seanjenson Solaris is an effort by director Steven Soderberg to bring to the screen one of the greatest science fiction novels ever- Stanislaw Lem's Solaris. Comparisons with Tarkovskys film will be expected but both are quite apart in tone and approach. Soderberg's film is more mainstream and thus much more colorful. I'll give him this: His pictures are gorgeous to look at. George Clooney plays astronaut Chris Kelvin who is summoned on a space station floating around the mysterious planet Solaris. When he arrives he sees not all is right and that the planet is playing mind games on the inhabitants of the ship. This is a good film and you should check it out.

Tim Martha This movie intrigued me for some time. But upon realizing what the movie is about, I was disappointed in the message. First I see the beings do not breathe. The resurrections are referred to with disgust. The other team is not correct about flesh and bone inheriting the kingdom. Yes blood is sacred but its not dirty. We will rule on the earth for the 1000 years but everything will be wonderful. Hard for some who lack appreciation for the new opportunity, but hey, free will comes at a cost.

Leofwine_draca The good thing about SOLARIS is that it's a darned sight better than the OVERLONG Russian original – a four hour film in which three things happened. Steven Soderbergh's remake shaves away half the running time and focuses more on the emotional aspects of the story, and as such is by far the better film. It's gorgeous to look at, bringing to life a beautiful view of space travel and existence, and full of the director's trademark stylish flourishes. Essentially, this is a two-hander between George Clooney and Natasha McElhone, two extremely handsome actors who are accomplished performers to boot. I couldn't think of a better cast.The film delivers an eerie atmosphere despite not a lot happening. It's definitely a mood piece. The romantic scenes between Clooney and McElhone feel authentic, and the many flashback scenes are pretty moving. This is a film that explores all the aspects of the human psyche: love, lust, withdrawal, madness, acceptance, suicidal tendencies, and more. Clooney is great, but McElhone is even better, playing a flawed and sometimes frightening woman. The sci-fi trappings are kept to a minimum, which is good, and the supporting cast members are also particularly fine – most notable is Jeremy Davies in a role just as kooky as the one he took in RESCUE DAWN. I liked this film, but I didn't find it particularly enjoyable. It goes on a journey of the human soul so to speak, but I wasn't left with much in the way of insight afterwards; I didn't feel that it had developed the characters very much. Still, it's worth a watch for fans of this stuff.

Norton S While Tarkovsky's "Solaris" shows the problem of morality, the ability to "remain human in inhuman conditions", Soderbergh used the image of sapient ocean for analysis of relationship between men and women , but it seemed to me, even more so, for understanding of God. What is Solaris, what it wants? Chris is asked to not try to look for the answers, to not try to understand, but to make a choice. It is, of course, existential despair of man beholding unfathomable, but at the same time it is negation of despair. And whether is it so important to comprehend, to find answers, to "win"? Is it so important to make something your way, "to prove" your superiority? Or is it more important to make the right choice, a choice in favour of happiness, not the satisfaction of petty ambitions, false pride and vanity?