Those who lampoon Charlton Heston’s more histrionic performances fail to appreciate the often-outrageous plots he deals with. Planet of the Apes (1968) is a stellar example of Heston’s talent—a sci-fi, dystopian love story played with men in monkey suits, and yet he makes it work. Same with his Soylent Green (1973). We accept the premises, however outrageous. Heston removes his shirt and looks like he belongs, no matter what the setting.
The Omega Man (1971) offers another variation on an end-of-the-world narrative. Heston is Doctor Robert Neville, seemingly the last man on earth, and spends his days gunning cars around Los Angeles, hunting for members of ‘The Family’ —those who have been infected and ‘turned’ by a biological war. Each night, this collection of ‘nocturnal mutants’ gather outside Neville’s fortified house, howling for his death, condemning him as rep of the military-industrial complex that caused all the trouble.
Certainly, Heston’s range as an actor may be in question, but not the go-to character he assembled for these kinds of films. He’s in shape, on the move, head held high, resourceful, often down but never beaten. Heston is a kind of everyman but with impressive bone structure.
When it was released, many critics complained about the film’s credibility gaps. However, science fiction is loaded with credibility gaps. Yes, The Omega Man, on a tertiary level, is silly—and so is the Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green. All films, inescapably, are of their time, and dystopian films from the late 60s and early 70s films suggest societal concerns of the day—such as nuclear/germ warfare and climate change.
The film achieves its cult status, in part, from top-loading the script with free-floating, sophomoric pop references, which, after a while, are truly tiresome. Examples? It premiered less than two years after the Manson murders; labelling the mutants as ‘The Family’ is unnecessary and trips up the storyline. At one point, Heston is, incredibly, presented as a Christ figure, a worn plot device to enhance meaning where little exists.
Yet the film endures, as does ‘Apes’ and ‘Soylent’. Each finds its own way to balance camp and cult—a priceless, delicate balance for which, thankfully, there is no formula.
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