film: solaris (2002 version) (contains spoilers)

[Benefit]

film: Solaris (contains spoilers)

I just watched this movie. I'm not a big fan of George Clooney, so I was already somewhat hesitant to watch the movie, but the way the planet itself was designed was very appealing so I stuck around to see what the storyline would entail.

At first I was intrigued by the appearance of these "visitors" but ultimately I felt that the movie just ran in place, and I was not interested in the love story at all, plus the lack of any concrete explanation was sort of irritating. I understand that the point of the movie was to draw your own conclusions, but still, to leave this film so open-ended was not the way to go.

Everything was just so unecessarily drawn-out. For instance, in the end when the little boy reached his hand out to George Clooney and Clooney slowly reaches his hand back out, and the whole thing takes like three minutes to unfold, it just seemed like everything was taking forever to build up to essentially nothing. It was like the director was reaching for something really deep and epic, and came up horribly short. This movie was like 2001: A Space Odyssey's autistic cousin.

Anyways, does anyone else have any thoughts on this movie?

 

[StuffedTiger]

Re: film: Solaris (contains spoilers)

I was not interested in the love story at all

Um I hate to be the one to break it to you but this movie was NOTHING BUT a love story!

 

[Benefit]

Yes, but that's my point. I guess what really irked me about this movie is that there was the potential for so much more, with the love story being only one aspect of the movie. And personally, I didn't even think that the love story was done well. I was just disappointed, because the story had potential but was simply badly made.

 

[alasdairm]

^ because different people like different things?

in what sense do "most" people on this site like it? in this thread, Benefot and you seem to dislike it and StuffedTiger's comment is neither dislike nor like.

also, it appears in the "Your all time most HATED (Worthless) Movies" thread where the author of the post describes it as "fucking horrible"

alasdair

 

[StuffedTiger]

I don't see how you can say that a love story could have been so much more if only it wasn't a love story.

 

[alasdairm]

i'm not nitpicking. i'm simply asking you a question.

you said "most people on this site" like the movie. the fact is that most people on this site have not commented on it and almost everybody who has commented on it in this forum (or V&PA) dislikes it immensely.

so, i'm just trying to understand why your experience of BL's reaction to solaris is so different to mine. that's all.

this is not a personal vendetta - i would have asked the same question regardless of the user. you're not being singled out.

in cases of confusion, it's not every day that we get a chance to clarify ourselves to an ear which is actually listening. look on it as a gift...

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

ok. thanks. i guess i was just struggling to understand how 3 people equates to "most people on this site"

alasdair

 

[nick44]

I thought the movie was mediocre at best.

But then I was pretty biased coming in with huge expectations after reading the book by Stanislaw Lem. This movie is a shining example of the limitations that film has versus the novel. Film, for all of its visual delights, cannot get into a character's head. Oh sure, they can try voiceovers, but unless it is Red in Shawshank Redemption, they sould a little cheesy. I could appreciate the movie and didn't have to have everything explained, but that still didn't stop me from wondering what had happened with certain parts that had to be added to try and give characterization. It would have been better had there been no scenes on Earth and they just started it out in space.

I enjoyed the sparse, minimalist look of the movie. But it failed to capture the hopelessly bewildering predicament of the lead character found in the book. And I don't really know if George Clooney 'got it'.

It's not horrible, but my expectations for this movie may have been unreasonably high, having loved the book.

 

[afcone]

Solaris needs to come with some kind of health warning along the lines of "Do not attempt to operate heavy machinery whilst watching this film".

Snooze city.

 

[Infernal]

As is typical, the book was far better. The movie was pretty bad in comparison. It left out most of the philosophy of the book. The book was also a love story akin to Richard Bach's Bridge Across Forever. Without the book, the movie was stylish and well-shot, I just think it left a little out on the plot continuity.

 

[E-llusion]

I've read Solaris the book about 15 years ago, in fact it was one of the first SF novels I have read. I loved it. I also saw the Russian version of the movie which is good. This one was more of a "Hollywood remake".

The book does explore in great detail the "alien entity-planet" and it does leave a lot to your imagination. I still love the book over any of the movies made from it.

 

[Monster_ZERO]

I'm going to pick up a copy of the book for sure now.

 

[DeirdreScott]

Omg!!!

OK... I just watched "Solaris" with George Cloony and Natascha McElhone... And to my horrified -yet entertained- amazement, I saw myself on the screen!!! I am so freaked out... I look just like Natascha! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

[BA]

Ummm...okay

Did you know bluelight offers journals for this sort of thing?

 

[DeirdreScott]

Adonis...You really think that'll help me now? Lol... J/k. But the similarity between us is almost enough to make one believe in the doppleganger syndrome...

 

[onetwothreefour]

vote now

 

[qwe]

i watched this when i was little and didnt understand much.. from memory it seems interesting, ill watch it again

 

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ perhaps not - this is the soderbergh version. the original russian film (brilliant imo) was made in 1970 or so. this was done in 2002.

 

[captainballs]

film: solaris

This one stars George Clooney, and almost no one has seen it. Probably one of the best space movies ever made. When it came out, I think Entertainment Weekly panned it because they thought it was a ripoff of 2001: Space Odyssey. Now that I have seen it, I can only be totally confused by this interpretation...

If you haven't seen it, and you like satisfying science fiction movies that take place in space, you should rent this one.

I'd be intrested in hearing anything people have to say about this film.

 

[tambourine-man]

Your wish is granted...

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=114550

FWIW... I thought it was much better than people credited it. I thought it was average on first viewing, but it really grew on me second time around. Plenty of Natascha McElhone probably helped things along somewhat.