Review of Solaris (2002) by Marty H — 27 Jan 2013

In this elegantly low-key sci-fi drama, we get George Clooney as a therapist who travels to a space station to treat its troubled inhabitants who have encountered something traumatic. While there, he ends up having an encounter of his own.

This is the second film based off of an old novel, and, while it is cliche to say this, I liked the first version better. That would be Tarkovsky's 1972 opus also called Solaris.

That might be the grander, more important film, but this one is significantly shorter, and not quite as pretentious. It's still quite slow and quiet however.

It's a film big on ideas, and yes, while it does drag, it's a great mood piece. If you have insomnia, this or the '72 film would be great to put on. That's not quite a knock, either.

Patience is key with appreciating this movie, but I think it's worth it, and Soderbergh is the perfect person for a remake like this.

Clooney is good, as you'd expect, and Viola Davis is decent, too. I also liked Jeremy Davies, whose "out there"-ness really brought a bit of levity, while also helping to get the mood right.

The plot could be a bit stronger, but overall, this is an alright film that fits somewhere in the upper middle of Soderbergh's oeuvre.