Solaris
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Movie Reviews of Solaris
Movie Review: One of my favorite movies.
Summary: 5 Stars
Solaris is proof, like Gattaca, that science fiction movies do not need an overabundance of flashy special effects and futuristic gadgets to be science fiction.
Solaris does more with less. Much shorter than the Russian filmed version, both based on the Stanislaw Lew movel, Solaris is a overlooked gem of a movie that ruthlessly explores the problem that arises. The solution at the end is the only one possible, a transcendental one, but I can't see how any other works for this movie.
I expressed a theory to a co-worker that George Clooney movies where he *doesn't* play the "rogue with a heart of gold" character he is famous for (Out of Sight, Three Kings, O Brother, The Billy Ocean movies, etc) don't seem to do well at the box office, no matter how well the movies are made. Solaris, which only took in $15 million at the US Box office in 2002 (after costing 4 times that to make) seems to fit this mold.
Besides the wonderful acting from Clooney, McElhrone, Davis and Davies, the soundtrack also makes this movie a complete experience. I wish I had picked up the soundtrack the day I saw this in theaters, it is now out of print and expensive to obtain.
And what would *you* do if someone you lost came back to you, someone who was torn away from you?
I know there are those who prefer the Russian version of the film, but, honestly, I find that one slow and tedious. The Soderbergh version is short, tight and spare.
Solaris is one of my favorite movies and I commend the movie to anyone.
Movie Review: Brilliant and Daring
Summary: 5 Stars
I had seen the Russian version of this film six months ago. I thought that was a pretty limp film; it certainly didn't live up to the hype it has received on amazon. Ponderous and enigmatic, the film seemed lost in its own cleverness.So I was intrigued by the new Soderberg version. I put it on, knowing something of the story from the Russian film.
I was mezmerized. This movie - which Soderberg has wanted to direct his whole life - is one of the most daring and cerebral pieces of cinema ever to come out of Hollywood. It doesn't surprise me that many people don't get it, given the fact they have been numbed by typical movie fare.
The writing is spare - you are given just enough to pull you through. You are never told exactly what's going on - you have to figure it out for yourself. But there are plently of clues, if you look for them.
These clues are not in the dialog (though you could find some there). They are in the photography, set design, acting, score, and especially the editing.
The structure and editing of this film is very unconventional. Soderberg mixes the past, present, and future in a poetic fashion - the story is not so much about Cloony's character, nor is it about the "planet". It's about how every point in our lives touches every other point, past, present, and future.
There were moments when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, mostly due to Soderberg's brilliant and daring filmmaking. The only other film to evoke this kind of a response in me is 2001.
Bravo!
Movie Review: A Literary Sci-Fi Exploration
Summary: 5 Stars
Solaris is NOT your typical science-fiction film. This isn't Star Wars. This is a literary science-fiction movie that only Steven Soderbergh could have created. Clooney plays a man who enters a ship that had gone astray for quite some time. The first thing he sees upon entering the ship is a puddle of blood, an omen of things to come. He will soon realize that there is something very, very wrong about this ship and its crew.
It seems that the ship has the ability of making you experience some memories of the past you hold dear. In Clooney's case, he becomes haunted by his deceased wife. When she comes back to the ship, without knowing what has happened to her, Clooney's love for the woman resurfaces. Soon, he is trapped in a psychological game of poker, where every single one of this opponents are invisible entities that might or might not want to harm him. What do these ghosts want? What does the ship want?
Don't expect frights. Don't expect intergallactical battles. What you should expect is a taut, psychological experience that will leave you completely breathless. This is the kind of film created to make you think. It is the kind of film that haunts you long after you've finished watching it.
I loved every single minute of Solaris. Not only is the direction strong, but Clooney gives a performance that should have been remembered came Oscar time. So open your mind and allow yourself to experience something completely new, completely different and completely breathtaking.
Movie Review: Best Film of the Year, A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
The rating system will not hold its power for this film. The common movie goer's will not enjoy this film for one main reason. A common person always tries to get ahead of the film, they try to suspect what will happen next, they want to find the answers. But this film is different. It tells you word for word in the movie that there are no answers an illistrates a question why can't there be no answers? If you try to search for answers that are not there then you wont like it. I suggest that you sit back and enjoy the film. Let the film take you along of it's beautiful story. If you are looking for reviews to see whether the movie was good or not or wether to go see it then read the reviews of critics to base your decision. This film is a masterpiece. A contrast between beauty and darkness, Science fiction and drama. I remember thinking in the middle of the film that the screenplay was so complex that it had to be hard to write. The dialogue was perfect. Each scene was perfect. Also the time was right. It is a little under two hours and that was exactly when to end it. A mistake for inexperienced directors could have made this film so much longer but it would not have been as effective. The film has a slower pace than what some people are used to but it keeps your attention with its mystery and suspense. The film has a little for everybody, a love story, a spirtual quest, and a science fiction time. So far this is the best film of the year and I don't say that often.
Movie Review: Visually spectacular and it also makes you think
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a movie that makes you think. Or, if you don't think (or don't want to think) much about what you're seeing, you probably won't enjoy it.
George Clooney goes out to a distant space station to find out what is going on with the crew after they send a mysterious message. It is a puzzle for both Clooney and the viewer to figure out just what is going on, so in some ways it resembles a crime story. Each of the crew faces their own personal demons as (it seems) some unknown force (or god?) plays mind tricks on them.
Along the way, the mysterious things that happen raise interesting metaphysical questions: Is a cloned person really a person? If you kill an exact copy of a person, did you really commit murder? Is it a gift or a torment for someone close to you in a troubled past to come back from the dead? (You are confronted with the troubles, but then again, maybe this time you can fix things.) Imagining yourself in Clooney's position, the situation brings out the deep mysteries of what it means to be alive, what identity means, what morality means.
While this could just make for a depressing movie, in fact by the end there is a kind of acceptance which proved (at least for me) to be spiritually uplifting. It also helps that the movie is visually beautiful (amazing dynamic and colorful shots of the nearby star, cool renditions of a space station) and that the sound track is sublime and mysterious itself.