Soylent Green (1973)

September 09, 2009

DVD, Seattle, WA

** / ****

By Scott Muoio

The Charlton Heston science-fiction sneer fest Soylent Green is a silly, sloppy, inconsistent take on future dystopia with a decidedly early ‘70s vibe. Struggling between odd tangential vignettes and a laborious march to an “a-ha” climax, and without the ability to develop any of its characters beyond the surface, Soylent Green is a plodding Cliff’s Notes sci-fi misstep for genre enthusiasts only.

The plot involves a disgruntled New York City cop (Charlton Heston) in the year 2022 investigating the murder of a Soylent Corporation executive on the eve of their new product launch: Soylent green. The “green” in question is a cheap new food source that may be capable of improving both the city’s immense famine and over-population epidemics in one fell swoop.

While the film’s overarching idea is clever and its numerous vignettes explore interesting tangential problems expectant of overpopulation, the film’s execution is gravely lacking. The movie’s obvious reverence for its source material (the 1966 Harry Harrison novel, Make Room! Make Room!) backfires as the vignettes bog down the proceedings. The vignettes, which include subservient women referred to as “furniture,” obsessions with “real” food, and some extremely odd detective protocol, might have been interesting reads in the larger context of this future world but they don’t gel in an hour and a half film that takes them for granted. Indeed, much of film’s attitude on these oddities is either horribly glossed over or completely early ‘70s sexist, which, I can’t be sure.

Worse, budgetary limitations, creative inadequacies, or both lead to diminished visual impacts which greatly hinder a film that relies on maximum dread for full dystopian effect. By the time the climax arrives and detective Thorn learns “the truth,” it is obvious that the build up hasn’t provided enough meaning to make the reveal resonate. The result is an overall film packed with interesting though half-baked ideas delivered in a flimsy, unrealistic manner. It is an unfortunate result for a synopsis that still has great potential even though it has already been done much better in numerous other films.

One final note of caution: Those who remember Soylent Green as a classic science-fiction masterpiece may not want to revisit this film in modern times; the few good moments certainly won’t be enough to satisfy an expectation guaranteed to be disappointed.

Director: Richard Fleischer

Producer: Walter Seltzer, Russell Thacher

Writer: (Novel) Harry Harrision, (Screenplay) Stanley R. Greenberg

Starring: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G. Robinson

Original Music: Fred Morrow

Cinematographer: Richard H. Kline
Editor: Samuel E. Beetley

Copyright 2009, Scott Muoio and Undependent Media. You may link to this review but may not reproduce it in full for your own means.