Silent Running (1972)

After creating many of the innovative special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Douglas Trumbull tried his hand at directing, and 1971's Silent Running marked an impressive debut. (In addition to creating the visual effects for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and directing 1983's Brainstorm, Trumbull later turned to the creation of high-tech cinematic amusement park rides.) One of the best science fiction films of the 1970s, Silent Running stars Bruce Dern as Freeman Lowell, a nature-loving crewmember aboard the Valley Forge, a gigantic spaceship in a small fleet that carries the last surviving forests of the Earth, which has fallen victim to overpopulation and ecological neglect.

Freeman's name reflects his nonconformist philosophy, which runs counter to the prevailing recklessness of his three ill-fated crewmates, who are eager to jettison their precious payload and return to the bleakness of Earth. Before they can sabotage the forests, Freeman does what he must, and spends the remainder of his mission with three robotic "drones" as his only companions, struggling to maintain his sanity in the vastness of space. Dern is superb in this memorable role, representing the lost soul of humankind as well as the back-to-nature youth movement of the 1960s and the pre-Watergate era. (Appropriately, Joan Baez sings the film's theme song.) A rare science fiction film that combines bold adventure with passionate social conscience, Silent Running will remain relevant as long as the Earth is threatened by the ravages of human carelessness. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

A Doug Trumbull classic

Made by fx master Douglas Trumbull after 2001, this actually is a very moving plea for the cause of conservation. An earth so polluted that the last forests are put on great space ships like the Valley Forge to roam the outer edges of the solar system, awaiting the call to return home. Instead the reverse order is given. Bruce Dern kills his companions to prevent them from carrying out the order. Folk score by Joan Biaz November 5, 2008

Serious Message, Slow Movie

Not bad Sci-Fi for the 1970's, "Silent Running" is a movie with an environmental message. Here are my observations:

Pros:
Good Sci-Fi Plot
Good Message
Good Special Effects

Cons:
Bad Acting
Moves Very Slowly

This could have been a very good movie if the acting was up to the message! Only recommended for Sci-Fi or Environmental fanatics.
August 24, 2008

Great Sci Fi, still relevant today.

I was surprised at the sophistication of the special effects. This will probably remain a sci-fi classic about one man's attempt to preserve reproductions in space of earth's forest environments. July 19, 2008

on dvd

if you love this movie then you will appreciate that is is now on DVD. sort of weird but then it always was. June 21, 2008

The worst movie period.

The worst movie, very slow with a poor acting. Unless your a greenpeace nut don't bother.......

May 1, 2008

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