A few weeks ago, I was inspired by this post on the Post Apocalyptic Movie Mania blog to move Glen and Randa a little higher up on my Netflix queue. It took a few weeks for me to get to it, but it finally arrived, and I watched it tonight.
Aside from a few mentions of nudity, I had really no idea what the movie was about. It turns out that it does start with our two main characters (yup, you guessed it, Glen and Randa) stark naked for the first ten minutes. (And boy, is Randa hot in a 70s all natural top and bottom kind of way.) But after that, there’s not much that I would consider even R-rated, so I’m not sure where the idea of it being porn came from. Maybe they were just more prudish back then. (Edit: Huh, my bad, apparently it really was rated X when it was originally released in 1971)
But even though Randa remained mostly fully clothed for the rest of the movie, I still really liked it. It’s basically the story of Glen and Randa traveling across a post-apocalyptic countryside in search of a mostly-mythical city. The trailer says “20 years after the bomb” but they must have been whoppers because there’s now an ocean in Idaho.
This is not a mohawked-motorcycle-mauraders kind of movie. In fact, there are no mauraders, or even any violence, at all (unless you count the clubbing deaths of a few innocent fish). The point of the movie isn’t their physical fight to survive, it’s more about the innocence and naivete of the characters and how they live in this time.
Wow, I just took a look at IMDB, and it’s running a 2.1 (out of 10) rating. I would have given it something more in the 5-6 range, maybe even a 7. Overall, I liked it, and I’m glad I watched it, but I wouldn’t buy the DVD, and I probably won’t ever watch it again (unless it miraculously shows up on Blu-Ray, then I’d have to add it to my collection.)
But if you’re reading this, then you’re most likely a fan of the genre, so if you can handle a more thoughtful post-apocalypse, then check this one out. If you don’t want to buy it, it’s worth a queue-add.
Final bit of trivia: The stars of the movie, Steven Curry and Shelley Plimpton, first worked together in the original Broadway production of the rock musical Hair, so I guess they were already used to running around naked in front of an audience.
Update: I take back what I said about never watching it again. I bought the DVD, just to have it as part of my collection. It’s a worthwhile addition.
Originally posted 2009-10-26 01:25:09.
