get off the ground and say the things that it really wants to say. The later sections of the film, while still a little ridiculous, make up for the loose, baggy opening act and do raise a couple of interesting issues around the central theme.

    A big part of this transition is down to Peter Ustinov. Gene Siskel, who once called this the worst film he'd ever seen, wrote that Ustinov's cameo was unduly extended because he was the only decent thing in the whole film. While few would share Siskel's view, his performance is by far and away the best, and his character is the most interesting. He plays a seemingly senile old man who is found by Logan and Jessica wandering around the ruined House of Representatives. The film never states exactly why he is still alive; perhaps, like J. F. Sebastian in Blade Runner, he was too old to leave the old ways behind.

    Like Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov has immense screen presence. He is able to take the most ridiculous or stupid line, and deliver it in such a way that it gains great weight or feels deeply important. He might be rambling on about cats having three different names, but his mannerisms feel more developed than the other characters, and his dithering manner works as a means of reaction to Logan and Jessica, who have no concept of age or decay.

    In its later sections, Logan's Run also takes on a Biblical quality, with undertones emerging in the attitude and development of the characters. Logan and Jessica's escape from the domed city is akin to the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden - although, in line with the conspiracy element of the film, Eden is too good to be true in the first place. The ending of the film is also rooted in the Old Testament, with Ustinov emerging like a nervous Moses, ready (unexpectedly) to lead his people out of Egypt.

    The film is also prophetic in predicting the increased social role for cosmetic surgery. In an age where breast implants, tummy tucks and facelifts have become both cheap and fashionable, it isn't too far-fetched to believe that, in the near-future, you could change your entire appearance through just a few quick flicks of a laser. The fight between Logan and the doctor (played by Michael Anderson Jr.) is one of the better action scenes, taking the laser sequence in Goldfinger to its natural conclusion.

    There is much about Logan's Run which would be good cause to dismiss it. Its production values have dated badly, the ideas are compromised by a generic adventure story, and both its plot and execution are preposterous. But it just about manages to pass muster in the end, being consistently entertaining and getting a grip on things in the final act. It succeeds where so many of the Star Trek movies failed, and while it never reaches the heights of Flash Gordon, it passes the time rather nicely.
  • ajv2688
    January 3, 2011
    ajv2688
    I love this sci-fi movie, mostly because I'm a big fan of York's, but it's also one of the best strange psychedelic sci-fi 70s movies because the story is very clear, and very good. I highly recommend seeing this movie before they remake it.
  • SirPant
    November 3, 2010
    SirPant
    Logan's Run is set in a Dystopian future where life ends at 30 due to a malfunctioning robot. It's much cleverer than that sounds though, questioning governments, societies, morality and religion. Its only downfall is that it hasn't dated that well. It does have a certain kitsch ... read morechic about it though and it's content still stands bold against contemporary cinema - It's still far superior compared to it's loose remake, The Island.
  • ythelastman89
    June 18, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It really sums up all the fears of mortality and spiritual belief within one two hour movie, few science fiction movies dare to be as relevant or bold. While it might be riddled with crazy 70s special effects and costumes, it also has a very mature and wise sense to it. The chara... read morecters are extremely interesting and the vision itself is truly unique. Michael York gives one of the most interesting performances, due to the fact that he essentially becomes another person by the end without anyone really noticing. The soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith is one of the best, itā??s such a memorable and haunting element to the film itself. Loganā??s Run continues to be an important piece of film history because it is just as much about the 60s and 70s as it is the possible future of mankind. Topics like brainwashing, vanity, and politics are among the many discussed throughout. Added to the already exciting and suspenseful plot of a man on the run and you have one enjoyable and worthwhile film experience.
  • FilmFanatik
    May 5, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    I love this movie. It's not groundbreaking, but it is entertaining and thought-provoking.
  • hobster1
    July 27, 2009
    hobster1
    Dystopian society in which all citizens must die at the age of 30 unless rewarded with continued life in a confusing ritual known as Carousel. Michael York is Logan 5, a Sandman entrusted with tracking down and killing people who try to flee from participating. Illogical film ... read more(Logan's true motives are unclear throughout most of the film) is redeemed by unintentionally hilarious futuristic 70s-style set design and costumes. Sci-fi action film has spectacular start but ends up a dreary bore. Nevertheless, co-star Jenny Agutter is captivating and a pre-Charlie's Angels Farrah Fawcett is beautifully vacuous in a minor role.
  • kenstachnik
    July 15, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Sooooooooo dated
  • superclerk25
    February 27, 2009
    superclerk25
    A classic of the sci fi genre and a must see. It may seem a bit dated but the story is still strong and the adventure is worth it.
  • matertenebraum
    January 31, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Beyond the entrapment of lavish special effects (for which "Logan's Run" won an Oscar anyway), few science fiction films actually present a good story, much less one that makes you think and/or presents new ideas. "Logan's Run" is one of those few.

    Before "Stars Wars" enraptur... read moreed audiences with its stunning special effects and created a precedent for a string of similarly effects-laden knock-offs and genre wanna-be's (mirroring what "The War of the Worlds" had done for audiences in the 50's), true science fiction films such as "Logan's Run" were giving us stories simply complimented by special effects, not about them. I say "true" because "Star Wars" is of the fantasy genre; it is not a science fiction story, though it does share some common elements.

    "Logan's Run" presents us with a vivid, somewhat horrifying vision of a possible future. It doesn't take place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." It happens on earth in a believable time frame. It doesn't ask us to greatly suspend disbelief by accepting alien races and magic powers. Instead, it presents us with a chilling fast forward of our own technology, attitudes, and policies. Concerning the latter, the film includes an almost creepy euthanasia undertone to it.

    Though, in all honesty, I care more about and become more closely associated with the characters in "Star Wars," the disassociation I feel for LR's characters somewhat aids the lack of individuality that the story tries to convey. The actors, however, give great performances.

    Beautiful cinematography and settings greatly compliment the film's mood and timeframe, from the sterile domed city to the decimated Washington D.C., which still provides one of (if not) the best visuals of a post-apocalyptic world that I've ever seen. It's right there with "The Planet of the Apes'" Statue of Liberty.

    Another thing that SW does well is disassociate itself from the decade in which it was created. You have to overlook this aspect in LR because like so many films of the 70's, it carries its decade's time stamp.

    Though minor, another thing I, in particular, enjoy about LR are the weapons. Unlike every other weapon in and out of science fiction history, LR's "blasters" do not actually shoot anything. There is simply an explosion at their designated target. It may be campy (or corny), but it's definitely different and a fine example of real, working props.

    Another interesting note: the film varies greatly from the original novel, but most people agree that the film is much better. I tend to agree with them.

    For me, in terms of science fiction, "Logan's Run" takes its place among such decade-defining films as "The War of the Worlds" (50's) and "The Planet of the Apes" (60's) and among such thought-provoking science fiction as "Soylent Green" and "Gattaca."

    Ask yourself this: what or where is "sanctuary?" Isn't that what we're all looking for? Answer both, and you'll have the film's theme.

View All Logan's Run Reviews

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
June 4, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A numbing combination of sloppy writing, vulgar art direction, high school acting, and bungled special effects. Full Review

May 9, 2005
New York Times

Harmless fun enlivened by a couple of sequences that are as good as the entire film should have been. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Logan's Run is a vast, silly extravaganza that delivers a certain amount of fun, once it stops taking itself seriously. Full Review

Richard T. Jameson
March 10, 2012
Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View

... I found myself reflecting that sf writers can get away with a lot on the printed page that moviemakers just can't. Full Review

Peter Canavese
February 16, 2010
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Despite its grabber of a premise, Logan's Run flaunts poorly developed plot specifics; as such, it's terminally silly. Nevertheless, as a camp curio, it still has an odd but undeniable staying power. ... Full Review

John J. Puccio
November 9, 2009
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

Maybe its ambitions outpace its performance, but at least it tries. Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson
July 10, 2008
Luke Y. Thompson, LYTRules.com

It's a good story with a well-defined sense of jeopardy, and appropriate performances by York and Agutter, but my most major problem is that too much is unexplained. Full Review

June 4, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A hit-and-miss futuristic film about a world in which nobody is allowed to live past 30 years. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
February 19, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Cautionary tale of a futuristic society bent on destroying all but its youngest citizens. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Fundamentally, this is just further proof of Hollywood's untiring ability to reduce all science fiction to its most feeble stereotypes. Full Review

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    • Francis: When you question, it slows you down.
    • Old Man: The naming of cats is a difficult matter.
    • Jessica: I hate outside!
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Logan's Run Trivia

  • In this movie, Farah Fawcett-Majors is a nurse named Holly at New You.  Answer »
  • What is Michael York's job in Logan's Run?  Answer »
  • The people in the city in Logan's Run were "renewed" in a ceremony and process called what?  Answer »
  • In "Logan's Run", What was the animal that was foreign to Logan 5 and Jessica 6?  Answer »
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