This film rendered me speechless for quite a while. I’m still not sure what to say about it. Zardoz may be one of the most bizarre mainstream films you ever see (that is, if you’re ever in the mood to brave it). I can almost unequivocally say that 99% of people out there will hate this and believe it to be one of the worst films ever made. And yet, I find myself respecting it on some level. It’s not without some amazing artistry, countless really big ideas, and it’s staggeringly ambitious.
It stars Sean Connery (I have no idea how they got him to do this film). I still can’t believe a major studio funded this. Only in the 70’s, could cinema like this get made. This wouldn’t even get made as a low budget, Indie film today. There’s a floating statue of a god’s head, Sean Connery in a loin cloth for 2 hours, and a guy with a mustache and beard drawn on his face in magic marker. And that’s only in the first 10 minutes.
There are many scenes which are an exercise in patience but I can’t see it’s a bad film. It’s strange, ridiculous, and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Definitely not recommended for most but if you do watch it, you’ll probably get a good laugh at how audacious it is and by the end, maybe you’ll also feel at the very least, you saw something you’d never seen before.