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| SOLARIS
With George Clooney
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Based on a
story by legendary sci-fi writer Stanislav Lem, this outer space experience falls
more in the 2001: A Space Odyssey
framework than, say, Aliens (though it was produced by Aliens director
and Terminator creator James Cameron). A
gigantic ball of energy has been discovered and an expert is sent to the observing
space station where something is going terribly wrong. The crew are encountering
vision of loved-ones who seem more real than fantasy. It has driven them to the
point of madness and suicide, its implications on mankind too vast to contemplate.
The slow, at times tiresome pace (with sparse music) was not designed to liven
up the action fan, but to project the experience of the participants, millions
of miles from earth, facing something seemingly basic and close to them, but totally
freaking their minds. Approach this film only when you're focussed and not prone
to distractions of any kind, ready to watch and be engrossed as opposed to laughing
your ass off or getting thrilled by a fast and furious ride of explosions and
spectacular scenes of Hollywood carnage. Director Soderbergh has carved his success
story out nicely from Sex, Lies & Videotape to Traffic and can now
make a film like this without worrying about its box office performance to ensure
future jobs.
[Did you know, there has been a Russian version made in the
70's by director Andrei Tarkovsky, a highly acclaimed one at that - well worth
fishing out, having been released on DVD internationally]
3 /
C
- PB 
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