Lautlos im Weltraum

When I first saw Trumbull's saga 33 years ago, it was indeed the most advanced special effects movie that followed 2001, even though it did not reach the same technical level. The film has it's flaws only because it was an experiment; make a movie for under a million dollars and do it in 32 days. What was done is a miracle considering this much.

It was visually more advanced in fact than other films that came after until Star Wars. So 2001 was the father of Silent Running and Silent Running was the father of upstart Star Wars, this by virtue of the fact that Douglas Trumbell worked on 2001 and then Silent Running and then John Dykstra who worked on Silent Running went on to Star Wars.

For me at least this is the importance of the film as a filmaking milestone in terms of film history and for those who want to know this history it is worth viewing.

The story is compelling enough to hold the viewer. At first Dern's character seemed over the top but decades later I believe that it's in fact right on.

All of your other reviews are wonderful but I have one terrible confession to make:

I am the only human being left alive on the Earth that still likes Joan Baez.

Bruce Dern plays Freeman Lowell, a botanist and astronaut assigned to a spaceship that has the last of Earth's forests in enclosed domes attached to its exteriors. When the order comes from Earth to destroy the domes, and return to Earth, Freeman's fellow crewmen are ecstatic, but he is enraged at the order, thinking it wrongheaded and stupid, so he sets out to ignore the order, and save the domes, even if that means he has to take extreme measures with his crew mates...

Sobering, thoughtful, well acted and directed(by Douglas Trumbull) ecological science fiction tale is really an allegory about humanity's treatment of nature, and what would happen if it was taken to its logical outcome. Though the extreme situation presented here is unlikely(I sincerely hope!) this film works because of its absolute sincerity, with three robots named Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who will play a key role by the film's deeply moving ending, which may bring a tear(s) to the eye.

This film doesn't hit you over the head with million-dollar special effects. It doesn't contain action scenes every two seconds for the easily distracted. It just rips your heart out, and makes you think long after the movie is over. It is about isolation, alienation, lost causes, and the inevitable future. In short, it is a genuine science fiction film, not a gunfight covered with techno-glitz and special effects calling itself science fiction. Star Wars is great science fantasy, but the essence of science fiction is about what could happen, and is happening, and by the end of the film we have the disturbing feeling that it is a prediction of the future that will happen without intervention.

The feelings of sadness and hope this film evokes are inextricably linked in this film, right up until the end. If you rent this movie, you will be haunted by its images long after you have forgotten other films.

Ten out of ten stars; from the writing, directing and acting, right down to the three robot drones (Huey, Dewey and Louie), there is nothing to fault with in this film.

Imagine a future where Earths forests are gone, and the only greenery left floats around in giant domes in space. Thats the world Silent Running drops you into.

Bruce Dern plays Freeman Lowell a guy tasked with taking care of these last living forests and when the order comes to destroy them, he loses it and i mean really loses it. Sure its a bit slow at times, and you might laugh at some of the dated visuals but theres something heartfelt about it. Those little robots Huey Louie and Dewey are great. Long before the likes of the Star Wars movies and WALL-E they gave mechanical sidekicks humanlike mischief and puppy-dog eyes.

Whats wild is that legendary filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu once called this "the best American film ever made." It might not hit the same for everyone, but there's something about it that leaves a mark. If youre into oldschool scifi give it a shot.

Edit: I had to add that i love the general aesthetics of the retro 60/70s scifi style.

Originally having seen this film years back, all I could remember were a few squatty little robots, some kind of personal crusade, and alot of tears from Bruce Dern. Now, after a few years of having the film in my collection, I'm relieved to say that I recall (know) alot more about the underlying storyline therein. Silent Running is by no means a great science fiction film; it is instead a simplistic story about one man's refusal to destroy that which is dear to his heart, against all odds. What makes this film stand out from others, however, is a combination of great special effects (Trumbull was, of course, mentored by Stanley Kubrick on the set of 2001), a good message and... All of that emotion from Bruce Dern. I must admit that, even after all these years, those tearful moments when Dern breaks down stick in my imagination. Looking for a fabulous, laser blastin', grostesque alien, hyperspace shoot 'em up? Then don't rent Silent Running. However, if you are in the mood for a light, (not too preachy) thoughtful, sci-fi tale of a lonely, one-way journey, check this one out.