Review of Silent Running (1972) by Jonathan B — 09 Feb 2011

To today's audience this classic 1970s science fiction film may appear naive and rather dated. Effects in science fiction seldom stand the test of time and to be frank, the spaceships seen here do look like they were made from the leftovers from a teenager's Airfix kit.

Put that aside though because Silent Running still has much to offer and a great deal of charm. Bruce Dern does make a somewhat unlikely astronaut given his rather precarious mental state but his commitment to saving the last of the Earth's trees in their giant plastic space bubble is unquestionable.

The 70s produced a glut of visions of a post industrial ecologically doomed planet but Silent Running is a definite ray of hope that mother nature will survive, come what may. Dern practically carries the narrative of the whole movie by himself, rapidly dispatching his obnoxious crew mates after they receive orders to fry the protective biomes into which the last of the planets greenery has been blasted into space in order to conserve it.

Once he's done the dirty deed, and with only three maintenance robots for company, Dern goes on the run with his leafy cargo. It is actually the relationship that develops between the slightly barmy space traveller and the robots that make the movie.

Hewie, Dewie and Lewie were perhaps the forerunners of R2D2 in that they don't speak and actually look as though they were designed for function rather than to conceal a diminutive actor. I can remember quite vividly as a child being mystified as to how they had been realised.

Although their various arms and appendages are a tad clunky by today's standards, these little guys are incredibly endearing and manage to convey sensitivity and emotion with the odd tap of a claw or tilt of their bodies.

This movie wears its environmental credentials on its sleeve rather glossing over some plot holes and inconsistencies. It scores pretty low in terms of subtle plotting but it is a movie I have tremendous affection towards and always enjoy watching.