Its odd watching this movie since you know what's going on before the protaganist, but despite the lack of suspense I still thought it was excellent and kept waiting for someone to say those immortal words.
A rather rambling story hitting all the obligatory sex, gunfight, sob-story, naked in the shower and deathbed scenes. Unfortunately, little of that tells the story of soylent green and what it is or how it came to be. I feel there is a really great story here somewhere but it never got told. The abrupt ending with the
bloody hand outstretched in the air in some sort of power gesture was supposed to be a symbol of the destitute never giving up the fight.
But to me it just seemed forced and not very convincing. Although this movie is worth watching for Edward G. Robinson's performance alone, don't expect to be in suspense over the plot.
Soylent Green has one of the best-known twist endings in film history, so... does that lessen its power? I don't think so, because while everyone remembers the punch line, there's a lot more to this dystopian flick. There's a lot of world-building, for example, and I especially appreciated how the over-population was presented, going so far as to stage a fight right on top of people. The have-nots are huddling together on staircases, the middle class might be sharing cramped apartments, and the rich, well, the rich have so much space they can hire "furniture", companions who see to their every need, from the throng of people who just want to get out of the crowd. Edward G. Robinson, in his 101st and final role is touching as an old man who remembers the world as it was, and the film doesn't get any better than the scene where he shares a meal with Charlton Heston who's been raised on energy crackers. And there's a strong exploitation vibe coming from the cop story, from the grisly murder to the corrupt cops to the live-in prostitutes lounging around (including Leigh Taylor-Young looking like Lauren Ambrose 1.0 to me). I quite like the aesthetic and how it was adapted to a near-future that thematically hasn't passed its due date yet. So yeah, Soylent Green still has power. We have two years to prepare for it...
I find a lot of these 70s sci-fi films like to do world-building and create atmosphere by just portraying everyday life in their future societies, which is the complete opposite of modern sci-fi films that try to inspire awe and amazement with special effects and action. That said, Soylent Green could definitely be a lot more tightly written and a lot less boring at times, but it does effectively create a melancholic atmosphere and a sense of doom for its future society.
Re-watching this in 2022, the year the story takes place, turned out to be quite interesting:
Face masks, curfews, heat waves, supply shortages, hot showers being considered luxurious, paying 300 bucks for groceries, people eating soy all the time ...
Some things hit closer to home much more than when I last saw it about fifteen years ago.
Zzzz. I could not believe how boring this movie was. It literally put me to sleep 5-6 times. Nice performance by Edward G. Robinson, practically on his death bed, but it's wasted on a boring meandering story that takes too long to get where everyone knows it's going.
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steamRobot
Its odd watching this movie since you know what's going on before the protaganist, but despite the lack of suspense I still thought it was excellent and kept waiting for someone to say those immortal words.ClassicLady
A rather rambling story hitting all the obligatory sex, gunfight, sob-story, naked in the shower and deathbed scenes. Unfortunately, little of that tells the story of soylent green and what it is or how it came to be. I feel there is a really great story here somewhere but it never got told. The abrupt ending with theSiskoid
Soylent Green has one of the best-known twist endings in film history, so... does that lessen its power? I don't think so, because while everyone remembers the punch line, there's a lot more to this dystopian flick. There's a lot of world-building, for example, and I especially appreciated how the over-population was presented, going so far as to stage a fight right on top of people. The have-nots are huddling together on staircases, the middle class might be sharing cramped apartments, and the rich, well, the rich have so much space they can hire "furniture", companions who see to their every need, from the throng of people who just want to get out of the crowd. Edward G. Robinson, in his 101st and final role is touching as an old man who remembers the world as it was, and the film doesn't get any better than the scene where he shares a meal with Charlton Heston who's been raised on energy crackers. And there's a strong exploitation vibe coming from the cop story, from the grisly murder to the corrupt cops to the live-in prostitutes lounging around (including Leigh Taylor-Young looking like Lauren Ambrose 1.0 to me). I quite like the aesthetic and how it was adapted to a near-future that thematically hasn't passed its due date yet. So yeah, Soylent Green still has power. We have two years to prepare for it...Xondar
This movie holds up surprisingly well. Don't believe those who claim it's slow, meandering, or boring. Soylent Green is none of those things.few visible scars
Alergy alert. Warning, Soylent Green may contain added sheets.(They don't seem to seperate them out)
ChrisReynolds
I find a lot of these 70s sci-fi films like to do world-building and create atmosphere by just portraying everyday life in their future societies, which is the complete opposite of modern sci-fi films that try to inspire awe and amazement with special effects and action. That said, Soylent Green could definitely be a lot more tightly written and a lot less boring at times, but it does effectively create a melancholic atmosphere and a sense of doom for its future society.HunterAdams
Re-watching this in 2022, the year the story takes place, turned out to be quite interesting:Face masks, curfews, heat waves, supply shortages, hot showers being considered luxurious, paying 300 bucks for groceries, people eating soy all the time ...
Some things hit closer to home much more than when I last saw it about fifteen years ago.
patato
all the time I was thinking in blade runnerMaraku11
This is a real fun movie to watch with a group of friends.Mr DeMille
IT'S PEOPLE!!!caley
Zzzz. I could not believe how boring this movie was. It literally put me to sleep 5-6 times. Nice performance by Edward G. Robinson, practically on his death bed, but it's wasted on a boring meandering story that takes too long to get where everyone knows it's going.