Seen It: Solaris (2002)

Although the science fiction genre gets a bum rap, I am a proud fan. Fantastic in setting, with otherworldy characters bearing unpronouncable character names, it is the human, homebound heart of a good piece of fiction that draws me in. Although this blog is "about" our earth house hold, it is through my love of science fiction that I became more
aware of environmental matters.

The movie Solaris (2002) is an odd bird for sure. A remake released in 2002 to an almost three hour Russian film originally in theaters in 1972, itself an adaption of the metaphysical novel written Stanislaw Lem. A strangely hypnotic film that has as many detractors as fans, is decribed by Tony Nigro on barnesandnoble.com:

In this underappreciated remake, director Steven Soderbergh breathes new life into author Stanislaw Lem's metaphysical sci-fi tale. George Clooney is Chris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to investigate strange happenings aboard the space station Prometheus, which orbits the oceanic planet Solaris. Once aboard, Kelvin finds two of the four crew members dead and the two survivors in psychological shock, and he soon discovers the cause: "visitors," inhuman manifestations inhabiting various recesses of the Prometheus crew's memories. Kelvin's own visitor appears in the form of his deceased wife (Natascha McElhone), and it is here that Soderbergh's contemplative film truly whirls into the realm of the mind-bending... Though coolly received at the box office -- and understandably so, as this is no Matrix -- Solaris manages to respect and recall its source material while achieving its own unique dignity.

I recommend taking a challenging ride on Prometheus, but make sure you keep your ticket... it may take a few trips to Solaris (2002) until it makes sense.