The Quiet Earth might just be the best entry in the “last man alive” subgenre, but it remains criminally underseen. Most people have probably daydreamed about what it would be like to be the last person alive, but if movies are anything to go by, it’s not that much fun. 28 Days Later or the I Am Legend adaptations depict a world overrun by monsters or the heroes on the verge of insanity – though they at least get to shop wherever they want. While rarely mentioned nowadays, 1985’s The Quiet Earth is a superior example of the post-apocalyptic movie.
This New Zealand sci-fi drama sees a scientist named Zac (Bruno Lawrence) awaken from an attempted suicide to find everyone else on the planet has disappeared. Without getting too far into spoilers, this event (which he dubs “The Effect”) has to do with an experiment he was part of, and he searches for other survivors as he attempts to reverse the effects. The film was based on a novel by Craig Harrison, and directed by Geoff Murphy, who went on to a run of Hollywood sequels like Young Guns 2, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and Fortress 2.
The Quiet Earth Is The Perfect Example Of Sci-Fi’s “Last Person Alive” Movie Trope
The Quiet Earth is both moving and creepy
I Am Legend or cult favorite Night of the Comet might spice up the end of the world with monsters hunting the heroes, but The Quiet Earth lives up to its тιтle: Zac is truly left alone. The film may have been sH๏τ with a low budget and made in an era before CGI, but Murphy’s depiction of the deserted city Zac calls home is very unsettling. Despite the wide open spaces, the total silence makes it feel weirdly suffocating. It doesn’t take long for the effects of being alone to play on Zac’s mental health either.
The Quiet Earth was no doubt inspired by the I Am Legend novel or Charlton Heston’s The Omega Man (one of Tim Burton’s favorite horror movies, BTW), so the DNA of that story is felt in the 1985 cult favorite; it holds together better than the three I Am Legend adaptations, however. It has a тιԍнтer, more focused story, and Lawrence’s central performance is captivating. Zac is a complicated character, and while Lawrence might not be a star on the level of a Will Smith or Charlton Heston, he gives a superb performance in The Quiet Earth.
There have been many attempts to decode The Quiet Earth’s final scene, including the suggestion Zac has found himself in some kind of purgatory…
It’s tricky to discuss the movie without exploring its enigmatic ending. A Google search for The Quiet Earth already spoils the final sH๏τ too, where Zac sacrifices himself to “correct’ his mistake, only to be seemingly transported to another dimension. This is where he observes a strange planet rising up, and as Zac holds up a tape recorder to share his thoughts (a recurring narrative device), he finds himself lost for words and stops. There have been many attempts to decode the ending’s meaning, including the suggestion Zac has found himself in some kind of purgatory for his mistakes.
Why The Quiet Earth Isn’t More Renowned As A Sci-Fi Movie
The Quiet Earth is the definition of a cult favorite
The very qualities that make The Quiet Earth so unique and thought-provoking are also why it’s one of the more obscure entries in the genre. For one, it was a low-budget movie sH๏τ in New Zealand with no big name stars or action scenes, and it would be tough to get that kind of film a big theatrical rollout now, let alone in 1985. In all, the film grossed just over $2 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) on an estimated budget of $1 million.
Again, it also lacks the vampires or zombies usually found in such I Am Legend scenarios, so there’s no horror to speak of; outside of the existential kind, anyway. The Quiet Earth is a film that gives audiences a lot to chew over and offers no real answers by the time the credits roll. This can be tough for some to accept and could account for its relative obscurity. That said, sci-fi fans owe it to themselves to give The Quiet Earth a sH๏τ.
Source: Box Office Mojo
