Runtime: 105 minutes
Directed by: John Boorman
Starring: Sean Connery (RIP), Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman, John Alderton, Niall Buggy
From: 20th Century Fox
Featuring the 23rd century version of Siri.
Like everyone else, I was saddened to hear on Halloween that Sir Sean Connery had passed away. I've reviewed all of his Bond efforts and a few others during his career; instead of a famous role I've never discussed here before, I went with... this bizarre motion picture which flopped at the box office. I did see it once before, albeit more than 15 years ago so my memories were pretty hazy. Finally seeing this again, of course the plot is totally off the wall and imbibed with a hippie-dippie spirit... yet it isn't totally impenetrable or totally up its own ass w/ a smug sense of self-importance. I mean, this has a brief opening (mandated by 20th Century Fox after bad test screenings) where a disembodied head gives some basics of the plot... not only is he later to be shown as an important character, all his facial hair is drawn on with what looks like a black magic marker!
In the late 23rd century, there are only Brutals-mortal beings-and the immortal Eternals. Connery hides in a flying giant stone head in order to visit the land of the Eternals. Note that not only is his outfit a totally chic look of black thigh-high boots, what is best described as giant red diapers, and a matching bandolier, but this flying giant stone head actually speaks, shoots out weapons to the Brutals & utters such statements as “The gun is good... the penis is evil.” Turns out, these Eternals are eternally bored because they can never die and having enough time to discover everything there is to know about the world isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
It is not entirely successful at delivering all its messages, metaphysical or not. Be that as it may, it is still a rather fascinating world with how the Eternals dress like futuristic hippies, their world is totally rustic by 1970's standards, and they have a version of Siri which is a crystal attached to a ring that everyone has. Plus, it is both intentionally and unintentionally hilarious... I am not sure in which category belongs the scene where the immortals are fascinated by erections (as of course they don't need to have sex) and try to give Old Sean one. Many times before I've bemoaned how safe and risk-averse Hollywood is; likewise, how Hollywood used to be isn't always a positive as sometimes directors were allowed by big studios to make self-indulgent crap that appealed to hardly anyone... another movie I haven't seen in almost 20 years but I should also revisit is Myra Breckenridge-now there is some weird crap which from memory was far less successful in whatever the hell it was trying to say.
At least here the general ideas can be understood, even if director John Boorman himself apparently did not entirely know what it all meant... and he was also the one who wrote the story. It amused me that they got distinguished actors like Connery and Charlotte Rampling to romp around rural Ireland-to think that if not for bad health (including the flu and complications from hernia surgery) this was originally going to star Burt Reynolds! At least the two leads did a swell job with patently strange roles. Even if by nature this has its share of flaws, at least they tried to be philosophical and discuss high-brow concepts concerning immortality & men dicking around w/ the natural order of things. Thus, I'll say that this was fine-the fact that it wasn't a painful journey for me definitely helps. I know it won't be the only Sean Connery film I see this month... RIP to the man who was at least willing to take a wacky part like this.
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