DVD Review: Logan’s Run (The Complete Series)

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Contrary to popular belief, there were Science Fiction movies in Hollywood before Star Wars. Nearly a year before The Force, kids across the country packed the hot new cineplexes to experience Logan’s Run. The movie featuring Michael York (Cabaret) and Jenny Agutter (An America Werewolf in London) was a hit even if it didn’t have action figures at Child World. The Oscar winning futuristic film was enough of a hit to inspire a TV series adaptation. Logan’s Run: The Complete Series tracks down all 14 episodes about a man who doesn’t want to turn 30.

“Logan’s Run” is the pilot movie that replaces the movie stars with Gregory Harrison (Trapper John M.D.) as Logan 5 and Heather Menzies (The Sound of Music) as Jessica. Planet Earth is different in the 23rd century after a near nuclear apocalypse. Humanity stays safe inside a domed city. The people inside are kept eternally young thanks to a controlled reincarnation problem. When a citizens turns 30, they participate in the renewal ceremony at the Carousel. It’s like a giant bug zapper that the birthday kids fly up to embrace. There are a few kids who don’t want to stick with the program and become runners. Sandmen are the ones assigned to retrieve the runners and keep the numbers inside the domed city stable. Logan is a Sandman who ends up becoming a runner when Jessica assures his fear that renewal is a lie. The duo escape the dome city and head into the wilderness looking for a place known as Sanctuary. The duo find a solar powered car so they can move faster across the landscape. The duo also need to stay ahead of the Sandman Francis (Randy Powell). If he captures Logan, Francis has been promised to grow older than 30 by a secret society in the Dome. They encounter two different civilizations. A group of humans hiding in a fallout shelter from the wicked horsemen that kidnap their people. A group of robots live in a castle to serve their mysterious masters. While hanging with the robots, they meet an android named Rem (The Thing‘s Donald Moffat). He wants to split from the robots so he hits the road with Logan and Jessica. This is a good thing since he understand how to fix electronic devices. While pilots are notoriously expensive, the producers saved quite a few bucks on special effects by taking shots and scenes out of the original move. This includes the cool renewal footage.

“The Collectors” puts aliens in the mix. Two aliens manipulate the minds of Logan and Jessica to make them think they’ve already found Sanctuary. Will they snap out of it before they’re put on display? Angela Cartwright (Lost In Space) guest stars. “Capture” lets Horst Buchholz nab Logan and Jessica, but also Francis. He’s going to hunt them down. Logan and Francis must work together to keep from being mounted. Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000) is part of the chase. “Man Out of Time” transports a scientist 200 years to Logan’s time. He wants to go back to prevent the nuclear holocaust, but Logan doesn’t want to cease to exist. “Half Life” introduces a race that knows how to split people into their two sides. Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) is half a woman. “The Crypt” makes Logan decide who to defrost of six cryogenically frozen people. Will he turn up the heat on Soon-Tek Oh (Missing In Action)? The story was done by Harlan Ellison. He doesn’t seem to talk nasty about Logan’s Run like he does about his time on Star Trek. “The Judas Goat” alters the face of a Sandman so he’ll look like a friend of Jessica. His mission is to lure her and Logan back to the dome city to expose other runners. “Futurepast” tortures Logan and Jessica with evil dreams of being renewed. Mariette Hartley (Polaroid ads with James Garner) messes with their minds. Francis finally busts Logan in “Carousel.” He hits him with a memory loss dart so that Logan has not problem going back so he can be renewed. Rem and Jessica stop Logan from hitting the bug zapper. Creepy people kidnap Jessica in “Night Visitors.” Their goal is to use her body for the spirit of a dead woman. George Maharis (Route 66) pops up. Aliens need Rem’s help to get their spaceship fixed in “Stargate.” The problem is they need Rem’s inner workings installed in the craft.

Logan’s Run‘s rather good for a ‘70s sci-fi TV action. It’s so much better than the Star Wars Holiday Special. Script Supervisor D.C. Fontana (Star Trek) made the stories engrossing. However the show didn’t have much of a chance of being watched in my house since it aired opposite The Rockford Files. Back in 1977, Dad controlled the TV dial with an iron thumb. The last three episodes didn’t air on the network. I’m relieved that they didn’t make Logan’s Run: The Complete Series a manufacture on demand title like was done to Man From Atlantis. For those who enjoy ‘70s Sci-Fi TV, Logan’s Run is essential viewing.

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are fine. The preview bits are much rougher than the episodes. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The levels are OK for a TV sound mix. The episodes are subtitled.

No bonus features.

Logan’s Run: The Complete Series should have at least finished its first season. The show plays better than the movie. Logan and Jessica look fine scooting around the recovering wasteland in their futuristic van. They meet new people and avoid being caught by Francis. It’s fine mix of action and science fiction that deserved to be renewed.

Warner Home Video presents Logan’s Run: The Complete Series. Starring: Gregory Harrison, Heather Menzies, Donald Moffat and Randy Powell. Boxset Contents: 14 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: April 10, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.