2002 / 99m - USA
Romance, Sci-fi
3.5*/5.0*
Solaris poster

Watches

December 23, 2005

4.0*/5.0*

August 04, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

This is Soderbergh's adaptation of Lem's novel, not Soderbergh's remake of Tarkovsky's film. And that's a good thing really, since I'm not a big fan of Tarkovsky's sci-fi. The first time I watched Solaris I was really blown away by it, watching it again it's still a strong film, but it clearly lost some of its charm over time.

Chris is a psychiatrist who is called to help out with a mission near the planet Solaris. A crew has gone haywire over there and missions to retrieve them have all failed. When Chris arrives at the space station, he finds only two survivors. After staying the night, it becomes clear what kind of dangers they're up against.

The atmosphere is thick and brooding, but also a little cold and detached. Stylistically, Solaris has lost a bit of its shine, the soundtrack in particular felt a bit too bombastic. Performances are good, the mystery is intriguing and the pacing is apt, it's just that little extra polish that lacks to make this a true personal favorite.