Soylent Green

The evolution of sci-fi from whiz-bang space operas to eco-spiritual odysseys and back again is a fascinating bit of cinematic history. But Kubrick’s 2001 wasn’t created in a vacuum; sci-fi authors themselves had evolved from futuristic prognostication to a more inward, cosmic exploration. Too deep for you? Well, it was a pretty short run until Star Wars put everything back on track. But it left audiences with more than a few socioeconomic warnings to enjoy like 1973's Soylent Green.

Based on Harry Harrison’s dystopian detective novel entitled Make Room! Make Room!, the film completes Charlton Heston’s unofficial science-fiction trifecta. He plays Thorn, a cop barely scraping by in a world on the brink of ecological collapse. While Thorn handles the legwork involving the murder of a high-profile executive, his researcher, Sol Roth, (Edward G. Robinson) uncovers a conspiracy involving the latest batch of synthetic food, Soylent Green. Living off the scraps of the one-percenters, Thorn must decide whether to bite the hand that feeds him...or announce his shocking discovery to the world.

Shot on claustrophobic sets packed with raggedy extras and directed with an almost movie-of-the-week anti-style by Richard Fleischer, Soylent Green isn’t entirely convincing by modern standards. But everyone involved approaches the material with integrity, particularly Robinson who, in his final role, goes out with a dignified, scene-stealing performance. Heston’s incomparable swagger is a perfect fit for this misogynistic future-world in which women are “furniture” that come standard with every luxury apartment.

Harrison’s lecture on overpopulation, climate change and economic disparity hasn’t aged a day, besides that Schoolhouse Rock montage intro. The film’s multi-ethnic representation - remember, this was the height of the Blaxploitation era - works in its favor to create a realistic urban environment out of what is obviously the MGM backlot. There’s something beautifully mournful about the film’s message and its own place in cinematic history as an outlier in a genre that gave up thoughtful speculation for ray guns and lightsabers all too soon.

Available in Blu-ray and 4K UHD in a stellar-looking new limited edition from Arrow Films, the brand-new restoration from the original negative is one of those presentations that “wows” you right out of the gate. The extras are mostly ported over from the DVD era, including interviews with Heston and Fleisher at the BFI, a pair of vintage featurettes, commentary tracks, trailers and stills. But there’s also a new commentary track with film historian Michael Brooke, collector’s booklet and reversible artwork.