The Quiet Earth

Summary

“You did it this time, Perrin.”

In the middle of the Eighties, New Zealand filmmaker Geoff Murphy wrote and directed The Quiet Earth. Taking some cues from The Twilight Zone and films like The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, his film had a unique vision for what the end of the world could look like. The well loved film has been released by niche film distributor Film Movement. As a fan of the post-apocalyptic sub genre, I couldn’t resist checking it out.

Scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) wakes up naked in his bed. His alarm has not woken him. He showers and dresses and heads out for work. On the way to work at the laboratory, he notices that there does not seem to be anybody else around. There is nobody at the gas station or in the nearby homes. People seem to have disappeared in the middle of what they were doing. Water is left running, food uneaten, and planes have fallen from the sky without any passengers. Arriving at the laboratory he realizes that his co-worker Perrin has accidentally set off a chain of events from “Project Flashlight” that has removed nearly all human life from the planet. As Zac searches for survivors he begins to lose his mind from loneliness to the point of considering suicide. That is when two people enter his life: first a woman named Joanne (Alison Routledge) and then a man named Api (Pete Smith.)

The Quiet Earth is a really intriguing science fiction film. The script was written by Bruno Lawrence, Sam Pillsbury, and Bill Baer. It was based on a novel by Craig Harrison. The central premise of the film has been used for other films, but what makes The Quiet Earth a cult film that people have returned to time and again is the film’s interesting take on the material. How many end of the world scenarios find the lead character walking around in women’s undergarments wielding a shotgun? The film is also helped by the scenes that involve the cosmic effects. These scenes allow the filmmakers to do some fairly trippy things and use some different techniques. When the film reaches its apex, it has a fantastic ending that has cemented the film in the conscious of its fans.

The film accomplishes a lot of world building with a relatively small budget. None of the actors in the film are well known, but all of the performances hit the right marks. Bruno Lawrence does well in the lead role and is the most engaging of the three actors. He also bravely allows himself to be filmed with full frontal nudity numerous times (one of the more baffling decisions made by the filmmaker, but Danny Boyle did the same with 28 Days Later so maybe that is just a thing?) Alison Routledge and Pete Smith are both likable in their roles.

The direction by Geoff Murphy is solid. He uses cinematographer James Bartle to good effect and the film has a good visual punch at times. For a relatively low budget, the film picks interesting locations and achieves a lot more world building than many films in the genre. As it stands, The Quiet Earth is a low-key science fiction film with enough good ideas to make it stand out.

Video

Film Movement have provided a 1080p HD transfer that was remastered from a 2K scan specifically for this release in 2016 using an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The film is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film looks great. For a film shot in 1985, the imagery is surprisingly sharp. Fine detail is very strong and the film looks pretty vibrant on the format. The film has some really nice imagery at certain points that benefits from the increased amount of detail. Fans will surely want to upgrade from their DVD.

Audio

The Quiet Earth has been presented with two tracks – a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track and a stereo track. While the film by definition relies on silence for numerous portions at the beginning of the film, the surround track expands the sound stage and adds a much needed punch to the proceedings during key sequences. The score by John Charles is very pretty and lush. Both tracks seemed to be without hiss, but the surround track is the more effective of the two. 

Supplements:

Commentary – physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson and film critic Odie Henderwin discuss the film on its merits as a film and scientifically. This is a fun track that at certain points is very interesting. For example – when Tyson discusses the makeshift explosion that Zac creates in the laboratory, Tyson details how the explosion works. Fun stuff.

The Quiet Earth 2016 Trailer

Trailers for the following:

Boiling Point, Kamikaze ‘89, Antonia’s Line, The Pillow Book, Schneider vs. Bax

Overall scores

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 2.5/5

Overall – 4/5

The Quiet Earth is undoubtedly an oddball film, but it is a compelling science fiction film with some very interesting ideas. The film accomplishes a lot considering its relatively small budget. Film Movement have given the film a fantastic looking 2K scan that really shines. The lone supplement of note is a very interesting commentary track. Fans will definitely be encouraged to upgrade.