Solaris (2002 film)
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| Solaris (2002) | |
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| 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 |
| Editing by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | November 29, 2002 (USA) |
| Running time | 99 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $47,000,000 (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Solaris is a 2002 film directed by Steven Soderbergh, and stars George Clooney.
It is based on the science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem (which also inspired the critically-acclaimed 1972 Soviet film Solaris, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky).
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[edit] Plot
Chris Kelvin is played by George Clooney and Rheya 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 psychologist still dealing with the loss of his wife, Chris Kelvin receives a disturbing video message from a friend and scientist, Gibarian, asking for Chris' help and that he come to the enigmatic ocean world, Solaris. He agrees to go to the mission at Solaris as a last attempt to recover the crew. Kelvin, arriving at the space station, quickly learns that members of the crew have died (or even disappeared) under mysterious circumstances with the only two surviving members reluctant to explain the cause. After shockingly encountering his wife alive again, Chris discovers that Solaris has been creating physical replications of people familiar to each crew member. Up until the end, Chris struggles with the questions of Solaris's motivation, his beliefs and memories, and reconciling what was lost with an opportunity for a second chance.
Solaris borrows visual references from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and The Shining (1980), and from Tarkovsky's Zerkalo (The Mirror).[citation needed]
[edit] Critical reception
Director Steven Soderbergh admits (on the DVD commentary track) that marketing was a challenge. The movie's trailer depicted a science fiction love story (or thriller) and may have raised expectations among potential film-goers that were not met, grossing $15 million (against an estimated $47 million budget). [1]
The Time Out Film Guide describes this version as superior to the Tarkovsky version. However, the overall critical reception and popular votes do not share this opinion. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 64% fresh approval rating which is a positive score but far from that of the Tarkovsky's adaptation, which earned a 97% rating. The Internet Movie Database user ratings (as of April 2008) for the two versions are 6.2 and 8.2, respectively.
Soderbergh, on the DVD commentary he did with James Cameron for Solaris, states that Stanisław Lem never saw the film (or any film since Last Tango in Paris), but claims that friends of Lem who had seen Soderbergh's version liked it.
[edit] Notes
- The initial test screening ran 30 minutes longer, but was cut down due to negative studio 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.
- The film was selected to be "launched into space" in 2003 by Team Encounter.
- The film was originally given an R rating by the MPAA primarily due to minor nudity. Steven Soderbergh appealed the decision, won the appeal and the movie was granted a PG-13 rating.
- And death shall have no dominion by Dylan Thomas features significantly in the film.
- There seems to be a company that bought NASA from the government in Solaris, it has a spacecraft program named Athena and a Prometheus, a station in orbit over Solaris. The company was named, DBA.
- In an early script, the film takes place after: 11/14/31. It's not specified which year in the near future, but there is a possibility for 2031, 2131, etc.
- The DVD version of the film contains a copy of the script in play-form. It is feasible to produce the film as a stage production with minimal sets and design. At present no production has taken place in any part of the world.
[edit] External links
- Solaris (2002) at the Internet Movie Database
- Solaris (2002) at Rotten Tomatoes
- In-depth analysis of the film at the Galilean Library
- Lem's comment on the 2002 version
- Rick Sternbach's graphic designs for Solaris
- Time Out Film Review of Solaris
- Comparative review of Solaris book and two films in The Future Fire 2
- Roger Ebert's review
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