Patman

My one word review: Ponderous.

Not everyone is going like this film. It's annoying to watch for the first 100 minutes. I get the whole metaphysical-ness of who are we-ness notion. But I found it clumsily brought to the background (because it never does show up in the foreground). What is that spark that we find in another that completes us, and in the same breath, has the capacity to cut us to the quick? Is it a state of mind? Is it a physical/chemical/biological thing? Is it none of the above? Is it all of the above. Is love perfect or meant to be imperfect? What would you risk for love? What are you willing to give up to be with the one who's left you? Those are issues presented, but in such an understated manner, many audience members will not quite grasp the undertones for such issues, nor care about them because of the characters aren't really characters, but more like symbolic in their roles of the tale. I think I grokked it, but I didn't care for the presentation of it.

Go see it only if you're in a serious mood, and not too tired.

I give it 2.75 stars or a grade of B-.

monkeyboy

i liked this film. it's slow to develop, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. i never felt bored. the only distracting scenes were the numerous enough already!

seriously though, i was engrossed in the film and didn't find it tedious. i agree that not everyone is going to like this film. it's sad that thought provoking films fall by the wayside because people's attention spans are so short they can't sit through a non action film. it was also refreshing to have such a small cast of characters.

it wasn't a great film but better than most i've seen this year.

mdc3000

I really really wanted to like Solaris... I really did. I love Soderbergh and Clooney...I think they are extremely talented individuals and I love that they appreciate both film art and film entertainment.

I thought Solaris was a pretentious exercise in boring self indulgence. It was shot beautifully but that didn't make up for it's conceided feel that bogged the film down and I kept feeling as if the filmmakers were shouting in my face "Look how brilliant I am!". I don't need my movies to be jam packed with action, but this film barely kept my attention... if it wasn't for the nice visuals (great composition and interesting colour schemes going on) I think I would have lost it. It was an interesting film to watch, but I get the point...They easily could have trimmed like...say....40 minutes from this and I still would have gotten it the same way...

So overall, hugely disappointing for me... not recommended...at all....

MATT

1.5 out of 5

Xytraguptorh

I was really disappointed with it, too, and had a hard time following it. I may buy the DVD of the original Russian film to see if it's any better since I've heard good things about it.

Bruce

Well I really liked it. Definitely one of the best films of the year.

I enjoyed the pacing, acting, and most of all the questions the film asks. I have read several negative reviews (not from people here) that said the movie didn't answer any of the questions it presented. That may bother some people, but I don't think it needed to answer any of them. I'm glad it didn't. I also really ejoyed the sparse use of music.

I need some time to think about it for a while, but just wanted to chime in since no one else has posted a positive review yet.

I would recommend it, but only to people I know that like serious slow-paced films that deal with abstract questions of human behavior.

Patman

Here are some of my other thoughts (all in spoiler text so as to not ruin it for others who haven't seen the fim):

Filmmaker

Can I please, please, please have my money back? This faux-2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, I've-seen-more-stirring-and-emotional-romantic-storylines-on-"Beverly-Hills-90210" piece of freshman-film-school-grade, art-house tripe stole it from me...

Troy Stiffler

I liked it too.

Xytraguptorh

I'm a big fan of written science fiction (Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, Philip Dick, etc) but I've never read the book by Stanislov Lem that Solaris is based on. Anyone here read it? Maybe that would make a difference.
It just seems to me that this film probably would appeal more to the art house crowd than science fiction fans (and, no, I'm not referring to fans of Star Wars tie-ins or sword n' scorcery series...not that there's necessarily anything wrong with those). I probably need to see it again to really comprehend it, but that'll have to wait for the DVD release.

BDB

I did not love it, nor did I hate it, but it sure kept me entertained, and I loved how when he got on the ship it was loud, unlike the Enterprise and all other ships, who must use bose acoustimass silencing headphones. Planes are damn loud so I would asssume a huge space station would not be silent.

Jeremy Davies was pretty damn cool in it

FiveO

hank499

This is one of those movies where if you come in with certain expectations, such as thinking that it will be a cool sci-fi thriller (ala Star Trek) or an action-based film (Star Wars), you will be dissapointed in this movie. This movie is a psychological drama set in outerspace. The movie lays out the pieces for you to put together. The move doesn't provide answers upon its conclusion, only questions that one must ponder.

I think people will gleam different questions from this movie, but a few of the more important questions that were salient to me as I left the theater:

What is the nature of our relationship with loved ones? Do we love the 'essence' of them or do we love our perception and ideas of who we think other people are? Afterall, we can only judge other people based on what we know of them.

Could you fall in love with someone who looks and acts like a loved one, but who wasn't your loved one? What is the difference? Does it matter?

What is more important in the dyadic love relationship? The person who is being loved or the person projecting the love?

BDB

BernieStolar

What did this film want to say if anything? Was it a statement about religion or the boundaries of love? Was it something else?
I focused more on the religious parts about god and forgiveness, but I don't think it was the true focus of the movie.

Filmmaker

I focused more on the EXIT sign...

BernieStolar

you're not alone, a lot of people walked out on this one at theatre I went to and I heard constant chatter from the people behind me uttering phrases such as "When is something going to happen" and "I'm lost."

Phyre

FiveO

ahh....thanks.

audrey

Enjoyed Solaris immensely. I loved the creepy, mystical atmosphere that envelopes the viewer. Visually, Solaris is a stunning achievement. Not just the special effects, which are realistic enough to seem matter-of-fact, but Soderbergh's use of color, his framing, and lighting combine to create a mesmerizing experience--a love story wrapped in an enigma. I suspect it's one of those experiences where you either buy-in or check-out early.

<begin soap box> What saddens me is not that so many people seem to dislike Solaris, but rather how little interest there is in it. This is one of the first “serious” sci-fi flicks to come along in ages and people are staying away in droves. Threads about Signs, AI, Minority Report, etc. generated tons of discussion---so far Solaris is still on page one. Grrrr. <end soap box>

Patman

mass and energy
no right no wrong
things just are
journey and destination
just the process of becoming
the past binds
the future awaits
nothing matters but the now

Those are my random thoughts of the themes in this film.

Geofferson

Great line: "There are no answers - only choices."

That said, I thought Solaris was a good film. Left a lot of discussion to be said about it.

I saw this in the theater on Friday afternoon. That evening, to my pleasant surprise, I noticed that the original, 1972 version was on TCM that night. After watching that, I liked the original more and did not regard the remake as highly as I did when I left the theater.

Josh H

I'll pass on this one. My friend (who has almost identical film tastes to me, it's rare that one of us likes/hates something the other doesn't) saw it over the weekend and said it was one of the worst movies she's seen. She said she almost walked out, which is something neither of us have ever done.

I'm glad she saved me a couple hours of my time.

MrN

I certainly wouldn't recommend this film to anyone who prefers action with lots of sound effects. Solaris can either be seen as a 'meaning of existence' kind of film or even a love story.

My initial viewing left me pondering 'If something isn't real, does that make it less important' - this ties into the dinner discussion when they talk about the existence of God - its a construct of man complete with human attributes yet God plays an important part in people's lives. Just because Rheya was fake doesn't mean Kris doesn't love her and so he tried to keep her. He realizes that she's not the same person he married but a representation of what he remembers, but that in fact how most people love.

I hope I made some sense there...

8/10.

Dr. DVD

Saw it opening day. Only movie to make me fall asleep in a theater.

Not saying it was bad, but I'm sure not ready to say it was good.

Derrich

I liked it a lot. It's better than the original and it's also one of the few real science fiction movies to be released in years.

D