It’s the United States of the 2020s. Climate change has created a perpetual heat wave, pollution has contaminated the air, and overpopulation combined with the consolidation of wealth and power in the hands of a select and self-interested few has resulted in major cities becoming seas of human bodies with no space and barely any resources to live. The elite can still access clean water and fresh food, but they live under guard in isolated palatial homes with women who are deprived of autonomy. The rest eat food increasingly processed and surely riddled with pathogens, and intellect and education has been eradicated for the masses, with only the elderly recalling the value of reading and academia.
So I thought: Why not watch an old favorite film instead of focusing on the real world like this? Thanks to Arrow Video, I can, through this new 4K UHD and Blu-ray release. “What is the secret of Soylent Green?” is the question asked of everyone that saw the trailer for this Charlton Heston-starring dystopian sci-fi classic way back in 1973 (concluding an apocalyptic “trilogy” for Heston that began with 1968’s Planet of the Apes and 1971’s The Omega Man). But can anyone in 2026 come to this film not knowing the crucial revelation upon which the entire plot relies? Maybe, since we’re now in such a fragmented era of media consumption, with people far less likely to watch the same things, not to mention that there’s even more of a tendency to ignore the old in favor of the new. If fresh eyes do fall on Soylent Green, they may just be surprised, and I don’t want to do anything to rob them of that experience. So believe it or not, no spoilers here; it may be a futile effort, but if anyone makes any obvious jokes or references in the comments below, at least it won’t be me.
I Think It’s Really Busted This Time
Charlton Heston called Soylent Green “the best B movie ever made,” but it’s so much more. At its most fundamental, the film is a noirish police procedural with a hard-bitten detective, a damsel in distress, and a global conspiracy that’s bigger than both of them. A board member of the Soylent corporation — supplier of processed food wafers like the new Soylent Green, made from plankton — named Simonson (Joseph Cotten in a very brief appearance) has been brutally murdered, and Robert Thorn (Heston) is assigned to crack the case. Police work is completely corrupt, however, so Thorn spends more time lifting luxuries from Simonson’s opulent pad and availing himself of the “furniture,” otherwise known as Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young) — one of the many women in this world whose life has been reduced to domestic imprisonment and sexual servitude in apartments occupied by their elite masters. With Simonson dead, Shirl will soon meet the new tenant that she’ll be required to serve; for now, at least, she has Thorn.
This is a relentlessly moist movie; to convey the oppressive levels of heat, the entire cast is drenched in stage sweat except when in the domains of the wealthy (and a certain elderly-centered facility late in the film). The movie is also largely drab and awash in beiges and grays, but the color palette pops when necessary with bright saturated colors that really shine on this new release, whether it’s a rare strawberry or a blue dress. It looks beautiful and rich, but with a grain that feels right for the period; I’m not sure if it was always there, but there’s an additional haze that looks particularly appropriate and oppressive whenever we’re outside in the heat, with a greenish tint that reminds us Soylent Green is omnipresent.
The movie is also a masterclass in world-building, beginning with a montage created by Charles Braverman (based on his 1968 short film, “American Time Capsule”). With bombastic music by Fred Myrow (whose scoring is kept minimal in the rest of the film), the rapid-fire depiction of the country’s industrial development and degradation sets the Soylent-laden stage. Opening scenes set in Thorn’s apartment juxtaposed with the home of the wealthy Simonson perfectly delineate the ways in which the two main tiers of society operate in this far-flung future of 2022, as well as the kinds of relationships that define their lives.
(And yes, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine drew on this concept for their two-part episode, “Past Tense,” and even referenced soylent in prop posters. And yes, the film’s co-star Brock Peters is Sisko’s dad on DS9. Moving on…)
We’ve Gotta Stop Them… Somehow
Despite being part of a deeply damaged system, there’s a nobility to Heston’s Thorn and a dedication to the truth that drives him to actually do his job. Much of that comes from his long-term father-son relationship with his “book,” Solomon Roth (Edward G. Robinson), an elderly former college professor and live-in research assistant who provides Thorn with crucial investigative support. Their bond provides the emotional core of the movie, no doubt at least partially informed by their previous work together in The Ten Commandments (1956) and the original makeup tests for Planet of the Apes, where Robinson played Zaius (he dropped out of the actual film for health reasons). Thorn’s relationship with Chief Hatcher (Brock Peters) is another great touch. Hatcher relies on his colleague and friend to regularly fix his watch, and Thorn tinkers away, thus letting us know he’s rather smart for this world too… but only to a point. When he finally admits he can no longer repair the watch, it’s symbolic of something much larger; there are some things that will be beyond his ability to fix.
The film features a solid supporting cast that all add so much to even the smallest roles, including former Rifleman Chuck Connors as bodyguard Tab, the mesmerizing Paula Kelly as Tab’s girlfriend (roommate?) Martha, and the unctuous Leonard Stone as the apartment manager/pimp, Charles. In particular, fellow Omega Man alum Lincoln Kilpatrick turns up as Paul, a priest with knowledge that’s eating him away from within, and he even gets to reference the title of the 1966 Harry Harrison novel that serves as this film’s inspiration, Make Room! Make Room! Celia Lovsky (Vulcan matriarch T’Pau from the Star Trek original series episode “Amok Time”) also appears as the leader of the Exchange, where Sol and other “books” meet to share sources and information. She gets to tee up the obligatory “is Chuck actually God” joke, and when Sol brings her a rare volume never seen by the Exchange before, her trembling hands reaching reverently for the cover of the book is so evocative of everything that’s been lost.
But in many ways, this is Robinson’s film. A scene in which he eats real food with such relish and then realizes how profoundly sad it is that they’ve come to this state is a study in expertly modulated acting. The veteran actor knew he was dying even as he completed his last role — he passed away two months after finishing filming — and he brings every bit of experience and pain to a beautiful performance that also seems to push Heston to up his game. As a bookend to the film’s expertly-crafted opening, the film’s finale is a harrowing journey to the truth that begins when Sol makes a fateful decision that leads him and Thorn to the conclusion of the investigation and the movie’s big reveal. There’s a moment during that final sequence, when Thorn hears the secret of Soylent Green (but the audience doesn’t yet) from Sol himself and is moved to tears; it will haunt you for days afterward.
Bonus Features:
While there is a new 2025 commentary track recorded for Arrow with film historian Michael Brooke and author Johnny Mains, there aren’t many other extras here you wouldn’t have encountered in previous releases of the film, including image galleries, the trailer, vintage featurettes about the making of the movie and its landmark position as Robinson’s 101st film, and an archival 2003 commentary track with director Richard Fleischer and actress Leigh Taylor-Young. Fleischer covers the thematic and production elements, while Taylor-Young chimes in to discuss her environmental work at the UN, her view of the film as a “harbinger,” and her attempt at a Ten Commandments joke during her shower scene with Heston. You can hear Heston briefly discuss the film during an audio-only 1985 BFI appearance, while Fleischer touches on it in a 1994 BFI interview captured on video that also covers his memories of the blacklisting era.
Perhaps most significant, however, in terms of additions for this new release is a booklet presenting material written by Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (who I recently encountered via her superb contributions to Severin Films’ Sangster Directs Hammer box set). I’d like to tell you more about it, but I can’t, because Arrow didn’t provide an actual release copy for review. It was very nice to at least receive the screener disc, but as these reviews are about celebrating and supporting physical releases, that includes all aspects of the presentation. I have to assume Dr. Nichols’ work is exemplary as always; her attention to detail and respect for history is surely better than Arrow’s, which sent an accompanying press release listing other classic ’70s sci-fi films “Wetworld” and “The Andromeda Syndrome.” JFC, Arrow.