Soylent Green - 1973
December 13, 2007 - 8:06 pm - Posted by Administrator
Soylent Green stars Charlton Heston in another of his 1970’s sci-fi roles. Many people are familiar with this movie via the well-known parody done by Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live, and Soylent Green is frequently the butt of many jokes by those who would label it low-budget sci-fi schlock.
OK, so maybe it is low-budget sci-fi schlock, but worthy of a look nonetheless. The world of Soylent Green is New York in 2022. The world is hopelessly overpopulated, supplies are short, and food is rationed. Fresh food is nearly non-existent, and millions survive on processed government surplus foods known as “Soylent”. Soylent Green is the newest variety and hyped as the answer to mankind’s hunger.
Much like one of Heston’s other starring sci-fi vehicles, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green has a surprise ending (which will be spoiled for you if you’ve seen the aforementioned skit from SNL with Phil Hartman, so if you haven’t seen it, try to avoid it until you watch Soylent Green).
Being a sci-fi movie of the seventies, Soylent Green suffers from the same malady as many other flicks of the era - nothing much happens. But the movie is worth a view if for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with one of the most persistent science fiction themes - that of overpopulation and the Earth’s surrender of every natural resource to a ravenous human race.
** Two Stars
Posted in 1973, Environmental Disaster, Overpopulation, Surprise Ending, The Future, Two Star Rating | No Comments »
