In the 23rd century, mankind is confined to a domed city, and controlled by a super-computer. Life is good- with the pampered citizens living carefree lives. The only catch- once you turn thirty, your time is up- and you have to face a deadly process called renewal, through a ceremony called Carousel- which no one has survived. If you run, you're hunted down by 'Sandmen'. Logan (Michael York)- the deadliest sandman of them all, is charged with finding the 'Sanctuary'- a supposed safe-heaven for runners outside the dome. To provide a little incentive, the computer adds four years to Logan's life-cycle, making it seem like he's up for renewal. He goes on the run, with sympathetic young woman (Jenny Agutter), while hunted by his ex-partner (Richard Jordan).

Back in 1976- I imagine LOGAN'S RUN was probably pretty damn impressive. Until STAR WARS came out a year later, large scale sci-fi films were fairly rare- with most being glorified b-movies, but this was different. The film had a large scale, a solid cast, and a stong director in Michael Anderson- who directed a couple of great films in the sixties, including OPERATION: CROSSBOW, and THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM.

It's based on the famous book by George Clayton Johnson, although in the book- the age of renewal was 21, not thirty. The film was a smash in 76, grossing $25 Million, which was a big number back then- but alas, with STAR WARS coming out a year later- the film was prematurely dated.

Thirty-three years later- LOGAN'S RUN does come off as mighty cheesy, but despite this, it's still a lot of fun. The FX are primitve to say the least- with lots of "only in the seventies" style laser effects, and obvious model work- but this almost adds to it's appeal. There's loads of action, including a cool fight set in a futuristic plastic surgery shop (featuring an appearence from a young Farrah Fawcett), not to mention a beyond cheesy, but hilairously bad orgy sequence, and a fantastic score by Jerry Goldsmith. We also get a pretty decent performance from star Michael York, who was just coming off the two Alexander Salkind/ Richard Lester THREE MUSKETEERS' films. Richard Jordan, who was an awesome character actor that passed away far too soon in 1993 made a credible villain, and Jenny Agutter looks great as the love interest. Finally, the great Peter Ustinov also turns up in a nifty extended cameo towards the end of the film.

Video: LOGAN'S RUN is presented in 2:35:1 1080p HD, but truth be told- it does not benefit tremendously from the upconversion. The flaws in the effects are terribly noticable, with wires clearly visible in the Carousel scenes. The print is also fairly grainy- but for a cult sci-fi hit, this is probably the best we're likely to get.

Audio: LOGAN'S RUN was one of the first films to be recorded in Dolby Stereo, but here we get a full Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD remix, which makes the film sound better than ever. The original mix is also included.

Not much here, other than an edited together commentary track featuring input from Michael York, and director Michael Anderson, as well as costume designer Bill Anderson. We also get a vintage featurette , and the trailer

If you're a LOGAN'S RUN fan and you don't already have the DVD this is a no-brainer, and you should pick it up- but if you already have the DVD, it's not really worth the upgrade. If by chance you've never seen LOGAN'S RUN, and you want some cheesy seventies goodness- check it out. You'll have a blast.