Zardoz (1974) ***

Zardoz (1974) has a lot of ideas about a lot of things (life, death, utopia, consciousness, war, religion, politics) and it’s incredibly entertaining, but I think perhaps not for the reasons intended by director John Boorman. More often than not the cheesy fashion, laughable performances and cheap props hamper a deliciously bizarre surrealist film. And maybe more of the humor was intended than I know. It's just frustrating because I think buried underneath the goofiness is a possibly brilliant piece of art (sort of like an even less coherent Alejandro Jodorowsky). All that said, there are some cool visuals and interesting lighting choices and camerawork throughout this oddball sci-fi headtrip.