by Lizzy’s Take:
You ever get the feeling an actor was tricked into a movie? Like, they thought they were signing up for one thing and then woke up on day two wondering where their career went wrong? That’s End of the World (1977) in a nutshell. Christopher Lee looks like he’s being held hostage, Sue Lyon is doing her best, and I spent most of the runtime wondering if I’d missed a reel somewhere.
👉 Recommended if: You want to see Christopher Lee clone himself and stare longingly at 1970s sci-fi tech with the enthusiasm of a man who deeply regrets his choices.
🚫 Skip it if: You expect coherence, pacing, or literally any idea of what’s going on.
The Plot (We Think)
The movie opens like a cheap disaster film, quickly morphs into a conspiracy thriller, and then ends in sci-fi alien weirdness with a twist so abrupt it may cause whiplash. Somewhere in the middle, Sue Lyon plays a schoolteacher (or scientist? or journalist? Honestly, it was unclear) who gets wrapped up in the mystery.
Christopher Lee plays a priest—or at least, a clone of one. Possibly also an alien. Maybe both? It’s not that the movie doesn’t tell you, it’s that it tells you everything and nothing at the same time.
By the time we hit the final shot (which, admittedly, is kind of iconic in a vintage paperback cover sort of way), I had more questions than answers and exactly zero emotional investment.
Christopher Lee Deserves Better
Let’s talk about Sir Christopher Lee for a second. The man was Dracula. He was Saruman. He worked with Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, and actual wizards. And here, he’s… well… here.
Lee looks like he’s reading lines off cue cards that are just out of frame. You can tell he’s trying to elevate the material, but it’s like watching Shakespeare try to save a script written by space aliens who just discovered typewriters.
He’s not phoning it in—he’s showing up to work. But the movie gives him so little to do that his presence feels more like decoration than plot driver.
Sue Lyon Saves What She Can
Sue Lyon (who you may remember from Crash!) actually gives a solid performance. She brings sincerity to the chaos and at least tries to ground the film in something human. Unfortunately, the plot abandons her about halfway through and leaves her adrift in a sea of science fiction nonsense.
Still, credit where it’s due—she plays it straight even when the film is doing donuts around logic and tone.
Should You Watch It?
This is one of those rare cases where the idea of the film is more fun than the actual film. It’s not “so bad it’s good,” and it’s not good enough to recommend for story or thrills. But if you’re into weird ‘70s sci-fi with ambition that far exceeds its execution, it’s at least a fascinating trainwreck.
If nothing else, you’ll walk away with that final alien shot burned into your brain—mostly because it feels like it wandered in from a better movie.
Final Verdict:
Confusing, clunky, and weirdly compelling in a “how did this get made?” kind of way. Come for Christopher Lee, stay for… actually, there’s no good reason to stay.
