Genesis II
March. 23,1973A scientist who has been preserved in suspended animation wakes up to find himself in a primitive society in the future.
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Reviews
I love this movie so much
Waste of time
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
What the hell was this? Cheap story, acting, sets, cinematography, lighting, music, etc Interesting idea, but the story and dialogue was just plain poor. Some interesting parts.Rating is a D, for effort, or 3 stars. Not worth seeing!What the hell was this? Cheap story, acting, sets, cinematography, lighting, music, etcInteresting idea, but the story and dialogue was just plain poor. Some interesting parts. Rating is a D, for effort, or 3 stars. Not worth seeing!
Although the "what if" social scenarios Roddenberry creates are as colorful and widely varied as anyone could imagine, the context for this 1973 would-be series pilot contained many of the future-world social commentaries for which Roddenberry later became famous. The movie was clearly ahead of its time.Sadly, the movie does not appear to be available in any type of format (i.e. DVD, videotape). I remember watching this movie as an impressionable 12-year-old boy in 1973. My captivation with the character Lyra-A still remains after over 30 years -- quite an impression I might say. Many of the social commentaries contained within the plot were revisited later, within Star Trek episodes and other Roddenberry movies.
The story of Rip Van Winkle is one of the most endearing - and enduring - tales in Western literature. Too bad Roddenberry decided to rewrite it so ham-handedly. Mind you, it's not like he didn't try to front-load "Genesis II" with familiar and/or pretty faces, like Alex Cord as the stalwart scientist and the stunningly beautiful Mariette Hartley as Lira-a, or the hulking Ted "Lurch" Cassidy as Isiah. Problem is, this alone can't carry a series; other things help. Little things like good writing, decent sets, decent, if not state-of-the-art effects. "Genesis II" was short on all counts. One thing it wasn't short on was goofy ideas, like the deification of Freud, or Hartley's dual navels (what was THAT all about?). Taken on balance, the whole show probably started out as a good idea from a timeless classic that was run into the ground by an overdose of Post-Hippie murky philosophies, ridiculous dialogue, and a general air of "we've seen this before. Somewhere". Occasionally, in this life, some of us, if we're lucky, will publish a Pulitzer Prize book, write an Oscar winning screenplay, or perform to standing O's at Carnegie Hall. If we're real lucky, we may get to do it again. Roddenberry wasn't one of those people. He apparently had the Midas touch: everything he tried after "Star Trek" turned to manure, the worst being "The Questor Tapes". Now, that one you could fertilize the Sinai Peninsula with. As far as "Genesis II" goes, some things, as Alex Cord must have undoubtedly realized after being revived, are best left buried.
As you would expect from Roddenberry there are many themes about the good and bad sides of human nature explored, and his optimism about the fate of the Human race shows through as it often does in Star Trek.The plot follows a scientist who is researching suspended animation in deep underground caverns. He is supposed to be asleep for a week, but due to an Earth quake he is buried for 150 years.When he awakes, he finds his world has been destroyed by war. PACS - a group of Unisex humans live underground, while the mutants (the only outwardly sign being 2 navels!)live outside. Little is know about the ancient technology of the Nuclear Power plants and both sides fight to have the "man from the past" help them.The moral dilema for out hero is which side he chooses to help.Despite its age, this film ain't too bad. There's no flashy special effects , but an entertaining moral tale against slavery and oppressive regimes. Look out for Gene Roddenberry's wife making an appearance (better known as Counsellor Troi's Mother in Star Trek The Next Generation).