When I turned 30, only my social life died: "Logan's Run"

File this one under "Movies I Thought Were Cool When I Was a Kid But Now Seem More Than a Little Goofy." The concept is legend: In the future, humankind lives in domed cities in which every desire is satisfied. The only catch is that they have to die at age 30. Yow. I mean, we've all been told you can't trust anybody over 30, but isn't this taking things a bit far?

I had seen "Logan's Run" several years ago and caught bits and piece since then. Upon viewing again, there's no question this movie is seriously dated. First of all, a "utopian future" is as realistic as "And the Oscar goes to ... Johnny Knoxville!" Hey, we've all seen "Blade Runner," and considering the current president, it's safe to say we all won't be flying jet cars to any kind of Pleasure Palace in a few years.

But setting aside this stretch, "Logan's Run" is distracting for two other reasons: "Michael" and "York." This accomplished British actor may have been fine as protagonist Logan in the late '70s, but how can you watch him now and not think "Hey, it's the boss in 'Austin Powers!'" Talk about a mixed blessing: high-profile role in successful series, and absolutely no recognition of your previous work.

As for the overall story, "Logan's Run" isn't bad. With the job of tracking down people who refuse to be killed ... er, "renewed" ... on their 30th birthday, Logan gets a new assignment to find where "runners" who escape the city are going, and destroy this "Sanctuary." His flight with a comely female runner from the domed city is farily interesting, although York's performance is pretty one-dimensional. Then again, maybe that's the idea, given the simplicity of life in the 23rd century. "Hmmm ... food or sex? Let's go with sex now, food later."

Still, I couldn't help but feel like I was soldiering through this movie, and I fully realized that it's now almost 30 years old. Almost everything is a giveaway, from the cheesy popguns used by Logan and other "Sandmen" to the aluminum foil-covered robot he encounters while fleeing outside. Hey, I love to drop a reference to "Carousel" and "Sanctuary" as much as anybody, but a futuristic shopping mall doesn't look so hot when Kubrick was delivering kick-ass special effects eight years earlier in "2001." Now, if HAL 9000 had been running Carousel, then we're getting somewhere. "I'm sorry you've turned 30, Dave .... "