Future shock
Timbuk3 once sang of a future so bright, copious amounts of sunglasses would be needed. Hollywood’s writers, being a bunch of pessimistic prognosticators, would have you believe a vastly different future awaits humanity.
You can stop shouting Mr. Heston. I realize Soylent Green is people. It just tastes too darn good to stop eating.
From as long as films have captured the wonder of mankind’s imagination, there have been movies that have asked the question that’s on everybody’s mind: “What if all this goes away?”
From plagues to meteors to zombies, the end of the world is a much-used plot point in cinema such as in “I Am Legend,” a vision of a world whose sole occupant is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
An adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 science-fiction novel of the same name, the movie details a possible future where society as we know it has been destroyed by a viral outbreak. Robert Neville is a lone survivor who spends his days reflecting on his loneliness and his nights killing his former neighbors and friends.
While a Sylvia Plath book may be a more uplifting, feel-good-hit then Matheson’s novel, “I am Legend” has actually been made into four films, including Smith’s latest endeavor.
In 1964, Vincent Price starred in “The Last Man on Earth.” Matheson himself wrote the screenplay but had his name removed when he saw the final product.
Charlton Heston, a perennial favorite of dystopian futures (“Soylent Green,” “The Planet of the Apes”) starred in the 1971 film “The Omega Man,” an adaptation that tossed aside some of the novel’s more fantastical aspects and replaced them with a good helping of ‘70s funk.
Most likely deciding to cash in on the Will Smith blockbuster, a straight-to-video adaptation of Matheson’s work was also recently released. Marc Dacascos stars in to oh-so-cleverly named film “I am Omega.”
As college students begin to wind down their summer fun and get ready for school again, it may seem like the end of the world. Why not have a marathon of films about dystopian futures to celebrate your own future lack of fun. After watching Charlton Heston contend with cloak-clad mutants, maybe professors and tests won’t seem so frightening.
Here are two other films that will make the perfect appetizer to an apocalypse.
Wizards (1977)
Ralph Bakshi wrote and directed this animated film about a future overrun by magic. The balance between good and evil in this world is tipped when a dark wizard uncovers World War II technology and introduces orcs to fascism. If you’ve ever hankered to see goose-stepping goblins, this sword and swastika epic is a must-watch. While the film’s indulgent use of rotoscoping, an animation technique in which footage is drawn over and turned into a cartoon, can be distracting, the film has a certain charm that will have basement dwellers ready to set aside their D&D dice aside for a few minutes.
Teenage Caveman (2002)
When Larry Clark, the acclaimed director of Kids, updated this classic Roger Corman movie, he did it for a niche audience: fans of soft-core porn and science fiction. Teenage Cavemen is the story of a group of kids who live in a world where civilization is in ruins and humans have reverted into Neanderthals. Running away from home, the teens discover the remains of a city and, inside, learn the joys of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Life isn’t a sockhop, though, because the teenage cavemen have more to worry about then selling insurance. They find themselves stalked by mutant predators who want to infect them with their radioactive semen. And who said there’s nothing of quality on TV anymore?
I thought it was some kind of Corey that sang that sunglasses song
You’re thinking of “I wear my sunglasses at night” by Corey Heart.
Wizards is a long time favorite of mine, I first saw it as a little kid and have watched it many times since-good choice.
You forgot Night of the Comet though, that one is in he same vein as the Matheson spin offs (only with a few survivors instead of just one) and it’s hilarious in it’s treatment of 80′s excess.
Btw, really like your blog.
Thanks for the comment. I actually have never gotten around to seeing “Night of the Comet.” It is now on my queue though. Thanks for the recommendation!