Silent Running

It may seem like a quite boring movie because there isn't really much happening, which would be a bit faster. On the other hand, it is necessary to realize that this movie definitely has something to say and it has the great Bruce Dern in the lead role, who shows his mastery here. What will enchant you though, is the captivating effects and brilliantly conceived technology, which are simply amazing for the year 1972. It's not "2001: A Space Odyssey", but in this regard, it will still dazzle you. (05/09/2014)

It's surprising that the renowned visual effects specialist Douglas Trumbull (Space Odyssey, the first Star Trek film) chose such an intimate, melancholic and minimalist film that doesn't rely on VFX for his directorial debut. A forgotten sci-fi film about a gardener who tries to save the space greenhouses containing Earth's last greenery, it may strike some as naive environmental agitprop and others as a warning against eco-terrorists, but it’s actually more morally complex. The protagonist cares for Earth's last greenery at great moral and personal cost, but he also upsets the balance of his own ecosystem with his reckless behaviour (when he accidentally knocks down and damages one of the little robots in his rover). Bruce Dern is, for most of the time, the only actor in the film who can pull it off with ease on his own. The eye-catching production design is certainly worth mentioning, and has clearly influenced a number of more recent, better known sci-fi films. (22/03/2004)