Solaris (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
Ever admire aspects of a film, but find it irreparably boring? For me, that's Steven Soderbergh's 'Solaris'; a remake of a lengthy 1972 film, & based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem. 'Solaris' transpires in the near future. Recently widowed psychologist Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) travels to an isolated space research station orbiting the planet Solaris after a friend requests his help analyzing a cryptic, unspecified spatial phenomenon that the crew of the station has encountered.
When Chris arrives, he finds that his friend is among the many dead, & there are only 2 surviving members of the crew - the jittery Snow (Jeremy Davies) & the paranoid Dr. Gordon (Viola Davis). Although neither Dr. Gordon nor Snow are helpful, Chris soon finds out on his own what's happening when he receives a visit from his beloved dead wife, Rhea (Natascha McElhone). Rhea doesn't 'seem' to be a ghost/hallucination, & that leaves Chris with a huge issue to solve: is she real, or not? Why are Snow & Dr. Gordon not acting themselves? What's going on, here!?
Some people may find 'Solaris' fascinating; literally & thematically. It examines such issues as guilt & the power of memory. The film is classified as sci-fi (a big draw). The production design is sterile, yet interesting. The cumulative effect of plot oddities lends to an interesting atmosphere. George Clooney sheds some of his leading male bravado & gives a very quiet, reflective performance. Natascha McElhone is mercurial as the is-she-or-isn't-she-dead ex-wife. Her scenes with Chris (Clooney) are soaked in sorrow & regret. And every flashback sequences to the highs & lows of their marriage are pivotal (to the rest of the film).
You know, 'Solaris' is slow, haunting, methodical, & dream-like. Lots of people dig that. I can, too. Howwwever, for as well-intentioned as this film is, and for as competent as it looks (beautiful, stark cinematography; nice use of perspective - from George Clooney's standpoint, etc.) ... I just couldn't care because I was so terminally BORED. Nothing moves on the screen. The proceedings are chilly. The flow of plot incident/dialogue was abysmally ponderous. Little happens. Little is said. I just couldn't WAIT for the 99 minutes (yes, only that long) to be over. I was detached, when I should have been immersed.
When Chris arrives, he finds that his friend is among the many dead, & there are only 2 surviving members of the crew - the jittery Snow (Jeremy Davies) & the paranoid Dr. Gordon (Viola Davis). Although neither Dr. Gordon nor Snow are helpful, Chris soon finds out on his own what's happening when he receives a visit from his beloved dead wife, Rhea (Natascha McElhone). Rhea doesn't 'seem' to be a ghost/hallucination, & that leaves Chris with a huge issue to solve: is she real, or not? Why are Snow & Dr. Gordon not acting themselves? What's going on, here!?
Some people may find 'Solaris' fascinating; literally & thematically. It examines such issues as guilt & the power of memory. The film is classified as sci-fi (a big draw). The production design is sterile, yet interesting. The cumulative effect of plot oddities lends to an interesting atmosphere. George Clooney sheds some of his leading male bravado & gives a very quiet, reflective performance. Natascha McElhone is mercurial as the is-she-or-isn't-she-dead ex-wife. Her scenes with Chris (Clooney) are soaked in sorrow & regret. And every flashback sequences to the highs & lows of their marriage are pivotal (to the rest of the film).
You know, 'Solaris' is slow, haunting, methodical, & dream-like. Lots of people dig that. I can, too. Howwwever, for as well-intentioned as this film is, and for as competent as it looks (beautiful, stark cinematography; nice use of perspective - from George Clooney's standpoint, etc.) ... I just couldn't care because I was so terminally BORED. Nothing moves on the screen. The proceedings are chilly. The flow of plot incident/dialogue was abysmally ponderous. Little happens. Little is said. I just couldn't WAIT for the 99 minutes (yes, only that long) to be over. I was detached, when I should have been immersed.