RETRO MOVIE REVIEW: A BOY AND HIS DOG, 1975

Lance Lucero

6 years ago

A BOY AND HIS DOG, 1975, directed by L.Q. Jones, adaptation from the award-winning novella by Harlan Ellison. This film set precedence for the nuclear post-apocalyptic look as we know it in cinema today. This film truly launched the genre. It“s an original, brutal, and funny take on life in a wasteland.

WW III, from the 1950s to the 1980s, the planet Earth had been ravaged by conflict. Then came WW IV in 2007, a war that lasted five days, which nearly decimated what was left of humanity. This outlandish sci-fi tale follows a solo roving Vic (Don Johnson) and his highly intelligent, sarcastic, telepathic companion Blood (voiced by the sardonic Tim McIntire), who is a shaggy dog, as they struggle to survive in a soot covered landscape in the year 2024.

Their bond is their telepathic link, which truly gives them an edge to survive in the harsh landscape. They“re a squabbling team in constant search for food, shelter, and women. Sometimes, to the annoyance of Blood, Vic places the search for women above the importance of everything else, which usually leads to trouble. Enter the dubious and yearning Quilla June (Susanne Benton), a female sent to lure Vic to the world under the surface for sinister reasons.

The layers of the landscape present interesting concepts in this film. On the surface of the planet is the nuclear blasted wasteland. Just under the surface, buried in many feet of debris and fallout, is the world that once was. By digging down several feet one might be lucky enough to come upon dwellings that can hold food and valuables necessary for survival. Going deeper into the Earth“s surface you will find the existence of humanity frozen in the state of certain ideological, social, and religious beliefs of many years past. Although the humans surviving in the underground world may be healthier by living in a more controlled habitat, they have become twisted by their societal dogma.

In a funny turn of events, when Vic is lead to and captured by the underworld dwellers, he is subject to a form of rape he so rightly deserves. What“s good for the goose is good for the gander! The only reason why Vic was allowed to penetrate the underworld is because they are in need of new blood, in the way of procreation. But the way they extract the life creating seed is not what Vic had anticipated. With the help of his captor, Quilla, they fight to escape the fanaticism of the underworld in an attempt to reach the brutal surface.

This film is all over the entertainment spectrum. There“s action, adventure, sexuality, humor, a contrasting setting, telepathy, and fun surprises. The ending of this film is an ending you will not forget. This is what cinema should be and it shows how much movies of today have fallen short in their ambition to entertain.

What may have seemed liked a B-flick sci-fi film for its time is truly an A-caliber film worth revisiting today.