I've referred to several classic science fiction films as "the thinking man's science fiction film", and while this is certainly one of those, it's also the quiet man's science fiction films. It's obvious that Bruce Dern here would not be a hero on earth, but the simple values that his character has over his love for nature is truly worth applauding him for. What's questionable is his fury over fellow astronauts who continuously defy him by driving around on little space vehicles, crushing the foliage and frightening the garden type animals who get to live among the flora and fauna, the flowers and leafy greens. It's a shocking turn of events from a seemingly peaceful man, but when he finds out that their huge space city (population four) is being sent back to a now plant free earth, he can't help but go ballistic.
While Cliff Potts and the other two men only have limited screen time, it's anti-establishment hero Dern who dominates the film with long scenes of doing nothing but talking to either himself or the teeny tiny robots who parade around the ship. They would get off the path automatically if the other men were zooming down the spaceship roads, but with Dern, they seem to individually gain personalities. The destruction of one of them truly is sad. There really is nothing as far as special effects are concerned, even though director Douglas Trumball was the special effects man on "2001". The mixture of sweetness and cynicism is an interesting combination, and the songs by Joan Baez really thought provoking.
While Cliff Potts and the other two men only have limited screen time, it's anti-establishment hero Dern who dominates the film with long scenes of doing nothing but talking to either himself or the teeny tiny robots who parade around the ship. They would get off the path automatically if the other men were zooming down the spaceship roads, but with Dern, they seem to individually gain personalities. The destruction of one of them truly is sad. There really is nothing as far as special effects are concerned, even though director Douglas Trumball was the special effects man on "2001". The mixture of sweetness and cynicism is an interesting combination, and the songs by Joan Baez really thought provoking.