Review of Soylent Green (1973) by Robert B — 16 Feb 2014

Ever since I was about twelve, I have had a particular fondness for the darker and/or weirder sci-fi films as opposed to more well known and beloved sci-fi films. As much as I enjoyed franchises like Star Wars, darker sci-fi films, much like this one, have always resonated better with me.

I'm ashamed that I waited so long to see this underrated sci-fi cult classic because it gave me everything that I love about darker sci-fi films. One of the things that I really enjoyed about the film was its atmosphere and setup, and how it portrayed its dystopian society in a way that felt truly dystopian, rather than cold, clinical, and clean like most other societies.

The streets are overpopulated, food is in such short supply that even police officers steal from the rich members of society, violence is rampant, equipment for law enforcement is outdated and impractical, millions are unemployed, and much more, It was truly unnerving in its portrayal of its collapsing society because it seemed believable.

The story itself is very engaging and riveting, even with the well known plot twist which has been parodied countless times. Hell, I was so engaged with the story that I didn't even want to pause the film to go take a piss, even though I really wanted to.

The acting is also quite good, especially from Charlton Heston who plays a disillusioned police officer who only seems to survive each day through dark humor and his roommate and good friend Sol. It was fascinating to watch his character unravel the mystery behind the assassination of an executive at the Soylent company and the eventual horrifying truth.

Soylent Green represents everything that many films of the 70's were about: angst, politics, dread, and fear of the future as society makes radical changes. It's a superb sci-fi film in my opinion, but it's not one that anyone can get into.

You really have to be a fan of dystopian 70's sci-fi films to really get into this one, otherwise you'll chalk it up as cheesy nonsense. It's truly one of the best films of its genre I've seen, beyond any doubt.