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Solaris DVD Review - www.impuslegamer.com -

Feature 8.0
Video 8.5
Audio 8.5
Special Features   N/A
Total 8.0
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Running Time:
95 minutes
Classification:
 M15+
Reviewer:
Erin Marcon

8.0
not an average


Solaris (2002)

Director Stephen Soderbergh’s ‘Solaris’ is the first English language adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s legendary 1961 science fiction novel.  The previous adaptation, by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, is considered by many as among the finest films in the genre.  Soderbergh’s film is more than an hour shorter than Tarkovsky’s masterpiece and much more conventional.  To the American director’s credit, though, ‘Solaris’ (2002) remains quiet and dignified.   

Soderbergh’s ‘Out of Sight’ (1998) and ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ (2001) collaborator George Clooney plays psychologist Chris Kelvin, a man contracted to investigate reports of an unexplained phenomenon aboard an orbital space station.  Clooney certainly looks the part of an all-American hero, but he brings a slowly emerging frailty to the role that reminds us of his considerable talents. 

As Kelvin arrives aboard the space station, we are offered a number of hints as to the perplexing nature of his impending calamity.  In an off-the-wall soundtrack selection, the Insane Clown Posse can be heard performing ‘Riddle Box,’ a track in which the phrase ‘the joke’s on you’ is repeated several times.  When Kelvin interviews Dr. Gordon (Viola Davis), she tells him, ‘Until it starts happening to you, there’s really no point in discussing it.’ 

‘Solaris’ presents us with the age old fable of an explorer venturing deep into uncharted territory only to come face-to-face with himself.  Kelvin must confront his most profound fears and insecurities as he examines the nature of love and identity.  Composer Cliff Martinez, another frequent Soderbergh collaborator, provides a wonderfully ethereal accompaniment, highlighting the quasi-religious undertones of the plot.   

The one weakness of ‘Solaris’ is that as it draws closer to its denouement, the plot twists and turns in an attempt to surprise the audience and provide symmetry to the character arcs.  This is as tiresome as it is unnecessary.  A ‘Hollywood ending’ seems totally at odds with the established tone of this otherwise thoughtful film. 

The special features of ‘Solaris’ were not submitted for review, but apparently include an audio commentary by Soderbergh and producer James Cameron, two behind the scenes documentaries and a full reproduction of the script.






 
 



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