Filmmaker John Boormans' follow-up to "Deliverance" is admittedly not to all tastes. Boorman, who also produced and wrote the film, gives us a one of a kind experience that, ultimately, is better seen than described. Words like "weird" and "provocative" come to mind when viewing it, because it's full of ideas.

It depicts a world of the future (the year 2293, to be exact) where a sly master intelligence, Zardoz, has contrived a way to keep unruly lower classes in line. One of the lower class people is an "exterminator", Zed (Sean Connery), whose job is to kill, period. One day Zed decides to seek truth, and hitches a ride in a great stone head, where he's transported to a "vortex", or environment, where the bored upper class, a group of immortal intellectuals, don't know what to make of him. He shakes up their world as much as they shake up his.

The most striking element of "Zardoz" is the visual approach. Filmed on location in Ireland, it takes us from one surreal set piece to another, with deliberately stylized dialogue. The cast plays the material with very straight faces. Connery looks fairly embarrassed, and considering the fact that his costume partly consists of a red diaper, one can hardly blame him. (He wasn't too happy about having to wear a wedding dress, either.) Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman, John Alderton, Sally Anne Newton, and Niall Buggy co-star; of this group of actors, Buggy does manage to inject some humour into the proceedings.

This is sedately paced and short on action, but it's compelling in its own offbeat way, provided one is able to stick with the story. While it's not likely to be very appealing to a mainstream audience, it's not something easily forgotten for devotees of cult cinema.

Seven out of 10.

'Zardoz' is the kind of fantasy which tends to be overrated by some, underrated by many. It came out when science fiction cinema consisted mainly of bleak visions of tomorrow, such as 'A Clockwork Orange', 'No Blade Of Grass', 'Soylent Green' and even the 'Planet Of The Apes' series. 'Star Wars' came along in 1977 and everything changed.

Set in a post-atomic future where Mankind has divided into two factions - the Brutals, who practice violence and worship a flying stone head called 'Zardoz', and the Eternals, who possess immortality and psychic powers. Zed, an Exterminator, ( Sean Connery ), becomes curious about Zardoz and, after hiding away in its mouth, is taken back to its point of origin. The Eternals live in the Vortex, a sort of techno-hippie commune guarded by a force field. Zed is regarded as a freak, and used for scientific study by May ( Sara Kestleman ). But his presence in the Vortex has been planned - weary of living forever, the Eternals wish Zed to relieve them of their monotonous existences. He does so, but keeps Consuela ( Charlotte Rampling ) alive, and the film ends on an optimistic note with the birth of their son.

Written and directed by John Boorman, fresh from the hugely successful 'Deliverance', 'Zardoz' was made in Ireland in 1973 on a low budget, and is a visually arresting experience. Like Godard's 'Alphaville', it overcomes its limitations. The first thirty or so minutes are powerful, as we enter a world that is terrifyingly staggering. The sight of the open-mouthed 'Zardoz' flying across the countryside is enough to induce nightmares. But it grows cluttered as Boorman unwisely tries to get as many messages across as possible. The Vortex was created by scientists, who having achieved their goal of immortality have become apathetic. The last forty minutes or so minutes are tough going, but ultimately rewarding. The scene where Zed tells May how he came to realise 'Zardoz' was fake ( he had read 'The Wizard Of Oz' in a children's library ) is wonderful.

Yes, Connery goes through the whole movie in a loin cloth ( luckily, he was in good physical shape back then ), but gives a strong performance. Charlotte Rampling is a stunning 'Consuela', and John Alderton ( of 'Please Sir!' ) sports a curly blonde wig in the role of 'Friend'.

I have watched this many times and do not claim to understand every word, but the basic theme - one man standing out from the crowd to get at the truth - is unmistakable. 'Zardoz' hails from a time when film makers were free to experiment with ideas, and not restricted by the need to dumb down their work in order to achieve popular success.