Solaris (2002 film)

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Solaris (2002)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Produced by James Cameron
Jon Landau
Rae Sanchini
Written by Stanisław Lem (novel)
Steven Soderbergh
Starring George Clooney
Natascha McElhone
Viola Davis
Jeremy Davies
Ulrich Tukur
Music by Cliff Martinez
Release date(s) November 29, 2002 U.S. release
Running time 99 min
Language English
Budget $47,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Solaris is a 2002 film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It is based on the science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem. The same book inspired the critically-acclaimed 1972 Soviet film Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Kris (Chris in the English version) Kelvin is played by George Clooney and Rheya (the same as in the English version) by Natascha McElhone. Similar to the Tarkovsky film, this version of Solaris is a meditative psychodrama set almost entirely on a space station, adding flashbacks to the previous experiences of its main characters on Earth. A key divergence from the novel and the Tarkovsky version is the fact that Kelvin never overcomes the loss of his wife, and finally lives happily ever after with her recreation. The film essentially ignores the planet which only serves as an anonymous backdrop, in contrast to Lem's novel which discusses at length the mysterious phenomena on its surface and the futile human attempts to understand them.

Lem himself did not have any creative input into the production of the film. In one commentary, in which he admitted to not having seen the film himself but having read many of its reviews, he criticized it as departing far from his original intentions in writing the novel by focusing almost exclusively on the psychological relationship between the two main characters. He even somewhat derisively suggested that a better title for it would have been Love in Outer Space [1].

The movie's trailer depicted a science fiction love story and may have raised expectations among potential filmgoers that were not met, and many viewers were reportedly left confused and disappointed by the film.[citation needed] In addition, the burden of being compared to the highly regarded 1972 adaptation made it difficult to get positive critical appraisal. In spite of this, the Time Out Film Guide describes this version as superior to the Tarkovsky version. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 64% fresh approval rating which is a positive score but not as positive as the first, which earned a 97% fresh approval rating.

This film appears to be influenced partially by Lem's novel and mostly Tarkovsky's film, which had already deviated from Lem's original intentions. There are also visual references to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and The Shining (1980), and to Tarkovsky's Zerkalo (The Mirror).

The film was also selected to be "launched into space" in 2003 by Team Encounter.

[edit] Trivia

  • The initial test screening ran 30 minutes longer, but was cut down due to negative feedback. Soderbergh has hinted that an Extended Edition might be released someday, depending on interest.
  • James Cameron initially considered writing and directing but instead produced.
  • Daniel Day-Lewis was asked to star but turned the role down.

[edit] External links


Films by Steven Soderbergh

sex, lies, and videotape (1989) | Kafka (1991) | King of the Hill (1993) | Underneath (1995) | Gray's Anatomy (1996) | Schizopolis (1996) | Out of Sight (1998) | The Limey (1999) | Erin Brockovich (2000) | Traffic (2000) | Ocean's Eleven (2001) | Full Frontal (2002) | Solaris (2002) | Eros (Equilibrium) (2004) | Ocean's Twelve (2004) | Bubble (2006) | The Good German (2006) | Guerrilla (2007) | Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
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