I just saw a commercial for Solaris with George Clooney and directed by Steven Soderburgh. I don’t know much about it, but did a couple of searches and saw that it is based on a sci-fi novel and there was a previous Russian movie made in the early 70’s.
I enjoy psychological sci-fi more than action-packed sci-fi, and this seems to fit the bill, so I am anticipating the upcoming movie.
So my question is, should I bother watching the original? I’ve skimmed over a few reviews in my searches and opinions varied wildly, from “best movie of all time!” to “not that great.”
I wanna know what the Dopers think.
Also, is it likely that I would be able to rent the original at my local chain video store?
P.S. This is irrelevant, but the actress in the upcoming version is, IMO, strikingly beautiful. I don’t remember what I first saw her in, but I know she was in Ronin with Robert DeNiro. She was also in The Truman Show.
Tarkovsky’s Solaris isn’t exactly thrill-a-minute stuff, to be sure, but it is a good film, and worth watching.
However, it’s important to remember that it’s Tarkovsky’s Solaris more than it is Lem’s - I saw an interview with Lem some years back, where the author described his (ahem) creative differences with the director (which culminated in Lem calling Tarkovsky a “bloody idiot” and catching the next flight back to Poland).
It’s very interesting to compare the film and the book - especially the endings of both.
I don’t know if I’m going to see the remake. I expect a lot of CGI taking up space Tarkovsky left for the plot… George Clooney as Kris Kelvin? I suppose it can’t be worse than George Clooney as Batman…
The movie is a bit of a trudge and takes, IMHO, too long to get to some rather obvious points. It’s still not without interest, but Tarkovsky made better films (actually, virtually all of them are better). Actually, it’s a curious film to remake so I’m wondering if Soderbergh is sticking closer to the novel (which I haven’t read) than the film itself.
I doubt a Blockbuster would have it (or any Tarkovsky), but some of your arty independents would; it’s not available on DVD in Region 1 yet, IIRC.
My suggestion would be to wait for the US version. It will almost certainly be paced faster and have more commercial elements; if you like it enough, than it might be worth pursuing the original.
Tarkovsky has done some brilliant movies, but I’d agree that his Solaris does have a sluggish pace, from what I’ve seen of it (I got bored and turned the channel, sorry!).
If you can’t find the DVD locally, you can rent it by mail from NetFlix (www.netflix.com).
