Time: 91 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Adult themes
Cast:
Bruno Lawrence as Zac Hobson
Alison Routledge as Joanne
Pete Smith as Api
Director: Geoff Murphy

I saw The Quiet Earth at my local film society, all I knew about it was that it was a sci-fi film from New Zealand. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I liked it quite a bit.

The first third or half of the movie focuses on the main character as he wakes up seemingly as the only person left on a deserted Earth, with everyone else having disappeared. He breaks into houses and buildings trying to find people, then enjoys having complete freedom before the loneliness gets to him. I really enjoyed this section, it’s not driven by plot at all and it’s pretty steady in its pacing, but I liked watching what this guy did when placed in this situation. About halfway into the movie, a couple of other characters are introduced. The rest of the movie from this point wasn’t as good as what came before, but I still liked it. While it introduced more plot and characters, they actually made The Quiet Earth a bit less interesting, especially when it was attempting to come up with an explanation as to why almost everyone disappeared. I especially wasn’t a fan of the unnecessary love triangle introduced between the 3 characters. Despite a rocky third act, I liked the ending and the final shot.

Bruno Lawrence is really good as main character Zac, especially in the first act when it seems like he’s the only person left on Earth. The other two major actors Allison Routledge and Pete Smith play their roles quite well too.

You can tell that the budget is quite low, but director Geoff Murphy does a lot with what he has. It’s well shot and edited and creates an effectively unsettling atmosphere for the first half or act of the movie, especially with the barren and empty city. There’s some effective post apocalyptic imagery and everything feels so quiet. It really wouldn’t be a surprise if this ended up being an inspiration for some of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later.

The Quiet Earth is a low budget, but effective, enjoyable, well directed, and engaging sci-fi film.