Review of Silent Running (1972) by Eric R — 23 Aug 2011

The earth has been completely stripped of all greenery and is now essentially has none of it's natural resources. 'Valley Forge' is a space vessel carrying the last remaining vegetation, soil, minerals, etc.

which Earth has to offer. The astronauts on board the vessel receive a transmission from their company telling them to jettison/destroy the remaining vegetation because the spacecraft will be more valuable to them as a cargo hauler than a conservatory.

This doesnt sit well with the head caretaker of the vegetation which leads to him rebelling to keep Earth's remaining natural resources in tact. Silent Running is a somewhat silly Sci-Fi film which is really elevated by Bruce Dern's practically solo performance.

He creates such a flawed, emotionally invested character; its really a great performance. This is an intimate piece of a man desperate to do what he believes is right. Dern's character is borderline psychotic in his obsession with saving the greenery, but his character is a good person and its fascinating to watch this character.

Its rather dated in its approach, with some of the dramatic segments coming off more silly than serious, but it still contains an overall message that is very relevant in today's society. Some of the silliness may stem from the soundtrack.

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