Solaris (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Adriel L

  
  It's a new take on Andrei Tarkovsky's classic, but it might just be too complicated, and at times, the original really stands out, with the latter only a mimics the haunting quality that made Tarkovsky's so eloquently powerful. Mysterious, but it too incoherent, it… More
  It's a new take on Andrei Tarkovsky's classic, but it might just be too complicated, and at times, the original really stands out, with the latter only a mimics the haunting quality that made Tarkovsky's so eloquently powerful. Mysterious, but it too incoherent, it seems.

• Manu G

  
  There are some places man is not ready to go Very confusing film. SOLARIS, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and starring George Clooney, is one of those pointless remakes Hollywood has been making these past decades that adds almost nothing to the original classic. The movie itself is… More
  There are some places man is not ready to go Very confusing film. SOLARIS, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and starring George Clooney, is one of those pointless remakes Hollywood has been making these past decades that adds almost nothing to the original classic. The movie itself is good. Not great or even close to being bad or a misfire, just good. Interesting but not really fulfilling. Some Sci fi movies are classics. Some are Legends. This one just doesn't fit in anywhere. If you're a classic Scifi lover of action, aliens and at least some kind of story - then I would give this one a skip. Dr. Gibarian, part of a team at a space station studying Solaris, makes an urgent and self-described bizarre video request to his friend, civilian psychiatrist Dr. Chris Kelvin, to come to the station to deal with an unspecified phenomenon aboard, that phenomenon with which Chris' experience and background may be able to explain and solve. Chris learns that his trip is sanctioned by the space program as a security force had been sent to the station to investigate, that security team which is now missing. When Chris arrives at the station, he finds only two surviving team members, Drs. Gordon and Snow (Dr. Gibarian committed suicide), who are both acting nervously. Chris also finds two unexpected people there, the first, who Chris only sees fleetingly, being Dr. Gibarian's adolescent son Michael, and the second being Chris' deceased wife, Rheya. Chris and Rheya had a passionate relationship in all its good and bad before she committed suicide. Apparently, these appearances of loved ones of the crew at the station are what Chris has come to investigate. As Chris, Gordon and Snow discuss and argue about what to do, Chris becomes emotionally invested in this vision of his wife, who herself begins to realize she looks like Rheya, acts like Rheya (including having the same feelings for Chris), answers to the name Rheya, but is not really the Rheya that was once Chris' wife.

• Alexander D

  
  Steven Soderbergh has worked as the director for a wide variety of movies. After making his career breakthrough in 1989 with SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE, he moved on to direct all the way from a light-hearted heist comedy, OCEANâ(TM)S ELEVEN, to a heavy thriller about disease,… More
  Steven Soderbergh has worked as the director for a wide variety of movies. After making his career breakthrough in 1989 with SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE, he moved on to direct all the way from a light-hearted heist comedy, OCEANâ(TM)S ELEVEN, to a heavy thriller about disease, CONTAGION. SOLARIS falls somewhere between heavy and light-hearted. Itâ(TM)s not an intense, violent understudy about space, nor is it a light-hearted romp around the moon and whatnot. George Clooney proves once again that when it comes to acting, he simply cannot go wrong. He has embellished the usual personality onto his character: suave and charming (making it easy to believe him with a woman as attractive as Natascha McElhone), yet with a subtle tendency to go all-out hot-headed. He, of all actors and actresses, stands out among the visually-adept but action-lacking film.

• Mike S

  
  Can't sleep? Give this a go and your insomnia will be instantly cured. That isn't to say it's bad though. Just too calm and draggy for my taste. The basic premise is fairly interesting, but it's lacking the drive and excitement that a story like this really needs.… More
  Can't sleep? Give this a go and your insomnia will be instantly cured. That isn't to say it's bad though. Just too calm and draggy for my taste. The basic premise is fairly interesting, but it's lacking the drive and excitement that a story like this really needs. Visually sophisticated and beautifully photographed, but ultimately a bit of a bore.

• Conner R

  
  Really nowhere near the same caliber as the original, but it's still interesting. I love Jeremy Davies performance as Snow, it's really the shining moment of the movie. However, George Clooney is dull and has some pretty cringe-worthy moments, which is sort of odd for his… More
  Really nowhere near the same caliber as the original, but it's still interesting. I love Jeremy Davies performance as Snow, it's really the shining moment of the movie. However, George Clooney is dull and has some pretty cringe-worthy moments, which is sort of odd for his usually good acting. It's too fast paced, typical and unimaginative; ultimately doing nothing for the viewer. Sadly, this could have been great knowing Steven Soderbergh's talent behind the camera.

• Dean !

  
  A slightly strange film, something like a sci-fi, thriller but with a romantic feel to it? It's well shot, the cinematography is good and the cast is quite strong. The films raises a lot of questions without providing many answers. Some will like it for this others won't.… More
  A slightly strange film, something like a sci-fi, thriller but with a romantic feel to it? It's well shot, the cinematography is good and the cast is quite strong. The films raises a lot of questions without providing many answers. Some will like it for this others won't. One for sci-fi fans, or those open to debate about life, time, religion etc. I'm sure the girls will like it for George Clooney's scenes as well!

• Anthony L

  
  Watch the original! That said, this is a bit different and not too bad but I hate Soderbergh. It?s fairly arrogant to remake such an seminal classic, especially as he could never improve on the story.

• Dan S

  
  A well put-together sci-fi/romance that succeeds due to it's unique dreamlike nature that would make Stanley Kubrick proud, as well as a strong lead performance from George Clooney. While Clooney's character isn't exactly colored to the extreme, you are still interested… More
  A well put-together sci-fi/romance that succeeds due to it's unique dreamlike nature that would make Stanley Kubrick proud, as well as a strong lead performance from George Clooney. While Clooney's character isn't exactly colored to the extreme, you are still interested as to what eventually happens to him. The score is outstanding, complementing a slow, but effective plot structure extremely admirably. The ending is really what saves this movie from mediocre territory, as Soderbergh is able to drive up the suspense while staying grounded on what made this movie watchable to begin with, that being the surreal nature the entire film is drenched in from beginning to end.

• Arash X

  
  Suprisingly good, Not just another hopeless remake, Not as profound as the original but more enjoyabl

• Pierluigi P

  
  In my opinion, both films, Tarkovsky's first and this Soderbergh's remake are two somewhat painful and stretched out experiences. Despite the enormous sacrifice that means to sit through the whole, there is no doubt that the essential argument of the story is intriguing and… More
  In my opinion, both films, Tarkovsky's first and this Soderbergh's remake are two somewhat painful and stretched out experiences. Despite the enormous sacrifice that means to sit through the whole, there is no doubt that the essential argument of the story is intriguing and complex, therefore fascinating.

• Candy R

  
  Good actors but why did they do this movie. Weak plot and a bit dull.

• xGary X

  
  Psychiatrist George Clooney is sent to investigate the strange happenings on a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris where the crew have been encountering "visitors" from their past. I have not seen Tarkovsky's original so I can be completely objective… More
  Psychiatrist George Clooney is sent to investigate the strange happenings on a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris where the crew have been encountering "visitors" from their past. I have not seen Tarkovsky's original so I can be completely objective about this beautiful looking and thoughtful sci-fi. Those expecting thrills and spills will be disappointed; the film is deliberately slow paced and philosophical The handsome pairing of Clooney and McElhone put in solid performances in a film that's more concerned with love and loss than aliens and ray guns. Soderbergh's visuals are top notch with some lovely effects complimented by a wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack, creating a very ethereal and other-worldy quality. I must admit, I'm not entirely sure what it is the film was trying to say exactly, but the journey is stylish and captivating. Fans of 2046 should give it a try; they might be pleasantly surprised.

• Tim S

  
  Effective and this is where I realized Clooney was more than just an ER doctor.

• Curtis L

  
  Soooo bad. I hear the Russian one is pretty good, though.

• Jason S

  
  I thought this was a boring waste of time. Nothing really happens and when it does it really falls flat. Plus it was really long.

• David L

  
  This version of Solaris has a very different feel to it than Tarkovsky's original, this is, by Soderbergh's admission, one third the original, one third the novel (by Stanislaw Lem) and one third Soderbergh's own imagination. Its also somewhat of a departure for all… More
  This version of Solaris has a very different feel to it than Tarkovsky's original, this is, by Soderbergh's admission, one third the original, one third the novel (by Stanislaw Lem) and one third Soderbergh's own imagination. Its also somewhat of a departure for all involved, particularly Clooney and Soderbergh, though bearing the fingerprints of his style. It must be said that this is not the film that the terrible marketing campaign at the time of it release offered - it is not a funky space-set romance, though it does take place in space and is a romantic story. It is however, a very slow, deliberate film. Only essential information is given and, going from a 61-page script to a 90-minute film, there is little dialogue but a lot of detail. Many will find it too slow and possibly boring and I do have to say its not a film for everyone. But there is so much here to appreciate. It is a film of mood and feelings, creating a beautiful and emotional atmosphere, in which events unwind gradually, rather than an intense plot-driven mish-mash of ideas. Soderbergh's intention is to question the very nature of existence and of love - if you knew something wasn't real, would you avoid getting attached to it, even if it was the one thing you always wanted, more than anything? If it meant never seeing home again, but spending forever in a tiny space with just that person, would rationality cease to exist? Do we only need that one thing that we crave to survive? Beyond this, there are semi-religious overtones added as well - is Solaris heaven? A place where all wishes are granted at the cost of "human" life? The aspect that stands out first and foremost the acting. Viola Davis is wonderful, Jeremy Davies is never less than interesting, and finally Clooney and Natasha McElhone deliver great performances, some of the best of their careers so far. Expanding his range even more after Out of Sight and O Brother Where Art Thou?, Clooney reaches depth you wouldn't have expected of such a matinee-style star. His Chris Kelvin is sad, intense, smart and realistic - the scene where Clooney wakes up to see his dead wife is a wonderful moment of acting, watching him try to bring himself round and shake off the image, only to realise its real. And McElhone is perfectly cast and surprising as the other half of the emotional core. Having been efficient in Ronin and The Truman Show, she seems to have acquired untapped gravitas and beauty in this film, looking absolutely beautiful in a very virginal, pure sense, belying the complexities and internal grief of her character. She too has many moments that just seem incredibly real, as if she forgot to act and just believed in what was happening. The cinematography and effects are very proficient without being showy, creating a believable environment within which the bizarre events are grounded in a reality not so unbelievable. Solaris itself is simply gorgeous to look at, conjuring up images of planets and cells at the same time, hinting at a universality which is not one thing nor the other, but all things which cannot be explained in one term, again suggesting a godliness to it. And the music is brilliantly subtle, flavouring the images to give it that atmosphere of longing and loss and also beauty, never suggesting what we should feel but rather what the on-screen characters are feeling. Soderbergh has made a very mature film here, eschewing the "cool" editing and camera tricks of films such as Traffic, Erin Brockovich, The Limey and Out of Sight for a more stately, sophisticated tone. It never feels forced or unbelievable and, while some of its twists are somewhat predictable, you dont feel cheated at all by the end, rather that everything played out as it should: dramatic and sad in places, beautiful in others, unsettling at times and ultimately quite profound. There really isn't anything wrong with this film, if you are in the mood to have a film wash over you and cause you to ruminate on the ideas of mortality, loss and redemption.

• Aaron N

  
  Rheya Kelvin: I can't remember how I got here. Did I come here with you? Chris Kelvin: I don't know how you got here. Rheya Kelvin: What do you mean? Chris Kelvin: I woke up and you were here. Experimental director Steven Soderbergh teams up with James Cameron to bring us… More
  Rheya Kelvin: I can't remember how I got here. Did I come here with you? Chris Kelvin: I don't know how you got here. Rheya Kelvin: What do you mean? Chris Kelvin: I woke up and you were here. Experimental director Steven Soderbergh teams up with James Cameron to bring us another film adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel Solaris. The plot surrounds a troubled psychologist Chris Kelvin, played by George Clooney, sent to a space station that has gone through some mysterious disruptions, while revolving around the planet Solaris. Upon reaching the station and meeting up with the remaining crew, Kelvin too encounters the situation on the station, and must deal with some past issues of his own. The situation itself is a cause of the mysterious nature of the planet Solaris. Describing the plot makes the film sound much more sci-fi than it actually is. The movie is really a sci-fi romantic drama. Soderbergh takes a more minimalist approach, putting much of what is going on outside the station is the background. That isn't to say there are no effects, because there are. We see great shots of the planet and the station, mixed with Soderbergh's camera style. The film also uses an editing style to convey the thought process of the characters, while at the same time showing the effect that Solaris is having over them. Solaris itself, does work as its own character. Cast wise we have George Clooney dialing back a lot of his charm to portray a broken man who is challenged with how to change a past experience. Jeremy Davies and Viola Davies are good at showing the different aspects of the effect Solaris has had on the crew of the station. Natascha McElhone is also good as Kelvin's past love. This is definitely more of a thinking man's sci-fi film, with much of the film devoted to subtlety, metaphoric scenes and dialog, and a lot of wordless scenes filled with only the images and very good score by Cliff Martinez. A well handled sci-fi flick, with skilled direction, good performances, and good reason for rewatching. Snow: How much sleep ya need, Kelvin? Chris Kelvin: How much sleep? Snow: Yeah. Um, how long ya think you can go without sleep? Chris Kelvin: Depends. Snow: Well, when you do go to sleep... I find I sleep much better with the door locked.

• Drew S

  
  I have a hell of a lot of opinions about Solaris, but they are probably going to make me sound indignant or elitist. Here's my attempt to address the movie without paying attention to its throng of detractors - Solaris is a lush, restrained, honest science fiction film with… More
  I have a hell of a lot of opinions about Solaris, but they are probably going to make me sound indignant or elitist. Here's my attempt to address the movie without paying attention to its throng of detractors - Solaris is a lush, restrained, honest science fiction film with plenty of brains to go around. It is what The Fountain wishes it could be. It alarms me how easily people are bored by movies about their fellow man. Solaris is, first and foremost, a human story. The superimposition of the philosophical and sociological themes on the space setting works far more effectively than it did in The Fountain (or, for that matter, in 2001, though that movie didn't have any themes OR humanity). The space station is merely a backdrop for Chris and Rheya's relationship, which is the focal point of Solaris. Without it, the movie is absolutely nothing. One could definitely argue that Solaris is a spartan film, devoid of humor or subplots or even characterization aside from Clooney and McElhone. I find that the minimalism aids the film intensely. That's something I really love about Solaris - every directorial decision was wisely selected and executed to enhance the film and its messages. Steven Soderbergh had a powerful vision of the movie he was making; he has really impressed me here.

• Michael S

  
  Underrated.

• Michael G

  
  If I was gay the shot of Clooney's ass might have made it worth it.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings