Science fiction films have been around almost since the birth of the medium. They've undergone many changes since Georges Méliès gave us A Trip to the Moon, though, and one of the most important people behind their evolution is Douglas Trumbull. From the '50s through the late '60s, sci-fi was a staple of drive-in theaters and z-grade movie talent, however, in 1968 Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey changed people's opinions about what science fiction could be. While Kubrick gets the cast majority of the kudos for that breakthrough, much of the realism that made 2001 so memorable was due to the advanced visual effects, handled in part by Trumbull. A couple of years later, Trumbull was called in to produce the effects for The Andromeda Strain, another forward thinking sci-fi classic. However, it wasn't until his directorial debut, Silent Running, that he was able to really show what he was capable of.

Silent Running is perhaps the hippie-dippiest sci-fi thriller ever made. We open in a not too distant future in which all plant life has become extinct from the Earth. As a result, there are space-bound biological preservation domes growing plants until such a time as the Earth's surface is rehabilitated and ready for re-population. Aboard one of these ships as the shepherd of a rainforest environment is Bruce Dern's Freeman Lowell. One day the order comes down from on high that the mission to to be axed and all of the domes destroyed, Lowell takes matters into his own hands to ensure the survival of the plants with disastrous results. Trumbull's message about ecological preservation was anything but subtle, however, the message isn't the only thing holding this film together.

For the last half of the film, we are left with only Freeman Lowell and a couple of maintenance drones for company. If Dern's performance isn't up to par, this could be a very long film.  However, Bruce Dern is picture perfect as the soft-spoken Lowell, a man with a mission to complete and a deep affection for life in all of its forms, unless that form wants to destroy all hope for plant life on Earth. It is clear that Trumbull and Dern were completely on the same page, Freeman Lowell is no monster, but he also understands that sacrifices must be made for the greater good sometimes.

If one of the keys to successful special effects is them not being noticeable, Silent Running's effects are incredible. Every shot from this film gives us some look into the world of the future without jabbing us in the eyes with flashing lights and unsubtle design. Silent Running's effects work is practical and mind-blowing at the same time. Everything looks right and looks like it belongs. The most obvious of the effects are the maintenance drones who accompany Lowell on his mission, Huey and Dewey, and even they don't tip their hand or try to be too flashy. It would be easy to rely on effects as amazing as those in Silent Running to keep the audience's attention, but Trumbull doesn't do that, he uses the effects to create the world in which a very human story can take place. 

This was my first viewing of Silent Running, and I can say that I'm definitely a fan.  The film is only ninety minutes long without an ounce of fat in that time. Bruce Dern's performance along with his co-stars (and drones) appearances make for a compelling story, and one where you never quite know what you'll see next. The end result is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that does everything that Avatar does in half the time and with only four people in the cast. Amazing stuff.

The Disc:

Master of Cinema's limited edition Blu-ray of Silent Running is a thing of beauty. This film looks stunning in high definition. Often older films with optical special effects can look a bit dodgy on Blu-ray as their flaws and the shortcomings of their time tend to show more seams in HD, but Silent Running was so perfectly crafted at the time of its release that it still looks amazing. The image is beautiful and shows natural looking grain as well as vibrant color at every opportunity. The mono audio mix is very crisp and clear with no defects, also.

The extras on this Blu-ray largely mimic those on Image's OOP DVD from a few years ago.  There is a Dern/Trumbull commentary which is very interesting to listen to as both participants share very fond memories of the project.  There is also a vintage documentary on the making of Silent Running, which is very interesting as a contemporary look at the film.  In addition, there are also three interviews, two with Trumbull and one with Dern, which total out to around an hour.  With those extras along, there are about three and a half hours of bonus material, including the commentary.  What the Image disc didn't have was the amazing forty page booklet that Masters of Cinema have put in with this package. As usual, the booklet is packed with valuable information and a page-turner for sure.

Master of Cinema have done it again, proving that they are at least on par with The Criterion Collection when it comes to outstanding home video releases. This Masters of Cinema disc is locked to Region B, but if you can play it, do yourself a favor and pick this one up!