Solaris
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Movie Reviews of Solaris
Movie Review: A thinkers film
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're looking for light sabers, explosions, or Alien 5 then you came to the wrong place. Now if you want a movie that is going to make you think about what decisions you make for the rest of your life, then this is it. You will walk out of the movie theater in a different state of mind than how you walked in, but the key is that you have to hand yourself over to this movie completely. Even at the very end of the movie you can't just think to yourself: "what a stupid ending!" just because you might not 'get it' at first. What you should be thinking is what and how does this relate to me personally. Andrey Tarkovsky's version was about an hour and a half longer than this movie and it was/is a masterpiece. Soderbergh does not disappoint me in the slightest with this picture. Instead i'm looking forward to his future endeavors. Hopefully he'll stay away from the mainstream mediocrities that were "Ocean's 11" and "Erin Brokovich". I'd love to see him stick to what's farthest away from his own personal character, movies like "Traffic" and "Solaris".
Bottom line: George Clooney will get a nomination for best actor. "Solaris" won't get any nominations, but will instead become a masterpiece through the passage of time like "2001: A space Odessey" which was also shunned by the movie going public when it came out.
Movie Review: Well Done Journey That Plumbs the Depth of the Human Soul
Summary: 5 Stars
Sadly, this seems to be one of those films where you either "get it" or you don't. The first time I saw this film, it affected me in such a way that it was very hard to return to reality. It left me silent, thinking about life, love, what it would be like to have a second chance in these circumstances. Would I take it, even knowing the circumstances? Would I do it to try to right a wrong, or would I do it to simply comfort my soul? It left me in a pensive, almost poetic mood for a number of hours. Yes, it's that good.
Clooney and McElhone are stellar (no pun intended) on screen together, as well as in scenes without the other. The real beauty of this film is that you're allowed to *feel* what's going on more than just *seeing* it as they don't act out every little tiny thing. There's lots of nuance, and the soundtrack is perfect for it, only enhancing, not detracting. It's much different than your average film that hits you over the head with the same point time after time just to make sure you understand what they're trying to tell you. This film doesn't do that, thankfully, and it's much better for it.
If you're one of the people who's seen the original film, you owe it to yourself to judge this film on its own merits, not in comparison.
Movie Review: Solaris was well worth my time
Summary: 5 Stars
I am embarrassed to admit that I was not aware of novelist Stanislaw Lem until learning about his recent death. And no, I have yet to read the novel this movie is based on. Is that good or bad? Often, it's better not to be familiar with the original creation. This particular interpretation should have never been released to mainstream audiences. The masses were never going to be pleased. Solaris is a "fine arts" production. George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Steven Soderbergh, and the other major artists were essentially committing themselves, whether they knew it or not, to a work of love. Who am I? Is there a God? Do our lives make any sense? What does it mean to have a soul? Can a copy of a person be almost as good as the real one? Are the dead able to be brought back to life in some way? These existential questions underpin the story. George Clooney effectively portrays a man who is reacquainted with his dead wife (McElhone). Is it really her---or is this a monstrous joke inflicted on him by unseen forces? This film is slow, but try paying attention. The investment is likely to pay off. I will almost certainly be haunted by Solaris for a long time into the future.
David Thomson
Flares into Darkness
Movie Review: An Overlooked Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Seems like this movie has divided reviewers between "boring" and "superb". I fall into the latter category. I think Solaris is the best movie I've seen all year - and this has been a year when I've watched an average of 4 a week as I catch up on years of not seeing any.Solaris is not, strictly, SF. It's a deeply affecting humanist story set (mostly) in space. It has more layers than a wedding cake and the performaces are mostly excellent, particluarly Clooney and McElhone. (Although I did find Jeremy Davies kind of annoyingly affected.)
I kept waiting for Solaris to let me down with some kind of Hollywood cliche and was almost dreading the ending being just that. But it just kept getting better. The chemistry between Clooney and McElhone is amazing and the dialogue in Solaris - especially between these two - is faultless.
So forget the SF bit (despite the amazing sets and photography) and enjoy Solaris for what it is - an incredibly involving and thoughtful look at the human condition : regret, longing, religion, the afterlife, etc., etc.
PS I have never written a review before but this movie needs the balance of opinion adjusted here at Amazon - I'd hate for you to miss it. I think it will become a classic.
Movie Review: Interesting and dream-like
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed Solaris. It isn't a film for everyone and I don't think it tries to be. The pacing is good - nice and slow! Just the way I like it! Too many films seem to want to rush me to some place before I have had a chance to really engage with the visions, sounds, words, music and ideas inside the film. Solaris did give me a bit of breathing space in this respect.
It is a very handsome film and the special effects, although modest in comparison to some recent science fiction films, are effective.
In some respects this film is really a fantasy rather than a science fiction - it deals with a very strange "what if?" and this question is not about technology, society or man's relationship with his artefacts and machines. It also looks at some psychological reactions.
I was only disappointed by the fact that we were give so little information about the apparently sentient planet, Solaris. Surely, the people would have gained some information about this strange object?
The quiet, ambient music composed for this film was particularly good and I wholeheartedly recommend the soundtrack. It contains some of the most mysterious and beguiling ambient music I've heard.