Redundant and unnecessary.

Good movie but grossly overrated

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The Last Days of Man on Earth, (1973) otherwise called, The Final Programme. It was directed by Robert Fuest, and co written with Michael Moorcock, Spoiler alert I will be talking about the movie. But first, first impressions. Its an English movie, I do not remember it theatrically released, It slipped by me. I found it rather like The Prisoner, on acid. or like the movies that Mike Myers spoofed with his Auston Powers series. It was made two years after,"Zabriskie Point" British films were going through this "thing" about being offbeat. It was never taking itself serious, Oddball music, snappy dialogue, and deliberate "artistic" set ups played out, with little plot to go on. The movie stared Jon Finch, as the ruffle shirted, Jerry Cornelius, It is suppose to take place in the future, Never depicted, but referred to in the film, was the Third World War. It didn't seem to phase any of the goings on in this movie. Jerry is the surviving son of a great inventor, who before he died, developed a computer program called the " Final Programme", It would bestow upon one person, immortality, with the knowledge of all mankind. The created being could reproduce itself, and do all kinds of other nutty things, like rule the world.Mrs Brunner, played by Jenny Runacre, leads a group of scientists who want the programme, for their super advanced computer, that looks rather like a copying machine. Sterling Hayden is also on board. How do we know the film is tongue in cheek ?, "Heard they bombed Amsterdam, about time they did something right" The problem being, if the film does not take itself seriously, why should we care, as clever as it all is the plot is obscured. For a while though its a fun ride, with an anything can happen, openness, About three quarters of the way in, you may be glancing at your watch. Truly an oddball film, ranks high on the "strange movie", List. Production values were OK, it says it was shot in Technicolor, Maybe, but not the print I caught. I thought it looked more like a BBC television production. Some nice exterior shots, and totally senseless band music. I give this film Seven out of Ten Psychedelic Stars. . .

I saw the ads for "The Last Days Of Man On Earth" well before I could watch "R" films, but I was always wanting to see it. It dropped into a bit of obscurity stateside, and it was years before I found a copy. Shortly after I saw it, Anchor Bay issued the uncut original in limited quantities, and I managed to grab one. well, the book is better. But Jon Finch is the perfect Jerry Cornelius, and this may be his best work. Jenny Runacre is every bit as good as "Miss Brunner", though her character doesn't quite embody the written character to the degree of Finch. Ron Lacey also shines, in a brief turn as the sun glassed assassin, "Shades", walking straight out of the books pages.The low budget is disguised well, but the film needed a bit more for effects, relying on a lot of color tinting, sound effects, and old style inflatable "sculptures", to fill the screen. Moorcock hates it, but this embodies the spirit that fueled "New Worlds", the science fiction magazine that brought Moorcock to the worlds attention, rather well, invoking much classic British entertainment of the recent past. The original cut is preferable, but "The Last Days Of Man On Earth" is a completely different edit of the film, not just a retitling. The differences aren't major, but the US removes everything that even borders on superfluous, with much minor trimming being done to almost every scene. In an odd parallel with "A Boy And His Dog", it follows the overall story arc acceptably, but adds a joke in poor taste to the conclusion, and many have found that alone, was enough to sour their perceptions. It comes close to bringing Moorcocks world to the cinema, but isn't quite there. Here's hoping that someone might make another attempt.

I first saw this film when it came out in 1973, and just watched it for the second time on DVD. Excellent production values and camera work. Stars Jon Finch as androgynous (but heterosexual) dandy-dressing Jerry Cornelius, with black nail polish; looks a bit like a cross between an older Johnny Depp and Billy Zane. Also stars Sterling Hayden, Julie Ege and the evil (duh) Nazi guy from "Raiders of the Lost Ark". The film itself is a cult science fiction fantasy in the best tradition of the late '60's - early '70's, with similarities in style to The Prisoner, early James Bond (slightly), Clockwork Orange, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and The Avengers (the director worked on the last two of those also). It is years ahead of its time in theme and science, but lapses into camp several times, especially as it progresses. It is rather disjointed, but the acting and sets are both good. Based on a story by Michael Moorcock.

A shortened version of the film first released as The Final Programme, from Michael Moorcock's novel of that name. Jerry Cornelius is the perfect universal hero/anti-hero in a disintegrating world. His search for his father's invention involves him with his mad brother Frank and the sinister programmer, Miss Brunner. The acting is over the top (one reviewer described it as "rug-chewing"), hip, and outrageous. The flip, self-mocking style owes a great deal to The Avengers, The Prisoner, and possibly even the Beatles.