Reviews of Solaris

You Don't Need Lasers to Make A Good Sci-Fi Flick

Posted : 8 months, 2 weeks ago on 16 April 2009 12:33 (A review of Solaris)

This film is an excellent example of what can happen when all of the effort of special effects is replaced with maximum effort into the script.
Definitely a thinking man's science fiction film whose intellect sacrifice none of the science nor none of the fiction.
The plot utilizes the fantasy element of the genre to delve intricately into themes of the pysche such as regret, love, pity, self-inflection & even the most monumental of these concepts, the justification of life and death. It does so with enough room to allow the viewer with no other answer other than the store of reflection which he or she carries into film, before & after.
Despite an incrimately moving pace that many of today movie-watchers may at first be uncomfortable with, once you settle into it's richly layered rythym, Solaris is a great film whose provocation of thought is as richly satisfying as is the grandest world-demolishing visuals of any other more explosive sci-fi films.









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Well worth the almost 3 hours

Posted : 2 years, 11 months ago on 17 January 2007 05:39 (A review of Solaris)

I looked up the review for this in an old movie guide I used to use (Video Hound) and I was surprised that it gave it a fairly low rating. It focused on a negative comparison with 2001 and complained that there was too much talking in the film. This strikes me as a strong indication of cultural bias, as thought the Russians weren't allowed to have their own investigation of memory and the symbolic place of outer space. Which is to say that if you just want to compare movies to 2001 this isn't the movie for you.

That review couldn't have been any more misleading. This film is loaded with long saturated shots that make you feel like you're watching someone's old family photos come to life.

--semi spoiler warning--

The plot is simple but captivating: a dead loved one comes back to life. This is equal parts curse and blessing. This movie fleshes out most of the nuances of this scenario while maintaining a sustained mediation on memory and visual reproduction. A must for those who like Videodrome type movies.

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