ALL SCI-FI Forum Index ALL SCI-FI
Nothin' but pure science fiction!
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth) (1972)

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> Sci-Fi Movies from 1970 to 2000
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bogmeister
Galactic Fleet Vice Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 575

PostPosted: Sun May 09, 2021 11:29 am    Post subject: Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth) (1972) Reply with quote

____________
______________

_________________________ Z.P.G. Trailer


___________


Z.P.G. (1972) is was rarely shown on TV. I'd heard about it since the mid-seventies and finally had a chance to see it on the Sci-Fi Channel back in 1995 or so. Then a DVD release finally happened about a year ago.

___________

This film follows along the same lines of other seventies sci-fi pictures in predicting a rather unpleasant future Earth, usually based on our present disregard for the planet's ecology (Soylent Green, No Blade of Grass, Silent Running).

I recently read a comment on IMDb which also made the case that Z.P.G. could be regarded as a prequel to Logan's Run (or, Logan's Run is an unofficial sequel to this). However, Z.P.G. lacks the energy of those other films.

_____

The scenario presented here is quite grim.

Pollution is so bad that everyone wears gas masks when outside. Any exterior scenes are always smothered in what must be smog, like a continual mist. At the start, the government issues an edict which does not permit any more births. Women are heard wailing & screaming.

The tone is ultra-serious, but I found a lot of the concepts to be slightly absurd. Women are so desperate for the feeling of holding a child, they mollify themselves with creepy-looking dolls as substitutes. Strange zoos or museums depict stuffed animals such as house cats, which are obviously now extinct.



All this sound intriguing, another glimpse into a possible dark future for our civilization, but most of the film is sleep-inducing.

Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin star as the couple who decide to have a child anyway, even though, if caught, the penalty for them is death. They, like most everyone else, sort of sleepwalk through their roles. Don Gordon and Diane Cilento play another couple who cause them a few problems. The ending, though dull like the rest of the film, is tantalizing to those familiar with Logan's Run. This illegal child of theirs — could it not grow up to be Peter Ustinov's character in the latter film? It does fit together.

BoG's Score: 4.5 out of 10



BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pow
Galactic Ambassador


Joined: 27 Sep 2014
Posts: 3682
Location: New York

PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Legendary special effects artist Derek Meddings who created terrific models for many of the Gerry & Sylvia Anderson sci~fi television series, as well as the James Bond movies, worked on Z.P.G.

Derek created the life-sized realistic animatronic children for this movie.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17558
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

POW wrote:
Derek created the life-sized realistic animatronic children for this movie.

I don't think I've seen this movie, and I'm curious about those animatronic kids.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> Sci-Fi Movies from 1970 to 2000 All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group