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      Z.P.G.

      PG 1972 1h 35m Sci-Fi List
      Reviews 23% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Would-be parents (Oliver Reed, Geraldine Chaplin) dare to defy the law of zero population growth in the smog-filled 21st century. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Apr 23 Buy Now

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      Z.P.G.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Wayne K In the extensive pantheon of post-apocalyptic movies, Z.P.G. usually flies under the radar. It's not one I've heard discussed or analysed, and I've not seen it brought up in articles or on podcasts or YouTube lists. There's nothing especially groundbreaking about its themes, story or characters. It's set in a future where pollution is overwhelming, authoritarianism is rampant, and a disaffected population live monotonous, meaningless lives. I liked how instead of trying to address a host of issues this scenario could have brought up, it only focuses on one of them, and it does feel straightforward and easy to follow as a result. It works cleverly with its obviously low budget, such as by having most of the characters dress in matching clothes, and by having the outside scenes caked in fog, thereby limiting the need for elaborate sets or extensive casts of extras. It's got an ending which I guess is supposed to be ambiguous, but it's so sudden that I suspect they ran out of funding, or there were plans to make a sequel that never materialised. Either way, its not a film I'd readily suggest if you were looking for something in the genre, but it does provide enough food for thought in its 95-minute runtime to keep you occupied. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/27/23 Full Review delysid d another unappreciated film. it's kind of like a second rate logan's run, which was pretty crap but... its only good for 70s lovers Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/19/22 Full Review Audience Member Humorless, rudderless, 70s explosion of a film. I will say I appreciated the general concept, and while this film was obviously on a budget the biggest offender in This to me was the acting. Oliver Reed, bud, did you just need the drinking money? You are so out of it and cold for this entire film. I also had a hard time understanding these women who just needed a damn baby. They were too flat, too obsessive. Too accepting of a natural world they barely knew existed. But again, an interesting concept and a pretty decently built world. Just depends on what you want out of the movie I suppose. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member good sci-fi suspenser Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review eric b Somewhere between "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the ignoble invasion of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, there was a wonderful era of ambitious, heady science fiction. "Z.P.G." is an underachieving relic from that time. Oliver Reed (wasted in a repressed, unemotional role) and Geraldine Chaplin are a couple in a near-future world where dire overpopulation has mandated a 30-year ban on having children. Wannabe parents fill the void with government-supplied, computerized dolls, but you can imagine what an unsatisfying substitute they are. Reed and Chaplin decide to have a baby in secret, but they will be suffocated in a mobile "extermination chamber" if they are caught. The setting is exceedingly bleak -- smiles are rare, and the area population spends most of its time sadly pining for extinct pleasures (not only children, but even animals and plants) through archival movies and museum exhibits. Food is synthetic, and gas masks are required when walking outdoors. The impenetrable smog that is everywhere (even at ground level) seems as much a fictional hazard as just a way to avoid constructing sets -- this movie obviously didn't have much budget. The doll toddlers are hideous and, except for the puzzling overuse of garish saffron sweaters, the costumes are dull and easily ignored. But against all odds, the script does manage to concoct a solid resolution to a seemingly impossible dilemma. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A campy and kitschy 70's Sci-fi film that's laughable for all the wrong reasons. It also looks low budget. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Z.P.G.

      Z.P.G. (1972) Z.P.G. (1972) Z.P.G. (1972) Z.P.G. (1972) Z.P.G. (1972) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

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      Myles Standish St. Louis Post-Dispatch Much higher drama could have been made out of this then the weak rather monotonous screenplay provides. And to top it all, there is a copout ending. May 27, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Oliver Reed's sleepy performance suggests his character needs a nap more than a child. Rated: 2/4 May 16, 2022 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Perhaps its greatest mistake is failing to flesh out the universe its characters live in.... We spend too much time with Russ and Carol, who never are allowed to feel three dimensional. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 11, 2020 Full Review Robert Sullivan Los Angeles Free Press The film was so forgetable that, for me, at least, the picketers outside the theater did more to harm Z.P.G.'s image than the movie inside. Jan 8, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Would-be parents (Oliver Reed, Geraldine Chaplin) dare to defy the law of zero population growth in the smog-filled 21st century.
      Director
      Michael Campus
      Producer
      Frank De Felitta, Max Ehrlich
      Screenwriter
      Frank De Felitta, Max Ehrlich
      Production Co
      Sagittarius Productions
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Sci-Fi
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 12, 2010
      Runtime
      1h 35m
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