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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

At a time (2023) in which we find ourselves at odds with our own over-production and destruction of our natural environments, a movie such as this strikes at the (slightly goofy yet not un-serious) emotion of protecting what is left of mother nature, and if it were in our hands to do so, would we not kill to preserve life itself ?

This was bad. Good ideas, but badly driven. Never goes deep enough. Bad actor. Far from being exploited adequately. Could have been good, in the proper hands. Oh, by the way, yes, plants need sunlight to stay alive.

Great eco sci fi movie with space hippy bruce dern at his best . Good special effects and 3 great droids

I can see why people would enjoy the plot. It is unique and the protagonist has moments where you question his allegiances. I think the movie was slow and some parts dragged on. I think this movie is worth a watch, but not rewatchable in my mind. One person I know puts this movie in his top 10 all time. I guess it depends, it's all preference after all.

It's soo unfortunate. This has an amazing story, with timely themes that should pack a punch, but sadly it's just a dull slog that feels like it drags out much longer than it actually does. Bruce Dern works his ass off to deliver something solid, but it just bored me to tears.

If this movie wasn’t so true to where we are heading and Bruce Dern’s character wasn’t such a dimmed tormented character and a Beautiful film before it’s time. Tragic. Needs a remake.

In the grand scheme of future space environmentalist movies, this one just isn't very exciting, but at least the visual effects are on point.

6/10 has not aged well

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

A wonderfully moving scifi classic which looks incredible for its tiny budget

Seen this many times, if you haven't then think about what was happening at the time it was made during the first real eco movements of the late 60s and takes the subject seriously like many sci fi movies of the time, of the decay of humanity and the environment. Its production values are as good as sci fi movies made ten years later and the first to bring us droid characters.

Sure the three others on the ship are jerks, but Dern is a damn unlikable person too. He's a whiny entitled brat that thinks his passion is more important than the three lives he takes. Once those guys die, it's just watching a psychotic grasp desperately at straws… But no matter to someone like me, we already know Dern's character sucks. Big problem: yes I want the doomed environment saved. Big picture: taking lives and my own gets the same result - a doomed environment. Final analysis: I'm an idiot and could still be alive to fight another day. I'd like to say this is an exercise in dumb, but this dumb was Olympian strong from the first five minutes.

This was one of the films that I remember fondly as a child. Great visuals and good performances. From what I remember of course, and I say that because without giving away the ending, it pretty much broke my heart, and I remember sobbing so hard afterwards it gave me a really sore throat. I haven't seen it since through fear that it would do the same to me as an adult. I think those highly compassionate people who have seen it will know what I mean.

I've loved this movie since I was a kid.