This Sean Connery Sci-Fi Box Office Flop Is a So-Bad-It’s-Good Gem

Beloved actor of the silver screen, made iconic for his performances as James Bond, Ramirez in Highlander, and John Patrick Mason in 1996’s The Rock, Sean Connery created an impressive body of work before his passing on October 31, 2020. Still, some of his work did not withstand the test of time, and others were complete flops from the get-go. One can look at the 1974 flop Zardoz as an example of both, a movie that some say was ahead of its time, while others call it a self-indulgent passion project that should never have been released to theaters.

The ’70s sci-fi drama/philosophical/dystopian movie certainly confused audiences at the box office with its weird visual direction and heavy themes, but decades later, the movie has stood as an underrated gem for cult film fans and the so-bad-its-good crowd. We will look at one of the most bizarre movies to come out of the ’70s and how Zardoz has become a respected cult classic despite its many, many flaws.

Zardoz Cast and Plot

The plot of Zardoz (1974) is challenging to pin down. At its base, it is a movie about a man, Zed (Sean Connery), who sneaks into a colony of intellectuals (Eternals) through a giant floating head his people have made into a god to the disruption of an enlightened society that stays hidden. However, as Zed interacts more with the Eternals, the clash of culture, beliefs, and conflict over power vs. freedom intertwines to break down the utopia in a wave of philosophical dread. Zardoz is a surreal and abstract sci-fi adventure unlike anything else ever made. It is as thought-provoking as Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo but as strange in its execution as Nobuhiko Obayashi’s House.

Sean Connery stars as the ‘savage’ turned interloper among the elite in Zardoz. Connery was already a major star, having finished his time as Bond with 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. Essential characters in Zardoz’s large cast include Charlotte Rampling, a researcher who falls in love with Zed, Consuella; Sara Kestelman, who plays the outspoken Eternal May; and John Alderton, who plays the conniving trickster, Friend. Zardoz was directed by John Boorman, best known for his films Deliverance, Hope and Glory, and The General.

Zardoz Was a Commercial Failure

The filmmakers and producers behind Zardoz knew they were taking a chance with the film, as it was already the by-product of a failed project by director John Boorman wanting to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings; the money or interest was not there, and instead, the world got Zardoz. The feature was given a budget of 1.57 million, which was low for the time, and Sean Connery came on board to re-invent himself after Bond (Burt Reynolds was the first choice). Despite the modest budget and name power of Connery, Zardoz made a paltry $6,520 at the box office. Compare this to Boorman’s previous film Deliverance, making $46 million domestically against an approx $2 million budget, and Zardoz appeared to be a giant misstep from the revered filmmaker.

Mainly seen as a misguided passion project by director John Boorman, the critics were not exactly kind to the movie either. Roger Ebert gave it only two stars and slammed it as “an exercise in self-indulgence.” Still, looking at the film on Rotten Tomatoes, Zardoz currently sits at a modest 49% rotten with 37 critic scores. There was still moderate praise towards the project for Sean Connery’s performance and Boorman’s ambition, vision, and unique world-building. Zardoz would garner a cult following years later, with the site The Long Take aptly coining it a “quintessential good bad film.”

Why Zardoz Is a So-Bad-It’s-Good Gem

Zardoz is certainly not without its merits. It is a unique vision that deals with many complex themes, from class divide incorporating population control to primitive desires mashing up against unchecked intellectualism. The movie is deeply steeped in the politics of the ’70s and deals with fundamental moral issues through a sci-fi lens that all hold validity today. Breaking the movie down and its various themes have inspired many to write about it in depth, including Anthony Galluzzo’s in-depth breakdown in the novel Against the Vortex: Zardoz and Degrowth Utopias in the Seventies and Today (excerpt via truth dig). There is undoubtedly content for those who want to dive in, and the movie has a deceptive depth. However, it is drowned out in a lot of silliness that is hard to take seriously.

The movie’s set and costumes were somewhat abstract for the era, but they are downright ridiculous under modern scrutiny. Sean Connery rocking the speedo and gun holster combo has become an iconic image among cult film fans and those who love so-bad-its-good cinema. Still, much of the movie, cobbled together on a budget, has a surreal ‘arts and crafts’ aesthetic that is difficult to take seriously, especially combined with the psychedelic use of lighting and mirrors for its sci-fi elements. The giant floating head that spews forth guns in the movie’s opening has also been a point of humor that has been parodied; some may recall Rick and Morty poking fun at Zardoz in the episode “Raising Gazorpazorp.” There are themes throughout Zardoz worth exploring, but the execution is so utterly goofy it is hard to take seriously.

Even overlooking the revealing and awkward designs, the dialogue and performances throughout have some inconsistency that makes for unintentional humor. Lines like “The Penis is evil!” contrasting with “The Gun is Good!” in the opening speech from Connery’s Zed are hard not to snicker at. However, the infamous “I will not go to second level with you!” psychic battle scene must be seen to be believed. It is one of the most awkwardly acted and executed sequences ever committed to the screen.

Zardoz is an absurd mess with enough depth to warrant multiple views; it is a so-bad-its-good gem, unlike anything that came before or after its box office flop. You can rent Zardoz on Apple TV or YouTube.