Review of Silent Running (1972) by Evan J — 12 May 2013

Silent Running stems a thin and somewhat directionless plot over 89 minutes without sufficient Science Fiction dynamics and a fairly basic script, but it's themes are decent and it has good visuals as well as a strong science fiction setting, and is lead in a strong performance by Bruce Dern.

Silent Running has slow pacing and a thin plot which seems rather directionless and sets the story as a more character driven story which wouldn't be most expected of audiences in 1971, and many of the actual plot dynamics seem confusing and nonsensical.

And the script isn't incredible and is simple, but it is sufficient enough to hold the story together over most the running time but doesn't display Michael Cimino's talent, but neither his destructive potential. The only problem is that it fails to explain much of the film at times. It's just ordinary.

But the setting is great in a science fiction style due to its clever look at preservation of life in outer space and the technology that comes with it, and clearly it's influenced many films, primarily the Disney Pixar Classic WALL-E which follows similar themes, and it is enhanced by fine production design and visual effects which enhance the feel, as does the great musical score which is rich it's sense of fantasy.

Also, Bruce Dern makes a great lead performance, being the only human on screen for most of the story and having the film rely on his characterisation to keep entertaining, and it worked. Bruce Dern's portrayal of an Astro-Hippy works well because of the time the film was made and due to it's setting in space which creates an interesting combination for him to work with, and of course he pulls through in a performance rich with the passion of a love for the environment he created, and his lead performance and chemistry with the robots are the best reasons to see Silent Running, it's definitely one of his finest performances, even with a somewhat lackluster script.

So Silent Running is ok and boasts a good performance from Bruce Dern, and works as an icon of the time it was made mixed with themes of science fiction, even though it has certain dynamics to it.