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Solaris (2002)
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by 20th Century Fox
Sales Rank: 21214
Price: $12.98
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Superstar George Clooney turns in a stellar performance in this "brilliant sci-fi movie" (New York Daily News) from Academy Award winners Steven Soderbergh (2000 - Best Director, Traffic) and JamesCameron (1997 - Best Picture, Titanic). Aboard a lonely space station orbiting a mysterious planet, terrified crew members are experiencing a host of strange phenomena, including eerie visitors who seem all too human. And when psychologist Chris Kelvin (Clooney) arrives to investigate, he confronts a power beyond imagining that could hold the key to mankind's deepest dreams?or darkest nightmares. Co-starring Natascha McElhone and Jeremy Davies, Solaris is "mind-bending!" (Rolling Stone)
Viewer Reviews
"Solaris" is a very good adaptation of the famous Stanislaw Lem novel by the always interesting Steven Soderbergh. The film, while falling into the conventional genre of science fiction, is really more about human interactions and emotions: in other words, it's really a love story. Soderbergh is a very creative man, and I appreciated his approach to the subject matter: technology is ever-present in the film, but is never actually the subject of the film.
George Clooney plays Dr. Chris Kelvin, a psychiatrist who is haunted by the death of Rheya, the one true love of his life. He is sent to a space station circling a planet-like object named Solaris to investigate strange happenings on the station and if possible to rescue the crew. What he finds are the remnants of a crew who are having severe emotional problems, and he soon discovers that the reason is the apparition of relatives and loved ones who are in some cases (like Rheya's) deceased and the accompanying mental and psychological duress these beings put the cast through. It is sometimes difficult to tell what is real and what is not, though subtle cues exist for the acutely aware, most notably the changes of color balance in the film between earth and the station and past and present. The film explores the nature of love and human relationships, and it is important to view Solaris as a character in the film, rather than a planet (it actually isn't a planet, it's a planet-like object with intelligence, as explained by James Cameron): Solaris is the antagonist, in essence. The course of the film skillfully takes the audience through the entire gamut of human emotions, but requires rapt attention to understand what's going on, particularly toward the end of the film.
The cast did a fabulous job in the film: this is definitely the best acting I have ever seen Clooney do, but it is the supporting cast members who were most brilliant. Natascha McElhone as Rheya had the most difficult of the roles in the film requiring enormous emotional changes in exquisitely subtle increments. Jeremy Davies as demented crewman Snow likewise had a challenging role (particularly in the climactic scene) and gave a top-rate performance. The performance that was, to me, the most amazing was Viola Davis as Gordon, a crewmember whose role in the drama is unclear at first, but is revealed layer by emotional layer. Davis is simply amazing, and her performance alone is a more than valid reason for watching the film.
The DVD features many extras including two behind the scenes features which are excellent. The interviews with the actors and crew are very insightful, and Soderbergh in particular is very enlightening. I recommend this film to people who want emotionally intense, cerebral science fiction. It is sometimes slow moving, but always intriguing.
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Solaris (2002)
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