Zardoz did not swing and miss. It hit so far you can only see it now.

Watched it as a kid when i had a slight fever and it was almost like i was on drugs. Did not understand anything but was absolutely mesmerized.

Strange thing is this may have derailed Sean Connery's career at the start of the 70's, it was a Sci-Fi film (Outland) and a Fantasy Film (Time Bandits) that put it back on track at the start of the 80's.

Zardoz despite its eclectic 70's esthetic style, had some surprisingly sophisticated ideas about topics like AI, Optical computers, humans ability to adjust to immortality, society and technology. There is one line in film where space colonization is mentioned, and it was said to be a dead end, too expensive and unable to solve humanity's problems. Which itself, was a very insightful observation.
Now my favorite character by far, wasn't zed or Friend, or any Consuela etc, but Arthur Frayn. I loved that guy, and he had some of the best lines in the movie and he effortlessly stole every scene he was in.

Zardoz is more relevant today than it was when it was made, there is more resonance for the modern audience, proving how prophetic it was. The Wizard of Oz is so insightful to the nature of the human condition, This film needs to be seen by a wider audience.

Boorman's DVD commentary for Zardoz can be summed up as "What the fuck did I direct?"

Zardoz is unapologetically magnificent.   Only Connery had such balls.

Jesus, I feel so fucking old. I saw this in the theaters. Sure I was 13, and it was rated R, and I was there for Charlotte Rampling’s tits, but it’s not like anybody ever checked IDs back then. As a 13-year-old, the revelation that “Zardoz” was just a partially obscured reading of the title of “The Wizard of Oz” was mind-boggling. I guess I was pretty easily impressed.😅

The image of the flying head has stuck with me since I saw the movies original release.

I saw it in my early 20's and never understood a single minute of it.  Thanks for illuminating it!

Movies from the 1970's are very* underrated masterpieces and are refreshing because of today's media. I hope more people meme and discuss movies from this time.

Thanks, Damo. You have peeled away the layers of Zardoz elegantly here. This film has always meant a lot to me.

A nude in a film from 1974 on YouTube can not be shown in 2024. I was only 12 years old the first time I saw that movie; I recognized that I didn't understand all its complexity until I was older. For several reasons, I think that your review is the best on all Youtube of Zardoz. (And I saw several of them after your first upload)

I feel Zardoz is like a Ken Russel film.  It was made on a pretty low budget and has legit things to say.  It deserves its cult status.

"Zardoz" is basically "Metropolis" in a different setting. In both movies the elite live separate from the working class and never shall they be allowed to mingle.  "Elysium" follows the same theme and again it's in a different setting but the story is the same.

My goodness... young Charlotte Rampling... .... ....

The more time goes by, the more Zardoz becomes relevant. It's Prophetic and accurately describes the future down to  the very detail. When he points to a flower and asks the Tabernacle(modern day google Ai equivalent), "what is it" it responds "flower.... Decorative".

Zardoz is IMHO and excellent sci-fi film. Charlotte Rampling is just gorgeous in this film.

About 10 years ago I took a day course in voice-over acting.  The instructor was doing a power-point presentation and an publicity still from "Zardoz" of Sean Connery on the beach in his familiar costume showed up on-screen.  The instructor said that he'd done a GOOGLE search for "something ridiculous" and got that image.  It was a bit pixelated and low-res.  The instructor said something like "Kudo's if you can tell who this is".  I raised my hand in the dimly lit classroom and said, "Excuse me!!".  The instructor replied, "Yes?".  I said, "Sean Connery, 'Zardoz', 1975, directed by John Boorman".  The instructors eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.  "HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW THAT!?!?!?!" he exclaimed.  I said, "I'm a fan-boy from way back.  You show me a still frame from any movie made from George Mellies 'La Voyage dans la Lun' to 'The Empire Strikes Back' and chances are I can tell yout at least something about it".  Yeah.  I showed my geek side that day.