| Ah, dystopia: that sunless and severely
polluted world that we all (inadvertently?) helped
to create. All of the animals have died. People are forced
to wear masks in order to breathe in public. Just when the whole of humanity
thinks it can’t get any worse, the President (Bill Nagy, in his final film)
places a thirty-year ban on the bearing of children when it becomes painfully
clear that over-population isn’t helping the planet any (after the War
on Terror and the mass-production of cheap non-biodegradable shit from Wal-Mart,
that is).
In lieu of the real thing, couples are given creepy, somewhat mod-looking
robotic dolls to care for as their own (which leads to several, unnerving
scenes guaranteed to scare the shit out of pediophobics everywhere!),
but poor Carol (Geraldine Chaplin) is not at all content with the law
(or the dolls) and is bound and determined to give birth to a real, live
baby-thing (even after seeing a couple executed on the spot
for doing the exact same thing). Her husband, Russ (a somewhat
robotic-but-still-great Oliver Reed), seems pretty nonchalant about the
whole thing, and agrees to help her even though each of them knows full
well that it will mean their death should their secret ever be discovered…a
fate that grows closer when their neighbors, George and Edna (Don Gordon
and Diane Cilento, respectively) begin to wonder what’s going on.
 Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth) is a superb example
from the 1970s School of Science Fiction and is the perfect companion-piece
with Logan’s Run or Soylent Green:
the performances are earnest enough and Campus’ direction is tight…plus,
the film has that retro “It’s Futuristic!” look to
it, which almost elevates it into the world of surreal. One highlight
in particular is Oliver Reed’s deadpan performance: if I didn’t
know any better, I’d swear that the character of Russ was a grown-up
robotic doll!
OK, for you movie snobs, pretend your “Hollywood makes the
best and most original movies in the world!” belief is a
cheap plastic kid’s toy from Wal-Mart. Next, compare and
contrast this film after back-to-back viewings with 2019: After
The Fall Of New York and Children Of Men. Then,
take your cheap plastic kid’s toy and place it underneath the
Couch Cushion of Life. Now find a fat person…a morbidly
obese, extremely heavy, Fatty McFatass person (to represent reality)
and have them sit on your seat cushion. There…“You’ve
taken your first step into a larger world.”
 (Dammit all! Tell me, why does dialogue from Star Wars always
have to come into play?)
Z.P.G. (Zero Population Growth) is available for a
limited time via the Legend Films website (www.legendfilms.com)
with a National release scheduled for June of 2008.
Presentation
After being on moratorium for years, our friends at Legend Films
have bought us a long overdue DVD release of Z.P.G. (Zero Population
Growth) in association with Paramount Pictures. The movie
is shown in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. There is some occasional
grain and speckling here and there, but the overall colors are very vibrant
and it’s definitely time to throw out your old VHS copies. With
the exception of Oliver Reed’s patented mumbling, the English Mono
Stereo soundtrack comes through quite clear (although there is a pop
here and there and the end music sounds a bit over-modulated…neither
of which is a big problem). There are no subtitles included, but
the disc is Close Captioned.
 Extras
Here’s where the disc’s real letdown occurs: there are no
additional features included with this disc. With boring Special
Features aplenty finding their way onto thousands of DVD releases every
year, you’d think someone could find some sort of tidbit to through
in here…alas, no.
Nope, not a trailer, a still, or even a production note is to be found…
Oh, well…
The Bottom Line
Despite the lack of any Special Features, Z.P.G. (Zero Population
Growth) is sure to be a welcomed addition to any Sci/Fi film
fan.
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