Silent Running (1972)
Release Date: 10 March, 1972
What's It About: The last remnants of Earth's plant life survives on a number of greenhouse domes on a spaceship in the outer solar system. One man and three robot drones act as the primary caretakers for the ship. Things go awry when the ship receives orders to jettison the domes, killing the flora and fauna within.
The Good: Directed by Douglas Trumbull, who did the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, the spaceship miniatures are state of the art, but the explosion effects are very dated. The Valley Forge ship alone is a standout piece of miniatures engineering and probably the best technical element of the film. There aren't many human characters, which leave much of the acting upon Bruce Dern and the three robot drone companions who help him maintain the ship. Their faceless and wordless performances are unexpectedly expressive, and worthy of note.
The Bad: Silent Running is a low budget B-grade science fiction film, so the production values are quite weak. There is a lack of human characters, which results in weak scripting and dialogue, limited characterization and the storyline is simplistic. The pacing is quite weak and much of the plot is driven by events, rather than characters, which should be a strong point in a film of this kind. There isn't alot in there to be satisfying on any surface capacity.
Best Performance: The drones, and in particular, Dewey. Dewey is the only survivor of the three robots (Louie is lost in space and Huey is damaged in a vehicle collision), and is sent as the final caretaker of the plants when Lowell is unable to. As a result, Dewey is the strongest character of the three, surpassing even Lowell's own characterization in a number of ways. Dewey is depicted as a sentimental robot, who even stayed by the side of Huey after it was damaged.
Should I Watch It: The strongest quality of this film is its message, which it delivers through a spartan storyline. It is more a cautionary tale of a speculative future in which plants are no longer able to survive on Earth. The film is little known but unusually powerful, especially given its production values. The message is strong and the execution is clean, and the straightforwardness in its earnesty is the film's strongest point.
Post-Credits Scene: No
Similar Films: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Wall-E (2008), Moon (2009)
Trailer:
Looks good... will take a look at it soon.
Thanks for posting :)
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