News
Briefly
Calendar of Events
Commentary
Opinions
Sports
Diversions
One time, one night
Special Section
World News
Classifieds
Login
Letter Submission
Search
Archive
Publishing Policy
Mail Subscriptions
St. Cloud State University
College Publisher
Home
>
Diversions
'Solaris' provides array of reactions, emotions
By John Behling
Published:
Monday, December 9, 2002
John Behling -- Movie Critic
There appears to be two camps of viewers who are lured into theaters for Fox's Thanksgiving release of "Solaris."
One comes from the early theater teaser campaign featuring little more than the names "Steven Soderbergh, James Cameron and George Clooney." If a sci-fi film by these collaborators doesn't pique your interest, you belong to the second camp: those enticed by the next installment of trailers.
These are aired on television very close to its release date and contained another teasing set of images. The trailers portrayed a man and woman kissing and the statement, "the most romantic movie of the year."
The only other trailer I could find was the "internet only" trailer and this one painted yet another picture. The web trailer portrayed the journey of a man to a remote space station under the bizarre influence of an unknown force coming from the planet "Solaris."
Now why all these different approaches? In plain and simple terms: to today's film audience, "Solaris" is a hard sell.
Dr. Chris Kelvin is summoned by a bizarre transmission from his friend at the remote base orbiting Solaris. His cryptic message urges Kelvin to come to Solaris where unexplainable events are occurring.
When Dr. Kelvin arrives, he finds this and much more. Two of the crew members are dead and the other two are not talking about it. It is soon thereafter that Kelvin encounters the most bizarre event, the spontaneous reappearance of his dead wife.
Although "Solaris" has the appearance of both a sci-fi thriller and a romantic drama, neither of these titles truly categorize the film. The romance between Dr. Kelvin (played by George Clooney) and his wife Rheya (played by Natascha McElhone), would hardly be considered romantic in a traditional sense.
Also, even though this film takes place on a space station in a futuristic setting with futuristic technologies, the tech aspect is as downplayed as possible.
Details are left out, the specifics muddled. What this film really boils down to is a philosophical, psychological thriller (but with more tension than actual suspense). Now you can see why this is such a hard sell. Unfolding with a style and pace that strongly evokes "2001: A Space Odyssey," yet going in a different philosophical direction, "Solaris" is a tightly made film which anchors on acting rather than flashy camera work, dialogue rather than action and questions rather than answers. George Clooney avoids his scheming, criminal stereotypical self for a change, to deliver a powerful performance as the desperately grieving man forced to deal with a moral dilemma.
The cast is also quite small, which allows the film to have a tight focus on its five or so characters. "Solaris" plays games with the audience, stringing them along with an alluring concept, yet keeping them from fully understanding it. This approach appeals to some, but runs the risk of leaving the audience feeling cheated by it's conclusion.
Steven Soderbergh excels at exploiting the sterile, emptiness of space and also at capturing the emotionally charged performances. Although it might not be what you thought it would be, you might like what you find as "Solaris" provides an excellent change of pace from the typical film.
If you're in the mood for deep philosophical inquiries, mind games and emotionally driven acting, Solaris may be a film for you to investigate.
Privacy Policy
Network Advertising
Article Syndication
