The Quiet Earth

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The Quiet Earth

R

1985

1h 30m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

71%

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17 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When everyone around him vanishes overnight, scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) finds himself seemingly the only person on the planet. The isolation initially drives him to the brink of suicide, but eventually Zac adapts to a day-to-day routine. After meeting two other survivors, Joanne (Alison Routledge) and Api (Peter Smith), a Maori, the trio roams New Zealand trying to understand what caused everyone else to disappear, why they remained behind -- and whether disaster will strike again.

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Geoff Brown

Times (UK)

The story's nuts and bolts, for instance, need drastic tightening.

Apr 14, 2020

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

The awe-inspiring final image in the film (of another daybreak, echoing the film's opening) is similarly slippery, catching Zac on a liminal, limbic shoreline between multiverse cosmology and hard eschatology.

Jun 26, 2018

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

[A] strange, vivid movie.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 29, 2016

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Alan Boon

Starburst

Lawrence is compelling, and as a balding, middle-aged man is a refreshing lead for a movie that, if made in Hollywood now, would star Will Smith, Tom Cruise, or whoever the hot, young, brooding leading man of the hour happens to be.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 26, 2018

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Murphy ensures that the film is laced with a very singular brand of Kiwi humour.

Oct 31, 2018

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Charles Mudede

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

One could never repeat an effort like The Quiet Earth; it stands alone in a universe that seems to be itself completely an original.

Aug 22, 2018

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Twiggy H

Firstly, my thoughts aren't valuable - but that movie was alright. It doesn't try to be something it isn't, and has some humous moments. There are some moments though it could have done without.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

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Audience Member

On the surface, some will find THE QUIET EARTH appealing and some won't — SciFi is like that. I felt it was an excellent and truly engaging production and will certainly be watching it again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

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David W

The Quiet Earth is a cult film that approaches a fairly common trope in a thoughtful and engaging manner. The three leads offer rich performances. I would definitely watch this film again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

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Joe W

Probably you would have been entertained in 1985, but now this is just silly, poorly acted rifraf.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

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Tommy

simple premise. but pretty decent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

Anton N

One Man. In the city... Okay, having fun here, but The Quiet Earth is a beautifully filmed New Zealand post-apocalyptic movie with a necessarily small cast, but they are all excellent. This, to me is perfectly written, cast, directed and filmed. The director, Geoff Murphy has such a perceptive, gentle touch, it's amazing to watch. I am not familiar with his works, but the man is unquestionably a genius and deserves a lot of credit for how excellent this movie turned out. The acting is so good you don't even think about it. It's just like being there with real people. Bruno Lawrence, Allison Routledge, Pete Smith... Also excellently acted and I assume they were cast by the Director. And this is where the expert direction comes in, because each performance is subtle, nuanced, and vivid. It's as though they knew exactly which intensity was needed for any given moment. The Quiet Earth should be required viewing for all directors and screenwriters working today (I am a screenwriter myself). You do NOT have to have explosions every 35 seconds to keep the audience's attention. What you need is a great story and good execution. The Quiet Earth is a perfect example of that. The year this came out, 1985 was repleat with top-quality science fiction. Namely, movies like Brazil, Re-Animator, Back to the Future, Real Genius, Enemy Mine. Cocoon, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Weird Science... And I would put The Quiet Earth at the top of the list, right there with Back to the Future and Cocoon. To me, this is not just a rental, it's a keeper.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/29/23

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Geoff Murphy

Director

Bruno Lawrence

Zac Hobson

Alison Routledge

Joanne

Pete Smith

Api

Zac Wallace

Api's Mate

Norman Fletcher

Perrin

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Synopsis

When everyone around him vanishes overnight, scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) finds himself seemingly the only person on the planet. The isolation initially drives him to the brink of suicide, but eventually Zac adapts to a day-to-day routine. After meeting two other survivors, Joanne (Alison Routledge) and Api (Peter Smith), a Maori, the trio roams New Zealand trying to understand what caused everyone else to disappear, why they remained behind -- and whether disaster will strike again.

Director: Geoff Murphy
Producer: Sam Pillsbury, Don Reynolds
Production Co: Cinepro, Mr. Yellowbeard Productions Limited & Company, Pilsbury Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 7, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround

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