Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie Review

Loud and clear but also quiet and vague.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 10, 2015

The hot-button topic of "climate change," which was once thought of as a destructive cooling trend which has now morphed into a would-be destructive warming trend, didn't just come out of nowhere or begin with An Inconvenient Truth but has been a topic of consideration, consternation, and conflict for decades now (best to save the commentary for the political forums out there on the web). "Ecological Disaster" movies emerged out of the growing intensity of the "climate change" dialogue and produced films with environmental themes such as The Day After Tomorrow and Avatar and was even a driving-force plot-point in Lost in Space. But even before the warming warning led to a trend of modern movies centered on the drastic consequences of environmental devolution and destruction, there were others, just as demonstrative, just as unabashedly pro-environment. Director Douglas Trumbull's (Brainstorm) 1972 film Silent Running portrayed a vision of a future where plant life on Earth has been destroyed, saved only in transparent domes attached to starships roaming the solar system. The film focuses on one man's quest to save what's left of nature, no matter the price he, or others, must pay. Though not as flashy as The Day After Tomorrow nor as large-in-scope as Avatar, it remains arguably the quintessential "environment" movie even as it all but makes extreme-end external caricatures out of everyone involved, but in doing so opens the door to an interestingly complex inner character dynamic and a finale with existential overtones.

Don't mess with my nature.

Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) lives aboard the American Airlines-sponsored Valley Forge, a massive spacecraft that, along with several others like it, has been converted to carry the last remnants of Earth's flora and fauna. He cares deeply for the artificial environments and does everything in his power to maintain them and see them flourish, even when it places him in conflict with his fellow shipmates, three men who see him as a loon and regularly desecrate the delicate environment by running vehicles through flowerbeds. When orders come down from on high that the bio-domes are to be jettisoned and destroyed with nuclear weapons, Freeman rebels, resulting in the death of his shipmates and leaving him alone with only several reprogrammable droids to do what he must to preserve the final remaining examples of Earth's natural plant and animal life.

Silent Running is built around an unbridled, unabashed message on environmental preservation, and at any cost at that, even if it means murder and other, even more drastic, measures which the character must undertake at film's end. That's going to make it a turn-off for some right off the bat, that deliberately or otherwise the movie's protagonist champions idealism and the environment over human life. Is Freeman then a hero for standing tall, or is he a villain for choosing one form of life over another? The film doesn't overtly grapple with that question, though it does subtly -- sometimes more, sometimes less -- explore his sanity in the decision making process and challenges the audience not so much to accept what he's done at face value but understand what drives him. Certainly one can praise him for his idealism, for standing up for his beliefs and defending that which he deems necessary of his protection through a first act that sees him ridiculed for separating himself from the pack mentality. But there's a fine line between idealism and fanaticism and not such a fine line between absolute right and absolute wrong. Freeman tightropes the former (and sways heavily towards fanaticism) and oversteps the latter to start the second act. Are these the workings of a sane man, a man whose hand has been forced by placing him -- someone so concerned with preservation and so eager and ready to champion preservation -- in one of the only areas of natural wonder that remain? He's essentially forced between a rock and hard place that, over time, almost necessarily accentuates his idealism above all other thought processes and faculties. He's essentially a shepherd attending to his flock and willing to defend it any cost, but as the film moves forward to its conclusion, his defense becomes something else entirely that puts into perspective a number of existential questions on the value of life and a paradigm shift in the relationship between man and nature. To explore further would be to spoil the larger story and its endgame in particular, but suffice it to say that even with its outward oversimplifications and drastic examples of idealism and extremism, there's a fascinatingly deep under-layer that challenges the audience to not accept the actions but explore their consequences in a new light.

Bruce Dern is expectedly terrific in the lead, playing the part with just enough of an offbeat edge and accentuating the separation between himself and his cremates and the intimacy he shares with the plant and animal life in the dome that his actions don't come unexpectedly or without at least some sort of justification on his end. There's a certain wide-eyed, wild-haired unbalance to the character, an extreme single-mindedness that doesn't ease the burden of the murders -- not on the audience, anyway -- but within his essence, giving him, essentially, a convoluted out that champions the "greater good" over the lives of his shipmates, as callous, uncaring, and insensitive as they may be. Dern finds that balance between awkwardness, extremism, dedication, distance, and unbalance very well, never quite giving the audience a full-picture portrait of who he is beyond his obsession, or whether there's even anything there or not. Even in his interactions with the drones, whom he names and reprograms to, among other things, play poker, there's not a very tangible sense of self because he alone is reflected in the robots which can only do what he wants them to do rather than exist in a state of free will by which they might have joined him in his quest or chosen to behave as his deceased shipmates. Dern's is a fascinating character of tremendous outward simplicity and drive and inward haziness whose actions are at once both admirable (dedication to a cause) and reprehensible (taking that dedication too far). And therein lies the movie's real prize, not so much its ecological overtones but rather its examination of man living in relative isolation and surrounded only by that which he loves most and those who share no love for that which he treasures.

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Silent Running arrives on Blu-ray with a good, though not great, 1080p transfer. The image is littered with a fairly steady barrage of light specks and debris that detract from, but don't ruin, the viewing experience. Grain is fairly thick. Details are largely impressive outside of a few softer shots scattered throughout. Image clarity reveals nice skin textures, the lines and patches on the crew jumpsuits, various examples of vegetation in the dome, and the good raw definition seen on the drones in all of their clunky but somewhat complex and diverse exteriors. Colors aren't rich or vibrant but do offer a good foundational appearance, particularly Freeman's blue jumpsuit or red, white, and blue poker chips. Black levels often look a little pale and fatigued, but flesh tones are consistently accurate. There appears to be no egregious examples of aliasing, blockiness, or other unwanted artifacts. This isn't the full-on restoration fans will want, but it's a completely serviceable catalogue release that gets a good bit of mileage out of an older transfer.

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Silent Running's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack offers good baseline definition but not much more. There's a harsh edge to music, playing with a scratchy and somewhat stale definition that's also cramped through the middle without any tangible range further on out to the sides. Basic sound effects -- that retro-future equipment that beeps and churns, the electric vehicles Freeman's shipmates race around in -- also lack any sort of true precision sonic detailing, offering a fair baseline replication of the sound but failing to offer a more realistically transparent, wide, and immersive sensation. Dialogue is at least largely clear and focused without much in the way of the crunchiness that defines other part of this listening experience.

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Silent Running contains several extras, all of which must be accessed via the "pop-up" menu in-film; no "top menu" option is available.

• The Making of Silent Running (480i, 4x3, 49:15): A detailed look at shooting on the real Valley Forge after her decommission, budget, the process of the shoot, story and themes, the robotic characters, set construction, the photographic process, cast and performances, crafting specific scenes, model work, the environment-centric plot, and music.
• Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (480i, 4x3/window box, 30:09): The director discusses project's origins, its evolution, his work history, the title, the picture's budget, casting, the drones, working on the real Valley Forge, the dome environment, the shooting process and working within budget and schedule, visual effects, music, and the film's legacy.
• A Conversation with Bruce Dern (480i, 4x3/window box, 10:57): The actor discusses his career prior to the role as Freeman Lowell, the film's visual effects, the film's story and themes, the film's legacy, and more.
• Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (480i, 4x3, 5:52): The director discusses the movie industry at the time of Silent Running, his ideas for the medium, and his work on the Back to the Future ride.
• Theatrical Trailer (480i, 4x3, 2:49).
• Audio Commentary: Director Douglas Trumbull and Star Bruce Dern discuss the film in a track recorded in the year 2000. Discussions include the picture's budget, shooting schedule, casting and performances, costumes and sets, anecdotes from the set, visual effects, the drones, characterization, and much more. It's fairly technical in nature but at the same time accessible.

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Silent Running is a film rich in opportunity for study in a number of fields. It's a troublesome movie on the surface, meaning not its retro-futrue stylings and, by today's standards, clumsy visuals and cadence, but the contrast between its broad-stroke narrative and external characterization and its significantly more complex inner workings. It's not a movie for everybody -- there's more than enough here to turn away a sizable chunk of potential viewers -- but those interested in a fascinating character study set against an environmental backdrop have found their film. Universal's Blu-ray release of Silent Running features good video, troubled audio, and a nice selection of old supplements. Recommended.