`Solaris' shines as an art flick
By C. SPENCER BEGGS
Scene Editor
In the near future, NASA discovers a planet deep in space called Solaris. The planet is a glowing soft purple orb with vivid solar flare-like bands emanating from it. But when a team of scientists sent to analyze whether it Solaris can be harnessed as an energy source send cryptic and disturbing messages back to Earth requesting that a psychiatrist be sent to help the crew, Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) is selected to make the journey to Solaris.
Upon arrival, Kelvin discovers two of the five crew members dead in the morgue and one missing. The remaining two are agitated, depressed and unwilling to submit to Kelvin's psychoanalysis of their space madness. But the lines between madness and sanity get blurred as Kelvin begins to experience what has driven the crew to its loopy state: when he wakes up in the morning of the second day his wife is in bed with him. Of course, his wife committed suicide three years before.
The apparitions on board aren't monsters; they seem to be real flesh and blood and have memories of their former lives on Earth. Kelvin and the crew must unravel the mystery of the pulsating Solaris that seems to be the key to the visitors before they crack up entirely.
"Solaris" is a remake of renowned Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel. The film is a classic and the remake follows in its footsteps nicely.
"Solaris" is a slow boiler. The movie requires a lot of thought to come to terms with. It has a unique blend of romance, theology, philosophy and science fiction. Basically, this movie is a PLS major's wet dream.
Unfortunately, "Solaris" really isn't meant to be a mainstream movie. Released over Thanksgiving weekend in 2,500 theaters nationwide, the film wasn't well received by audiences. "Solaris" was marketed as a sci-fi flick, but the movie really fits into a romantic or psychological drama genre. "Solaris" doesn't have brain-eating aliens or a prince charming figure; it is a fairly complex movie that might disappoint audiences looking for run-of-the-mill forgettable Friday night date fare.
(3.5 shamrocks out of 5 shamrocks)
Contact C. Spencer Beggs at beggs.3@nd.edu
All Scene Stories for Thursday, December 5, 2002
