Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Last and First Men Blu-ray Movie Review

Not your father's sci-fi...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 21, 2023

I'd wager at least 75% of you will come away from Last and First Men mumbling, "what the hell was that?" The same 75%, actually, who hated, and I mean hated, writer/director Kyle Edward Ball's hyper-abstract chiller, Skinamarink, which emerged last year as one of the most cult-y cult horror movies in recent memory. But grant me the audience to argue that Last and First Men is something truly unique and special. No actors. No plot. No visions of a technologically advanced sci-fi future. Grainy 16mm black-and-white photography. A haunting score lamenting the passing of an age. Somber narration recounting the fallen culture and nations of humanity's final hurrah. It's a baffling but brilliant work of minimalism that, quite literally, brought tears to my eyes at one point. Why? I have no earthly idea. I wasn't feeling anything... until I suddenly was. It's simply that affecting. If, that is, you're open to the deliberate, languid spell it slowly casts. Last and First Men not only defies convention (and then some), it serves as a strange, otherworldly piece of fictional future-history that's both a cautionary tale and document of the heartache and loss that would feasibly accompany mankind's extinction. I've never seen anything like it, and I think I loved it.

Two billion years in the future, humanity finds itself on the verge of extinction. Almost all that remains are lone, surreal monuments; the futuristic, solemn, Brutalist stone slabs erected during the communist era in the former Yugoslav republics, arrestingly photographed in luminous 16mm black-and-white. The feature debut and final cinematic testament from late composer and musician Jóhann Jóhannsson ('Sicario', 'Arrival', 'Mandy') conjures a world of surreal and phantasmagorical monuments, once intended as symbols of unity and brotherhood, now abandoned beacons beaming their message into the wilderness and beyond. Based on the cult 1930 science fiction novel by British author Olaf Stapledon, with narration by Tilda Swinton, 'Last and First Men' is a poetic, hopeful and tragic work: an allegory of remembrance, ideals and the death of Utopia.

The first thing that captured my imagination in Last and First Men were its ancient-future structures and grand, stone monoliths. Were these miniatures created for the film? Sculptures from an obscure artist? The answer turned out to be a fascinating rabbit hole that only enhances the sci-fi mockumentary and its atmosphere and ambition. These massive structures are actually a very real series of 20th century structures that dot the Yugoslavian countryside called "Spomeniks"; large memorials designed and erected from 1950 to the early '90s during Tito's new Socialist Federal Republic era to honor the fallen heroes of the People's Liberation Struggle against WWII Axis occupation. From the online Spomenik Database: "[these structures] represent many different things to many different people. They are the legacy of a bygone era, they are witnesses to suffering, they are the embodied mythos of a generation, they are objects of anger, they are testaments to triumph, they are symbols of resentment... Such a phenomenal wellspring of memorial construction is distinct and unique compared to other European countries during that time period. Within this new country of Yugoslavia, Tito envisioned a diverse utopian society unified around its own internal sense of progressive optimism, which itself would be held together by a firm grasp on its own shared future and by a collective righteousness in their victory against fascist aggression. The construction of this vast array of monuments was part of that plan. As such, these monuments operate not only as surreal and abstract structures memorializing a horrific past and arduous victory against fascism, but additionally, they function as political tools meant to articulate the country's vision of a new tomorrow."

With that in mind, Last and First Men dares to offer a sobering counterpoint: yes, but, what happens when such a Utopia falls? When the dream wakes? What happens when our societies, utopian or no, fully and finally crumble? Or fade to dust? What happens when mankind reaches an endpoint, and who will be there to document such a staggering collapse? Who will look back and study our future selves' decline, our cultural highs and lows, the things that were important to us, our rituals and myths, our traditions and beliefs? Who will honor our achievements and resurrect our dead revolutionaries to preserve their messages, if only in memory? Tilda Swinton, of course. Which tracks. Though only serving as narrator, is there a more alien actress on Earth than Swinton? The script she has to work with (from director Jóhann Jóhannsson and co-writers Olaf Stapledon and José Enrique Macián) deserves most of the credit, of course, drilling down to the last throes of mankind as if its greatest accomplishments have been long carved in stone. But there's a haunting quality to Swinton's voice; a sadness that evokes a palpable sense of what was and what will never be again. Last and First Men is almost biblical in its commitment to its premise, in fact, and both echoes and intensifies the voices of long-dead rebels whose acts of bravery have been encapsulated within Yugoslavia's Spomeniks.

Then there's Yair Elazar Glotman and the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's ethereal, ecclesiastical score, which ebbs and flows around Swinton's narration with beautiful, emotive and utterly atmospheric swells and recedings. The sadness and melancholy will prove overwhelming to those moved by music. Paired with the narration of the death of all mankind, it becomes an expressive and moving eulogy; all at once the finest and the most final of our future-history's art. Jóhannsson passed away at just 48, having composed scores that will give you pause. Even if you don't know his name, you know his films: Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival, Panos Cosmatos's Mandy, Garth Davis's Mary Magdaline and James Marsh's The Theory of Everything (not to mention his music consultant work on Darren Aronofsky's Mother). Will his score here be enough to push you toward the 25% who will walk away from Last and First Men dazed and dazzled? I think so. But I also know this is a challenging, unconventional film that's more likely to leave most of you bored and checking your phone for the time. Movies are as incredible in their artistry as their divisiveness, and Last and First Men will certainly continue to prove divisive. Don't give in to your lesser demons, though. You can walk away having not enjoyed Jóhannsson's future documentary without insulting those who find it captivating. Instead, evolve and rise above the nonsense that sometimes riddles online forums. If you love it, tell people about it. If you don't, shrug your shoulders and move on to the next film.

Last and First Men Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Metrograph Pictures brings Last and First Men to Blu-ray with a faithful 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that clings to its source and delivers and delivers a distraction-free experience. Filmed in 16mm, the future-history documentary is extremely grainy by design, and that grain has been preserved without much at all in the way of inconsistencies or artifacting. (Ignore screenshots in this regard as the images' compression to .jpeg may feature misleading anomalies that are not indicative of the film in motion.) There's hardly any color to speak of, but contrast is eye-catching, gradient grays are free of banding, and black levels are deep and inky. There is some specks, scratches and even hairs present in the cinematography. However, this is all keeping with the filmmakers' intentions. Last and First Men isn't just meant to be a documentary; it's meant to evoke a dated, aging glimpse into the past, thus the throwback qualities of the presentation (as is also the case with the 1.68:1 aspect ratio and rounded edges at the four corners of the image). The verdict? Jóhannsson's film couldn't look much better than it does on Blu-ray.

Last and First Men Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Don't be disappointed with Last and First Men's reserved sound design. Metrograph's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a strong representation of the film's sonic intentions and original mix. Swinton's narration hovers naturally over the waters of the soundfield; never dominating, never straining to be heard. The rear speakers are also surprisingly engaging, with subtle but precise directionality, and the subwoofer makes its presence slowly known. Dynamics are excellent, despite the often whispery softness and quiet sadness haunting the film, and the Yair Elazar Glotman and Jóhannsson's score is layered in perfectly. This isn't a DTS-HD Master Audio track that'll wake the neighbors (or people upstairs for that matter) but it is a terrific presentation of the documentary's sound mix that proves as disarming as the material itself.

Last and First Men Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement included on the Blu-ray release of Last and first Men is the film's 2-minute HD trailer. It's a real shame that there isn't a retrospective on the career and film scores of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, though, so the barebones package stings a bit more than usual.

Last and First Men Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cards on the table: most of you will probably loathe Last and First Men, or at least come away sleepy and bored. For those who are keen to give into its spell, though, this future-history documentary will be a unique and otherworldly testament to the power of minimalistic filmmaking. Thankfully Metrograph's AV presentation is outstanding, without much in the way of anything to complain about. It would have been nice to see some special features, particularly surrounding the career of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, but so it goes.