Rating: 
Summary: A Visionary Work of Art
Review: I'll be honest: It took me three tries before I could sit through this film in its entirity. Its incredibly long and the pace is, to put it mildly, sedate. That said, the cinematography is unbelievable, the effects are quite decent considering the period and budget, and, as usual, the director is working with ideas and images that leave the viewer realing. Those who can make it to the end should prepare to have their minds altered! If you want a grand space opera, go for "Star Wars", or some such, instead. If you want Tarkovsky's best, I'd recommend the astonishing "Andrei Rublev". "Solaris" is for serious fans and serious thinkers--it requires effort and commitment, but if you are willing to go for the ride, you'll be amply rewarded.
Rating: 
Summary: Mirrors of ourselves
Review: This is an exceptional film based loosely but faithfully on Stanislav Lem's novel of the same name (is there some of Lem's "Return from the Stars" here too?). The great line from the novel and the film that, for me is the kernel of the story, is the one where a harrowed scientist shakes his head and says 'we didn't come into space to meet aliens, all we wanted to find are mirrors of ourselves'. There are wonderful descriptions in the novel of the Solaris ocean that are not reproduced in the film - that is, until we reach the extraordinary final scene. But then the film is able to do things in its own graphic way that add to the story - the moment when Hari (Rheya in the novel) revives after drinking liquid oxygen under the appalled eyes of her lover Kris is a truly memorable vision.This movie is slow and remorselessly paced but has great imagery including paintings by Brughel and a wonderful chorale prelude by Bach. It abounds in visual symbolism. ...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie, buggy DVD
Review: I consider this movie to be the best science fiction movie of all times. This is a rare case when a movie is as great as the book. DVD is good quality overall, but its software is buggy: if you choose English dubbing, it switches about 8 times from English to Russian and back. Also, subtitling interface in main menu does not seem to work every time. To the waiting list crowd: DVD is currently (october 2001) available from rbcmp3.com.
Rating:
Summary: Eastern genius
Review: Kubrick was western perfectionist, kind of cold genius who brought probably two best SCI-FI genre films: "2001" as a
best SF film in space and "Clockwork orange" as a best SF film
on earth but here comes an eastern genius who brought a new kind
of SF to world: intimate emotional drama positioned in space. A man has his place in universe, and he is built from emotional pieces of his life...automatically the universe is built of emotional pieces of all energies and creatures he has inside.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Film!!!
Review: This movie is based on the novel by the famous Polish author, Stanislaw Lem. The movie was made in 1972. It is been considered a Russian version of 2001 A Space Odyessy. It is a great film. Although it is slow paced, it has some excelent and unique cinematography. One example is one scene near the begining of the film where it focuses on raindrops landing in a full teacup. The special effects in this film are quite impressive given the time, place, and budget of filming. To top it off the film's score includes a superb rendition of J.S. Bach's Choral Prelude in F Minor, "Ich ruf zu' dir Herr Jesu Christ" BWV 639. .... This is one of my most favorite movies
Rating:
Summary: To clarify
Review: Contrary to poular belief, this is not a Russian 2001: A Space Odyssey. The director, Tarkovsky, stated this explicitly, and expressed dislike for 2001. Also, Tarkovsky himself rated this as his worst film.
Rating:
Summary: A surreal examination of human flaws.
Review: "Solaris" should be watched for its Russian-ness, that somber, indescribable, contemplative, and, ultimately, fleeting impression that pervades every shot. FROM SCREEN ONE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE WATCHING SCIENCE FICTION. The film generates this awareness with no help from robots, lasers, spaceships, aliens, or any other sci-fi staples; quite simply, it is immediately apparent that "Solaris" is a work of science fiction, and that it will make you think. It does. Among the many, many questions "Solaris" asks is whether humanity knows when to stop. Is mankind doomed to scientific gain at any cost, or is science - all abstract knowledge - just a tool, a phase in the development of the human animal? Why is Man looking for Contact? Does he need it? Is he even ready? Will he recognize it when it will happen? Does he even suspect what he is asking for? This conceptual framework underlies the film's central plot line: Kris Kelvin's metamorphosis from a bitter rationalist into a humble man dwarfed by the universe. When Kelvin arrives at the all-but-abandoned space station ("Bates Hotel: twelve cabins - twelve vacancies."), his mission is to decide whether it is practical to continue studying the allegedly "conscious" protoplasmic ocean of the planet Solaris. Soon, however, he realizes that something mysterious is going on. The only other researchers on the station - Snout and Sartorius - are snappish and reclusive. Shadowy figures can be glimpsed in the corridors. Doors bang unexplainably. The whole place is just plain creepy. Then Kelvin gets a "visitor" of his own: a shade of his dead wife, but a shade that slowly gains life. Is she human? Is she a self-aware being, or just a scientific phenomenon? To be honest, the entire subplot with Kris's wife is tawdry and rather boring, though it is pivotal to the overall message. Moreover, Hari is just badly acted. Lem's book avoided this dilemma by putting the research station directly on the planet and imbuing the ocean itself with a semblance of character. In the film, the ocean is restricted to a few psychedelic shots. Where are the asymmetriads? The ridges? The floral domes of sea foam that are graphic representation of mathematical truths? The film is fighting an uphill battle when it shifts the theater of action from Solaris to the characters' minds. To pull this off would require superior acting, and the film is a mixed bag. Hari is acted horribly by Natalya Bondarchuk. That's 1/4 of the people present on the station. Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is somewhat mediocre but tolerable. Anatoly Solonitsin is sufficiently icy as Sartorius, though he seems to have a passion for over-enunciation and his character development is precisely nil. On the other hand, Juri Jarvet is qietly spectacular as Snout. Other, minor parts are acted quite well, especially Berton and Kris's father. The translation - the subtitles - is awful. Even Snout's majestic "Man needs Man" monologue is boiled down to a couple measly sentences. Learn fluent Russian - quick! A great part of the film's impact is the delivery and the wording - Russian can be particularly striking when spoken quietly and with aplomb. So, is it worth watching? In a word: yes. Possibly, a "YES!!" with all capital letters, if you know you can stomach what it offers. Lem's book is orders of magnitude better, but that doesn't say much - it is, after all, a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Classic study of artificial personality
Review: Chris Kelvin, a psychologist is sent to the ocean planet Solaris to write a critical report that will decide the fate of "Solaristics". The space station in Solaris orbit has essentially been abandoned due to the effects of the ocean on the crew. When Kelvin arrives, he finds a station falling apart with short-circuting wires, and various other debris strewn about - ironically forshadowing Russia's MIR... On the station he finds only two of the expected 3 crew members of the original 85, the third having comitted suicide, a midget, and his long dead wife. She is NOT a hallucination. She is a physical being materialized from Kelvin's sleeping memory. She discovers she is not the original but a copy and the remander of the movie deals mainly with this issue of being and artificial personality. Watch this movie now before the coming remake corrupts it.
Rating:
Summary: A hypnotic..intense...brilliant treatment of Lem's work
Review: Perhaps if the viewer from Windsor spoke Polish he'd have a deeper understanding and better appreciation for Lem's work. But alas...This movie, like Tarkovsky's others uses the characters themselves to provide the seemingly absent "forward" momentum. Time, revelation, emotional development and inevitable circumstance can propel the story forward to it's beginning or end (depending on your pov) with all the speed of an action/adventure flick or it can make the pace seem more plodding. A Russian friend of mine (who took me to see the movie) told me that most Americans don't understand Solaris because they are too easily distracted by props and costumes. They confuse the character's statements with what the characters are saying. The movie is about cosmonauts sent to investigate strange occurences on a distant planet. The story however is about love and lonliness and what it means to struggle with a loss of the first and the condition of the second. What are the depths we will descend to find real meaning in our lives? What insane notions will we entertain in our search for lifes answers? Lem's story deals with these issues in a very indirect way. Tarkovsky however negotiates them head on but with compassion and allows the characters (and the viewer) to come to their own conclusions. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: One of The Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time
Review: Classic Tarkovsky - slow, moving, deep, mysterious. Beyond that, Tarkovsky stays true to Stanislov Lem - with his own twists and adaptations. One cannot be a true scifi fan without seeing this film. The final scene still haunts me. I actually saw the film first and then read the book. I loved the film and I loved the book. The book provides more detail about Solaris - whereas Tarkovsky gives form to the characters and sense of place. This is truly a film for serious scifi fans. Not your typical Hollywood script. Far from it.
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