The Thin Red Line

Though I didn't make popcorn, I otherwise followed through on my 'chilling watching films' day off. Got through two films today, the first one being a beast. The Thin Red Line was perhaps the most famous film I'd never seen, mostly due to its epic length. I was told that while it's a war film, Terrence Malick often preferred to film the tall grass in favour of the men hiding inside the tall grass. I gritted my teeth ready to maybe hate this film but I actually found myself rolling with its pace and sense of place. The contrast between mother nature and the dogs of war offered not only flowery imagery but also some food for thought. Battle sequences were also engaging, though only because of their scale, not because I was invested in any individual characters. The film teeters frequently into overindulgence territory, the dialogue in particular is occasionally over-embellished but you can tell its heart is in the right place so it gets a free pass from me. A good, occasionally great war film that is admittedly a bit too long but provides enough to mentally chew on to sustain a watch.

Silent Running was the second film of the day. The premise is dynamite: A group of astronauts guarding Earth's last remaining forests within space-travelling biodomes are told to purge them. One team member goes rouge in an attempt to save the wildlife. This all happens in the first 20 minutes which is great, but then the film just kinda meanders around, not really knowing what to do to fill its runtime. Great robots though! Huey and Dewy are up there with C3PO and R2D2 in terms of best practical effect sci-fi companions. Though it didn't manage to hold my interest long term, the production design has a distinct 70's charm that I couldn't get enough of. The soundtrack also needed more theremins, but that's just my opinion...