Solaris
Bottom Line: For those who want a slow, romantic sci-fi movie.
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Ulrich Tukur, Viola Davis
Originally given a seriously unfit R rating, interminable (even at just over an hour and a half long) sci-fi romance about Chris Kelvin (George Clooney), a psychologist sent to investigate an abnormal planet by the name of Solaris along with a research study group. During the study, he meets his wife, Rheya (Natascha McElhone), whom he thought was dead, and resumes their sensual relationship. When Gordon (Viola Davis), another member of the research team, attempts to convince Kelvin that the woman he is involved with is, in fact, a copy of his wife, who is truly dead, he has been brainwashed to the point at which he is unable to believe her.
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, OCEAN’S ELEVEN, to a heavy thriller about disease, CONTAGION. SOLARIS falls somewhere between heavy and light-hearted. It’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.
SOLARIS isn’t your typical science fiction film, and, in fact, the only reason it was billed a sci-fi movie is because it takes place out in the final frontier. This isn’t STAR WARS, AVATAR, STAR TREK, or any movie you think of immediately when you hear the word “sci-fi”. There is virtually no action, nothing thrilling, nada. Disregarding the futuristic twist, this is a romantic drama. If that’s your kind of movie–slow, romantic, and futuristic–then go ahead. Otherwise, you may as well skip it before you get something you never would have expected.
same compliments to both the Director who I included as one of my Top Ten Directors. George has been commended time and again to be versatile to engage films from action, comedy to drama (not horror I believe).
Soderbergh gave it the same formula to be sci-fi centric while instiling the love story between people who needs to understand how to let go…
Nice review my friend. Cheers!
You’re right: of all the films Clooney has been in, not one of them was a horror movie. He, Morgan Freeman, and Jack Nicholon are my three very favorite actors. Thanks!
same people…Morgan is very refined, articulate while Jack can be play multi-level characters but pretty much inclined with visceral proclivities. Cheers!
PS Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are the A list for me!
Hm. I haven’t see much of De Niro or Pacino. But what I have seen is good.
I know this wasn’t a film for everyone but I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere that Soderbergh creates is wonderful. It’s also the reason why I liked MOON so much. Ethereal Sci-fi is right up my street. Spot on with your opinion of Clooney also. I think it’s one of his finest performances.
I can’t spot out Clooney’s absolute finest performance. He’s just so great in every movie. But from what I’ve seen, I’d have to agree with you.
Just put Moon on hold at my local library.
Thanks!!
A marvellous film. Think Solaris meets 2001 meets Blade Runner. A real treat.
DeNiro, Nicholson and Jeff Bridges for me. Clooney manages to combine both movie star and actor though. His rise from E.R. has been something very impressive. Ryan Gosling is another that’s impressed me consistently.
Daniel Day-Lewis any be ignored either.
I haven’t seen any of Gosling, and all I saw of Day-Lewis was his early cameo in Gandhi (and I didn’t even notice him). I obviously need to see more movies.
You must check out Day-Lewis in My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father, Gangs Of New York, and There will be Blood. They are all powerhouse stuff. Top quality actor.
I’ve been meaning to see Blood, but I can never get a chance. I wouldn’t try seriously recommending anything to me at the moment–I still have about ten movies that I have to watch because I own them but haven’t seen them yet.
I know how it is. I’ve a backlogue to get through myself.
Don’t just focus on old school like Raging Bull or Scarface…try the bank robbery heist film HEAT! (both of them are casted here)
But stay away from RIGHTEOUS KILL. That ones a turkey.
hehehe exactly
On the other hand, Ryan Gosling the new actor to superstardom… Only God Forgives is next for him and Nicolas Refn!
I shall wait with anticipation for that one. Not only does Gosling always deliver quality but his collaborations with Refn could prove to be very special indeed.
You said it The Notebook, Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love, Drive and Ides of March…
One more, The Gangster Squad coming in Winter 2012, is star studded film including Sean Penn, NIck Nolte, Josh Brolin, Robert Patrick, Giovanni Ribisi and new comer Emma Stone who is making heads turn as well!
Not to mention his superior range in THE BELIEVER, HALF NELSON and LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. All very different performances and he nailed them all. GANGSTER SQUAD does look good aswell tho. Its another to look out for.
I’ll look for those films you recommended. Cheers
No bother. By the way, THE BELIEVER is also known as DANNY BALINT in some countries. It’s called The Believer where I’m from anyway. Similar to AMERICAN HISTORY X. Here’s my review http://mrmarakai.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/the-believer-12/
Wow, you guys commented a lot.
Lol. Sometimes you can get carried away. Too much good stuff out there, not to share.
I’ll always remember this movie as one of the few films ever to be awarded an ‘F’ by CinemaScore, the market research firm that surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences. It doesn’t warrant an ‘F’, but I can understand why people hated it so much. It’s pretty unwatchable. Plus there’s the original from 1976 that is supposed to be infinitely superior, so why bother? Great review as always Alexander!
An F?! That’s ridiculous. And it was a box office bomb, too. I saw on Flixster that you didn’t enjoy it, but obviously I did. Still, it could have been much better, and it felt twice as long as it actually was.
Thanks!
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You’re like some sort of crazy movie genius. I’m constantly learning things from your posts.
I stand by the perfect score I gave in my own review of it, because I fall into the category of people who like “slow futuristic dramas…in space”.
I guess the question is, have you seen Moon yet?
Yes, actually, I saw Moon a few weeks ago, and I LOVED it. Here’s my review:
http://www.themoviefreakblog.com/review-moon