Silent Running

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George M Another of the 70's Eco-films, this is just watchable. Other than Bruce Dern's performance, the sfx and the little robots, and Joan Baez songs, this just isn't that great of a movie. There are far too many plot holes; if there's commercial space travel, why not put the forests on the moon and make them a tourist attraction? How does the earth NOT need it's eco-systems? Why blow them up, rather than, again, make them a tourist attraction? An all right movie, but doesn't deserve either cult status or the overblown reputation its gathered. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/25 Full Review abel p I first saw "Silent Running" in 1978 at a science fiction movie convention and I've been a big fan of it ever since. Dern's portrayal of this guy was amazing. He caught the essence of a man whose been pushed too far and sees the destruction of his life's work as unacceptable. This movie is so much relevant at this time in history than when it was released. With the climate change the Earth is going through, people should be watching it. This movie was unavailable for a while, and when Arrow released it in 4K I knew that it was going into my collection of physical media. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/25 Full Review Frank G It perfectly captures the mood and feeling of being isolated in space for years on end. Humanity loosing itself in time by using the symbol of the last of earths living plants stored in space orbit. Its a great statement of corporate greed, and the disconnect with ecology. Bruce Dern is magnificent! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/29/24 Full Review Patrick P This movie brings back such fond memories from my childhood, when I first saw it. The theme behind the story threw me for a loop as a kid. And the drones...I wanted one for my own! This movie preceded Star Wars, so it's clear to me that George Lucas must have been influenced by the drones in this movie when he created R2D2. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/31/24 Full Review Audience Member Space is silent but one can still be running things in the vast reaches of it Bruce Dern is Freeman Lowell, a botanist in the distant future that operates an artificial garden after all botanical life on earth has ended He maintains all the plants on this space station for future generations Lowell also has 3 robots that help him but are also good company However, things start to turn sour after he gets word from officials that he has to destroy everything he's worked for to store cargo Lowell rebels and maybe even starts to lose his sanity favoring the green garden instead of human life He and his mechanical assistants will do anything to keep things the way they are Do people have better things to do than worry about the forests, who's gonna take care of the vegetation for future generations, is it not too late to change things on Earth? It's true nobody cares if there's nothing left including war, disease, poverty much less everybody be the same The film has its pre-Star Wars feel to it from the model space stations to the intricate-detailed sets to the robot mechanics but also the closeted vibe of 'Alien' Human ingenuity and space paranoia blend together, isolation can sneak up on someone who's passionate about continuing the hard work Dern is a terrific solo lead and I love those little adorable drone robots Yes some viewers will be bored with the second half with Dern just moseying around by himself and this doesn't take full advantage of its ambitious themes But he's good at being a man dedicated to his purpose when it almost seems fully hopeless on this particular sci-fi journey The songs in this are beautiful and fully of tragic grace featuring intimate character work with a melancholic enough mood Very thoughtful and somber Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review WP S I've seen this movie many many times …it was way ahead of its time and Bruce Dern was probably the best he's ever been acting wise for this roll. Not only are effects amazingly well done for 1971 -1972 when it was shot, it's the story line that gets you in the end. This comes from a kinder gentler time in which a movie was allowed to progress and develop to fruition with you and your intellect. This movie was a big part of me in 1972 I was 9 and I've watched it through most of my life at different intervals. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/04/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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