Watching this movie without first reading the book is like somehow watching a person's dreams. The story suddenly changes into another without much if any linkage and the dreams themselves are nutty. More than a few films from the late 60s and all of the 70s seem to have been made whilst the production team was high.
shareSaw it at the BFI London yesterday. Moorcock was there, tearing into the director (who wasn't there).
Whether Moorcock's book was good or not is irrelevant, this is a fun and entertaining film, with lots of unexpected weirdness and some cool sets and use of locations (love Jerry and Frank's shoot out in the ruined building with the arches).
Five minutes in I realised to forget about the plot and just enjoy the ride!! Nice cult item, worth seeing.
It is indeed worth seeking out, even if it's not a great film.
I held on for a bit longer than you did trying to figure out the plot, but by the halfway mark, I just appreciated this film for what it is – a very trippy, wonderfully weird cult gem with a very entertaining ending. 6/10 stars from me, though I might upgrade if I'm able to find the original British version, which reportedly is more coherent.
"Five minutes in I realised to forget about the plot and just enjoy the ride!! Nice cult item, worth seeing."
That is PRECISELY how I feel about this film, also.
Critically analyzing this film only diminishes the pleasure of watching it. Perhaps justly so, but some films achieve much greater value, and enjoyment, when they are simply EXPERIENCED, and not deconstructed.
Back in '79 I first met a friend of me, a fellow SF buff. It turned out we'd spoken at a Des Moines SF con three years earlier. He remembered we met when he exclaimed "you were the guy who LIKED The Last Days of Man On Earth !"