There are no answers, only choices.
Kelvin: Will she come back?
Snow: Do you want her to?
I’m the wrong person to review “Solaris.” I just finished the book a couple days ago, so every frame of the film is filtered strongly through the pages I just put down. I’m pretty sure someone who has no knowledge of the book will find this movie slow, static, opaque, overwrought, and possibly even silly in spots. But I was so fascinated by the book’s themes that my fascination carried through to the movie screen.
I’m pretty sure my movie companion, Sparky, was none too pleased with what Soderbergh and Clooney have come up with, even though he doesn’t like to talk about movies afterward. He alternately checked his watch and chortled through most of it. But as I’ve said many times before, I would rather watch a deeply flawed attempt at something different than 100 attempts at the latest crowd-pleaser.
I find it hard to write about this movie because it deals with all kinds of issues, and I think those issues will be different for each person. It’s definitely a story to sit around a coffee shop and discuss. If you want to do that, let me know.
Recommended? I have no idea.
Chortle chortle.
I think I would have enjoyed the movie much more if I hadn’t read the book or seen the Tarkovsky version. But not that much. It had all the subtlety of a solid kick to the groin, and all things considered, I’d rather have watched the lobby. And how about an Oscar for Jeremy “lookitmetwitch” Davies? I think he was compensating for the corpselike perfomances from the rest of the cast. I’ve got more, but I’m trying to stop. Trying… trying… Chopping the vegetables? Could something maybe happen which hasn’t been telegraphed? I spent the last hour of the movie thinking about how to describe my distaste for it, and I’m still not up to the task of communicating the faults present in the writing, direction, and performances. I mean it’s just really overwhelming. Here’s the studio pitch: “It’s like “Days of Our Lives” meets “2001”. Clooney’s interested.” Sorry, I was just wanted to say “chortle,” and it all came out.
So, you’re saying it was bad enough that George Clooney’s naked buttocks just didn’t deliver?
Adam, your review pretty much mirrors mine, except that I haven’t read the book.