What
would happen if everyone on earth died except for one man?
The premise of The Last Man, the film deals
with not only Alan (played by David Arnott) but also two other
survivors-Sara (played by Jeri Ryan) and Rafael (played by
Dan Montgomery). Before discovering the other two survivors,
Alan robs a store to get a videocamera so that he can make
a tape so that he can pass on some wisdom from the human race
to those of an alien race who might decide to settle on earth.
He begins by formulating alternative theories to explain why
nearly everyone is dead: a neutron bomb, a virus developed
by a mad scientist, or an environmental catastrophe (to which
he was immune because he took zinc supplements). The tape
grows in length as he discovers Sara and Rafael and tries
to cope with their behavior -- and his own. Alan believes
that he has found the secret of the good life from his doctoral
research in anthropology among the Amazonian Chetabi tribe
(an actual tribe), and he punctuates his lecture to the camera
with explanations of concepts from his dissertation, presumably
entitled The Way of the Chetabi (which is not listed in the
Library of Congress catalog). His first effort is to enjoy
materialistic plenty, so he raids stores and stockpiles food
and electronic gadgets but prefers to live in a trailer. When
he discovers Sara, he tries to get her interested in sex;
though grateful for regaining human company, she sleeps with
Alan but stops short of sex. When they discover Rafael, a
love triangle emerges as the predominant theme of the rest
of the film. The film shows that narcissistic Americans lack
the intelligence to rebuild human society, and indeed the
inference is that oblivion is the direction in which the human
race is now heading under American leadership. Alan tries
to follow some of the Chetabi principles because their culture
has survived 4,000 years and thus must be superior to American
cultural values. Directed and written by Harry Ralston, the
serious elements of The Last Man are entirely
lost in the goofy antics of the three characters, who lack
ingenuity, insight, and intelligence. MH
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