Solaris (2002)

Title: Solaris
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Highs: Great performance by George Clooney.
Lows: Unsatisfied with phenomena explanation.
RhynoBot Grade: B+

I am a big fan of Sci-Fi and love when a really good movie is made. There are different categories of Sci-Fi, you have your fantasy, action, horror, and drama. To me the Sci-Fi drama is the toughest of all criteria to meet to be considered a good movie. My criteria includes an environment that is within the realm of possibility (i.e. interstellar space travel), appropriate use of scientific theme without being too overwhelming, obviously a dramatic storyline (e.g. portrayed of human emotion in a non-human setting), and actors that are capable of dramatic acting (i.e. not Keanu Reeves).

For the most part Solaris is a really good Sci-Fi drama meeting my criteria expectations on mostly all accounts. The story is set in the near future where interstellar space travel and colonization is possible and thriving but human culture and society has changed very little in this time period. People still have normal jobs and normal problems which in some cases require professional help. George Clooney plays a psychologist how is in need of some therapy for himself due to the loss of his wife three years prior. He does not seem to have any particular expertise that would qualify him for space duty but he receives a interstellar call from a friend that is requesting his help and presence out at a planetary body called Solaris. Undisclosed strange activites are occurring out at Solaris and the corporations attempts to reach the crew and rescue missions have failed. So the corporation agrees to send Clooney to investigate as a last attempt before writing off the Solaris project.

Clooney arrives at Solaris to find an abandoned ship for the most part, two bodies in the morgue (one being his friends that called him out there) and two crewmates (the captain and a tech geek), neither one are willing to talk about what's going on. Clooney soon finds out for himself when he awakes in the middle of the night to a flesh and blood (real) embodiment of his dead wife. Needless to say it freaks him out and discovers the same thing has happened to the rest of the crew. Apparently, Solaris has some way of making people's deepest hearts desire a reality. This is where I wish the movie was stronger. Very little explanation was given as to the whys and how's of turning memories into reality and I wanted to know more. But the dramatic elements filling the gaps were very convincing as Clooney had to come to terms with facing his love lost made flesh again knowing she is not really his wife. If you put yourself in his shoes for a minute that would be a maddening task and Clooney owns it.

I really like this movie but was left a little unsatisfied with the explanation for the phenomena, I wish we were given more information. This would be a good movie to see for the non-Sci-Fi fan, it has enough drama to keep things afloat and enough Sci-Fi to make it enjoyable. The tempo of the movie is slow for Sci-Fi which is probably why it was a box office flop but the tempo is appropriate for this story.

I really liked this movie, you should see it.