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[Boogiepop]

Okay, so I had been vaguely aware of the existence of this movie, just enough to know that it was some form of Sci-fi, and that it starred Sean Connery dressed like this:

Anyway, I sat down with some friends to watch the film for the first time last night, and I was expecting some oddness from that imagery, but... that really is almost a footnote in the strangeness of the movie. I was expecting some sort of James Bond-ish camp film, but what I got was an incredibly weird movie centered around the idea of immortality and death and yeah, sexuality and violence as well. And to be honest... I actually kind of liked it. Like, I'm not sure it truly coalesces into a solid point that builds on its themes, but for a movie that looks like it had no budget, it... actually does a pretty good job with its imagery, and it really does capture a bizarre alien feel of differentness, which I'd say it was actually aiming for.

I wouldn't say it's a great film or anything, but if you're into the unusual, I feel like it's definitely worth a look, instead of writing it off as "that movie staring a scantily clad Sean Connery" like I did for so long.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Where did you find it? Sounds like my kind of movie.

 

[SturokBGD]

"The Penis is evil! The Penis shoots Seeds, and makes new Life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the Gun shoots Death and purifies the Earth of the filth of Brutals. Go forth, and kill! Zardoz has spoken."

That's not weird, that's America.

 

[ebullientprism]

First time I heard of it was on "How did this get made". I saw it because it made no sense hearing about it on the Podcast and I thought they were not doing a great job of describing it. But nope. This move is unbelievably weird.

So much WTF packed into one film.

 

[Moppeh]

Zardoz is a bad movie, but it is definitely ambitious enough that it deserves some admiration.

 

[jacksnap]

The end sequence of Zardoz was amazing. The rest of the movie was amazing in... other ways.

And the fucking twist with the title of the movie oh my god I laughed so hard.

 

[Kemal86]

Wasn't Book of Eli a kind-of-sort-of remake of this?

 

[Garmonbozia]

John Boorman confirms in the commentary track that he was high throughout most of the filming.

I kinda love it too. It's a really flawed movie but the ideas in it are so outlandish and the imagery is so surreal that it ends sorta working in creating this post-apocalyptic world.

Its trailer is one of my favorites.

 

[vio]

Looks like something Alejandro Jodorowsky would make. Just super weird.

 

[Timedog]

It's incredible.

I'm gonna get a framed Zardoz poster at some point.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Still haven't seen it despite being a huge John Boorman fan thanks to Excalibur and The Emerald Forest. In my old age, I don't have a lot of patience for slow-paced movies anymore and I tend to lose interest very easily. Is Zardoz still worth seeing? Is it entertaining / interesting enough throughout the entire fim?

 

[Vagabundo]

Yup. Zardoz is something alright. I saw it years ago on CH4. It must be twenty five years and I still remember it.

It's pretty brutal in some ways, reminds me of a Clockwork Orange.

 

[Window]

Looks like something Alejandro Jodorowsky would make. Just super weird.

Nah it appears to be pretty befitting of Boorman too.

 

[Jenov]

Even reading the wiki of this movie it sounds really weird. I'd be interested in seeing a remake.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Did it speak to you?

 

[Gintamen]

Wasn't Book of Eli a kind-of-sort-of remake of this?

No... not really in any way.

 

[Murder. She Wrote]

Other than the ending I actually liked it. Super weird and flawed but worth a watch. That giant floating head spewing guns was hilarious.

 

[slider]

Yup. Zardoz is something alright. I saw it years ago on CH4. It must be twenty five years and I still remember it.

It's pretty brutal in some ways, reminds me of a Clockwork Orange.

I think I had a similar experience with a BBC2 showing. All I can remember is something about breasts. Maybe "they" were trying to reconfigure Connery in some way. I was very young.

 

[sixteen-bit]

worth a listen
http://www.earwolf.com/episode/zardoz/

 

[AgentOtaku]

worth a listen
http://www.earwolf.com/episode/zardoz/

Indeed!

Still need to actually watch this movie at some point

 

[Santerestil]

John Boorman confirms in the commentary track that he was high throughout most of the filming.

This explains a lot.

How the hell they were able to afford Sean Connery - and put him in that ridiculous costume - still baffles me.

 

[choco-fish]

Okay, so I had been vaguely aware of the existence of this movie, just enough to know that it was some form of Sci-fi, and that it starred Sean Connery dressed like this:

Anyway, I sat down with some friends to watch the film for the first time last night, and I was expecting some oddness from that imagery, but... that really is almost a footnote in the strangeness of the movie. I was expecting some sort of James Bond-ish camp film, but what I got was an incredibly weird movie centered around the idea of immortality and death and yeah, sexuality and violence as well. And to be honest... I actually kind of liked it. Like, I'm not sure it truly coalesces into a solid point that builds on its themes, but for a movie that looks like it had no budget, it... actually does a pretty good job with its imagery, and it really does capture a bizarre alien feel of differentness, which I'd say it was actually aiming for.

I wouldn't say it's a great film or anything, but if you're into the unusual, I feel like it's definitely worth a look, instead of writing it off as "that movie staring a scantily clad Sean Connery" like I did for so long.

Came in here to see if anyone had posted THAT picture of Sean, OP had it covered from 1st post, well only just covered....

 

[batsnacks]

Wasn't Book of Eli a kind-of-sort-of remake of this?

All movies, even pre-Zardoz, are remakes of this if you think really hard about it.

 

[Aselith]

Even reading the wiki of this movie it sounds really weird. I'd be interested in seeing a remake.

Just straight up it would be impossible to remake without neutering it. It's very much of a time.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Sounds right up my alley

 

[Aselith]

Sounds right up my alley

Are you into crystals?

 

[Langdon Alger]

Heard about this on How Did This Get Made. Sounds insane.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Why did Burt Reynolds agree to this? Or is that Sean Connery?

OMG.. IT IS.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

As a purveyor of the weird and b-grade surprised I never got around to seeing this, this may have pushed me over the line into hunting it down.

Love Bill Hader's impression of Boorman trying to sell him on the movie. Sounded like quite the character.

 

[Langdon Alger]

It's shocking to see that picture of Sean Connery because I'm so used to every shirtless dude in a movie being buff and having a shaved chest.

 

[Ridley327]

This explains a lot.

How the hell they were able to afford Sean Connery - and put him in that ridiculous costume - still baffles me.

Funny enough, they got Connery for a relative pittance. He already had a reputation of being difficult to work with thanks to Bond, which was why he didn't get that much big film work in the 70s.

I unironically adore this film. Yes, it's clear that it had way more ideas than budget, but damn it if Boorman doesn't plow ahead like he had the money anyway.

 

[Incitemaybe]

Amazing film, just yes.

 

[Aselith]

Why did Burt Reynolds agree to this? Or is that Sean Connery?

OMG.. IT IS.

I think it's a pretty good movie, that is not ironically just to be clear, and it was directed by the guy coming off Deliverance which was a big hit so I don't see why he wouldn't. Actors back then were much less uptight about participating in weird shit, I'd imagine that had more to do with less productions going around than actually a change in the way actors look at work.

 

[Stinkles]

If you think a giant flying head vomiting guns onto an army of rapists to maintain an erotic telepathic aristocracy is weird, then honestly OP I feel sorry for you.

 

[Corpekata]

Why did Burt Reynolds agree to this? Or is that Sean Connery?

OMG.. IT IS.

According to How Did this Get Made Reynolds was cast but dropped out at the last minute, so we almost got a Burt Reynolds Zardoz too.

 

[jon bones]

the How Did This Get Made episodes on this were bonkers.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Zardoz is almost certainly the worst movie I have ever seen. I don't watch lots of movies, but I have seen some that are often considered awful, including Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, Ishtar, Waterworld, and my previous choice for worst movie I have seen, Ice Pirates, but this movie was SO MUCH WORSE than any of those! Zardoz is terrible, in its plot, writing, acting, everything. Yes, it's incredibly weird, but way too often it's weird in a bad way. Is it entertainingly bad, though? Well, maybe. It sure was something, at least, but I'd probably be better off if I'd never seen it.

 

[Vagabundo]

Zardoz is almost certainly the worst movie I have ever seen. I don't watch lots of movies, but I have seen some that are often considered awful, including Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, Ishtar, Waterworld, and my previous choice for worst movie I have seen, Ice Pirates, but this movie was SO MUCH WORSE than any of those! Zardoz is terrible, in its plot, writing, acting, everything. Yes, it's incredibly weird, but way too often it's weird in a bad way. Is it entertainingly bad, though? Well, maybe. It sure was something, at least, but I'd probably be better off if I'd never seen it.

"You have been raised up from Brutality, to kill the Brutals who multiply, and are legion. To this end, Zardoz your God gave you the gift of the Gun. The Gun is good!"

 

[Salty Rice]

"The gun is good, the penis is evil."

This movie is a overlooked oscar worthy movie and should be seen by everyone.

 

[Shaffield]

droppeth loads

 

[Kain]

Sean Connery is the guy who said he didn't understand Lord of the Rings. But he made this movie. And League of extraordinary shit. Makes sense.

 

[echoshifting]

If you think a giant flying head vomiting guns onto an army of rapists to maintain an erotic telepathic aristocracy is weird, then honestly OP I feel sorry for you.

This is a real thing in this movie and it's not even the weirdest thing that happens

 

[Zepp Twofist]

I really should get around to watching this movie. It seems the exact kind of weird that I enjoy.

 

[F!ReW!Re]

"I'm here if you need to talk!"

 

[Clear]

I love Boorman, such an interesting director. Not saying that Zardoz and Exorcist 2: The Heretic aren't weird and utterly alienating to their expected audience, but I think both are better than they are generally regarded to be.

Either way, the man made Point Blank, Deliverance, and Excalibur, so he's entitled to wig out once in a while and make some crazy shit.

 

[Breads]

The gun is good.

 

[Ridley327]

I love Boorman, such an interesting director. Not saying that Zardoz and Exorcist 2: The Heretic aren't weird and utterly alienating to their expected audience, but I think both are better than they are generally regarded to be.

Either way, the man made Point Blank, Deliverance, and Excalibur, so he's entitled to wig out once in a while and make some crazy shit.

Nah, Exorcist II: The Heretic is regarded right where it needs to be. Boorman came into that with such an improper attitude for what a project like that needed that it was doomed to be what it was right from the jump.

 

[smudge]

Caught this randomly on TV in 90s when I was about 15. Me and my brother really enjoyed it.

 

[Nephtis]

Okay,

I always wondered where Craig Ferguson got that picture from whenever he'd show it. Damn.

 

[Clear]

Nah, Exorcist II: The Heretic is regarded right where it needs to be. Boorman came into that with such an improper attitude for what a project like that needed that it was doomed to be what it was right from the jump.

I wouldn't say that, i think its an unusual, flawed movie with lots of good ideas and a few brilliant scenes. Its just the polar opposite of Friedkin's original stylistically.