Rating: Summary: Not As Good As The Original Review: I don't know why we are subjected to movies remade in English. Such as Vanilla Sky, City of Angels, and Insomnia. I guess most Americans can't read. Anyway. If you can't or don't want to see the original Russian film, (that happens to be a classic) this a decent substitute.
Rating: Summary: Falls short of expectations Review: The argument for Solaris is that it is an intelligent, though provoking literary movie based in a science-fictional context. One reviewer calls it a "taut psychological experience that will leave you breathless." It is not. It is simplistic and unchallenging. The emotional connection between cloony and his wife is never convincing enough to produce the conundrum of circumstances that are portrayed. I did enjoy the movie. It was beautiful to watch and the performances were excellent, but it simply is not psychologically, emotionally or intellectually intense enough to justify the slow and drawn out pace. It had potential, but comes up short.
Rating: Summary: An Overlooked Classic Review: Seems like this movie has divided reviewers between "boring" and "superb". I fall into the latter category. I think Solaris is the best movie I've seen all year - and this has been a year when I've watched an average of 4 a week as I catch up on years of not seeing any.Solaris is not, strictly, SF. It's a deeply affecting humanist story set (mostly) in space. It has more layers than a wedding cake and the performaces are mostly excellent, particluarly Clooney and McElhone. (Although I did find Jeremy Davies kind of annoyingly affected.) I kept waiting for Solaris to let me down with some kind of Hollywood cliche and was almost dreading the ending being just that. But it just kept getting better. The chemistry between Clooney and McElhone is amazing and the dialogue in Solaris - especially between these two - is faultless. So forget the SF bit (despite the amazing sets and photography) and enjoy Solaris for what it is - an incredibly involving and thoughtful look at the human condition : regret, longing, religion, the afterlife, etc., etc. PS I have never written a review before but this movie needs the balance of opinion adjusted here at Amazon - I'd hate for you to miss it. I think it will become a classic.
Rating: Summary: Pretty bad Review: I was very disappointed with this one. It is boring and dull and just draggggssss on. A great actor and plot were wasted on this movie. I wish I had read more reviews before buying it!
Rating: Summary: A BOY A GIRL AND A PLANET Review: Natascha McElhone may be a fine actress but her 'who am I, where am I?' portrayal of a deceased woman materializing in outer space lacks much conviction of whatever the film is trying to convince us of. There are moments of intense drama here; George Clooney blankly staring at a torn jagged hole in the spaceship wall, but there is also a dreary unsensational flashback romance occupying most of the film that moves like a wedding march to a funeral drum and does little to build suspense or understanding. The movie intersperses to the image of pink neon gasses surrounding the planet Solaris constantly as if saying, to increasing annoyance, 'meanwhile back on the ranch". "Solaris" could have been intriguing if it had realized it's psychological and cinematic potential as alternative science-fiction. Come to think of it, haven't I seen all this before, albeit on a much smaller budget, in an episode of the original "Star Trek"?
Rating: Summary: GOOD FOR INSOMNIA Review: This Movie Had the potential of being good. A drifting spacecraft spinning around a strange planet with a crew going mad.... Earth sends Clooney to rescue the crew and solve the eriee mystery of "Solaris". Sounds good ,doesnt it? But instead when Clooney gets there we are treated to a maddening experience ourselves.. a movie with little plot. Basically the movie revolves around the fact that the planet or the ship itself or a alien on board can bring thoughts to life. With that said it re-creates Clooneys dead wife(who he misses very much) and then the viewer is treated to many multiple scenes of them that make little sense. Instead of solving the mystery Clooney lets himself slip deep in the dream state the planet has created. Although he goes in and out of this state he wants his wife alive again no matter the cost and to hell with the crew and his mission. He pops pills and lays around in a dream state that plunges us all into a deep slumber before the end of the movie. I still dont really know what this movie was about, lost love? space rescue? human desires? inner mind? I would pass on this one.
Rating: Summary: Too much like 2001... Review: It was obvious to me that they were trying to emulate 2001 with the music and the camera shots. The sets were really neat. The acting was pretty good. The idea is intriguing. Sounds all pretty positive huh? I did give it two stars.... What I didn't like was the dialogue, the pace of the movie. The actors did a great job with what they had. I didn't think the nudity was neccessary. It didn't help the story at all. Like I said before it was a lot like 2001. That's treading into some sensitive territory. I liked 2001 a heck of a lot more than Solaris. Solaris was really a drawn out film. 2001 at least had a unique vision that should be left be alone. Solaris didn't give me that. I don't think the story justified the direction they went into. I think if it was filmed differently it could have been a great film. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Rating: Summary: Don't watch in a dim light Review: I almost feel bad writing a bad review for this film, but honestly, I am off to the store to go get some more NO-DOZ. This movie is as slow as any that I have ever seen. I've watched half the movie so far, and after seeing George Clooney's but two times too many, I had to run to my computer to warn all potential renters to not rent this movie. Many of the other reviews state that this movie will make you think, well it definately does that. I was thinking about how boring this movie is, and what else can I be doing to keep from wasting my 2 hours, not to mention what other movies I could be watching. Maybe I will finish watching this movie tonight when I have trouble sleeping.
Rating: Summary: Ignore "top 500"-ers Review: >The movie has an eerie but not scary tone to it. The story can also be described as erotic in timbre, although there is no nudity. Look, if you're going to review movies without actually watching them first, at LEAST read some of the other reviews. This HAS nudity. What do you think we've been going on about? (And let's stop pretending all those who give this an unfavorable review do so because they were disappointed not to find "Terminator 800". In fact, we are disappointed to find that Soderburgh has dumbed down Stanislaw Lem's novel and turned it into a religious tract.)
Rating: Summary: Give this one a second look... Review: This movie was not what I had been expecting. It was not a sappy love story, but instead was more focused on the unexplained events on the space station. The writers never quite explain exactly what is going on, but they let you make up your own mind. George Clooney does a great job, as usual, but could not have pulled it off without the rest of his cast. Give this movie a try, you may be surprised.
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