Review of Silent Running (1972) by Andy S — 26 Dec 2012

I have seen this film a few times before but I guess I never really appreciated just what a technical achievement it was until recently. One of my favourite critics here in the UK, Mark Kermode, is always going on about how good this is and so I decided to give it another look when it came up on TV recently. Hereâ(TM)s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

After some catastrophe on Earth (we are never told what), all of whatâ(TM)s left of the flora and fauna is blasted into space in a collection of geo-domes aboard three huge cargo ships. We concentrate on one ship, the â~Valley Forgeâ(TM), and on one crew-member in particular, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern). Whereas he embraces the wildlife and the plants; to the other crew members; John Keenan (Cliff Potts), Marty Barker (Ron Rifkin) and Andy Wolf (Jesse Vint), itâ(TM)s just a job. One day word comes that the domes are to be destroyed and the ships returned to commercial use. This is devastating news for Lowell but the others canâ(TM)t wait to get back to a more lucrative lifestyle. He knows he must try to save what he can⦠But at what cost?... Iâ(TM)ll leave it there so I donâ(TM)t give too much away.

If you remember that this film was made with no CGI then you might just appreciate just what a technical achievement it was. There are an awful lot of shots from outside the various spaceships and they all look quite believable. As far as the narrative goes, well yes, itâ(TM)s all a bit â~tree huggingâ(TM) in places, but still, for its time, a pretty well thought out piece. Bruce Dern does a great job as Lowell; the whole thing lives or dies on his performance and I thought he did an excellent job! I know it may not be to everyoneâ(TM)s taste, but I for one enjoyed it.

SteelMonsterâ(TM)s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.2/10.