Review of Soylent Green (1973) by Rainer K — 21 Jan 2012
Some films are about the what and the who. Meaning they focus on what's going on and who does stuff. If you watch Soylent Green awaiting a film like this you're probably be disappointed.
The plot is neither very sophisticated nor very engaging and the characters are better stereotypes but it becomes interesting as soon as you ask the how and the why.
The film is at its best when main character Thorn (a police detective - what else could he be in a film noir - even if it's set in the future) shows unfamiliarity with things we would consider normal - organic food, soap, tap water,...
Heston makes a charismatic lead in a film that's full of predictable set pieces and characters we all know from various dystopian films, books, etc. It's a bureaucratic, neo-liberal, heavily monitored world - overpopulated (with people living on stairs - something I thought I'd only see in a Monty Python or Lynch film) and polluted and most of the stuff that's going on is simple noir screenwriting.
The ending is foreseeable miles ahead as well, and nevertheless I kinda liked it. It was a bit like watching an Asimov book adaptation (a great compliment as he's one of my favourite authors...) with a swift noir touch.
This review of Soylent Green (1973) was written by Rainer K on 21 Jan 2012.
Soylent Green has generally received positive reviews.
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