Solaris ( 2002)

Solaris (2002) – A psychiatrist (Clooney), still struggling with the death of his wife (McElhone), is called to a space station orbiting a strange planet.  Something has gone wrong with the crew and a person from his past believes that only the doctor can figure out the solution.

Directed by Steven Soderberg                       Starring George Clooney, Natascha McElhone

I am really divided on this movie.  On the one hand, it is the kind of science fiction movie that many long time fans claim we want to see.  It is thoughtful, exploring powerful concepts like who we are and our understanding of “other”.  Science fiction films usually are just action films done in space or on another planet.  The sci-fi aspect of those movies is really just stage dressing for running and jumping and shooting.  Female characters in skin tight/skimpy costumes are also common.  While the written science fiction has managed to move beyond the “juvies”, the film version very often have not.  While movies like the “Star Wars” series can be fun because they don’t pretend to be anything more than that, a lot of fans would like to see more “serious” sci-fi on the big screen.

So “Solaris” should make us happy, right?

Sigh.

The problem is that “Solaris” desperately wants to be intelligent but doesn’t want to put in the work.  What is delivered is a carefully crafted movie that asks several intriguing questions about reality, what qualifies as “intelligent life” and what makes someone a “real person”.  The problem is that they never get around to answering those questions.

Clooney’s character is sent to investigate a research station where the crew has begun to act strange, and where a security team sent to deal with any problems, simply disappears.  Within five minutes of his arrival, the investigation pretty much ends.  The security team issue isn’t even touched on for most of the movie, and the doctor never asks any questions about the strange planet below them.  What do they know about it?  Don’t know, because he never asks.  Instead, the doctor kills someone on the station (I’m avoiding a spoiler here) for no discernable reason.  There is certainly an issue with this person, but he murders them almost immediately.  Again, no explanation.

This is a remake of a critically acclaimed 1972 version, done in the Soviet Union.  Both movies are based on a novel of the same name by Polish author Stanislaw Lem.  Lem is one of the most cerebral writers in science fiction of the 20th Century, and he always hated America science fiction.  While this version of his story avoids all the running and jumping, it still failed to appeal to him.  Critics are divided on the movie as well.

Why You Will Like It – The movie gives you lots of questions and room to think about them.

Rating – *** Worth A Look