Solaris

2002 "How far will you go for a second chance?"
6.2| 1h39m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 27 November 2002 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.

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ixtlan Yes. I mean that. Viewers want to see explosions, murder and mayhem. Not unanswered questions and thought experiments. This movie will give you plenty of those. A typical quote from the movie is "There are no answers. Only choices." Now how many of us have the patience to think about that one? This movie challenges us to sit still for a minute and really listen to what the characters are saying and what it could possibly mean. I thought the acting was excellent given the complexity of what Stanislaw Lem was trying to convey. If he was trying to convey existential crisis, I think the movie succeeds. I loved the touch of making one of the scientists a strong black woman. I watched the original Russian version (1972) before trying to digest the newer one. The newer one resonated with me more. Perhaps because it is more current - perhaps because the in Russian version I had more trouble understanding the timelines and how they fit it - until the end. In the American movie, the timelines make more sense but there is no twist at the end. The last few minutes become predictable. I also found the Russian version much more difficult to relate to emotionally though. I don't know how either movie compares to the book, but that will be my next stop.
richard phoebus There are some interesting themes in the film - and in many ways, this is an outer space version of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind with a few Vanilla Sky time-line distortions mixed in for good measure. Each of these three films was exploring similar ideas at around the same time.Who hasn't butchered a fantastic relationship and wished there was a way to go back and make better decisions?Solaris resonated with me in that I found it to be about second chances with a love that went from perfect to tragic, and the idea that what may have accelerated the deterioration may have as much to do with people's perceptions of one another as much as the situation itself.As for the suggestions that there are too many unexplained occurrences throughout the movie, such is life.Peace Richard
OneEightNine Media Solaris Someone warned me not to watch this movie. Steven Soderbergh shouldn't be allowed behind a camera. The man just can not direct anything with a budget of over 10 million dollars. Anyway, the biggest problem with this movie is that it is needlessly boring. The acting is wasted thanks to quick camera work sprinkled with bad angles, over exposed close ups and basically everything a fresh out of film school director would do when he is trying too hard to be artistic for the sake of being artistic. The actual story that this movie is based on is a solid enough novel with an actual plot but we only get to see it during the first 5 minutes and the final 7 minutes of the film. The rest of the film is just filler. Avoid this film. It is pointless and you'll get nothing out of it.
Python Hyena Solaris (2002): Dir: Steven Soderbergh / Cast: George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Jeremy Davies, Viola Davis, Ulrich Tukur: Ominous film starring George Clooney as a psychologist receiving a message to travel to a space station. He arrives to sheer silence with dry blood painting various areas. Eventually he finds two individuals who attempt to provide information and warnings but Clooney chooses to remain. Jeremy Davies attempts to explain the situation without really explaining it. Viola Davis prefers to remain in her room. Clooney's sleep is interrupted by memories of his wife and her suicide. Intriguing despite questionable conclusion but director Steven Soderbergh is skilled at its mystery in terms of its cross over from reality to dream like state of being. Soderbergh and Clooney both previously worked on the entertaining Out of Sight and the overrated Ocean's Eleven. Clooney is in his element playing an individual shocked at the experience yet faced with haunting memories. Natascha McElhone mirrors the fragile confusion of his wife whose image enslaves his thoughts. Jeremy Davies and Viola Davis seem to evaporate but they steal their scenes when they are on screen. Other roles are much less broad and not very interesting. An unsettling visual achievement ripe with ideas, but it addresses how others are presented in our mindset. Score: 6 ½ / 10