The good thing about SOLARIS is that it's a darned sight better than the OVERLONG Russian original – a four hour film in which three things happened. Steven Soderbergh's remake shaves away half the running time and focuses more on the emotional aspects of the story, and as such is by far the better film. It's gorgeous to look at, bringing to life a beautiful view of space travel and existence, and full of the director's trademark stylish flourishes. Essentially, this is a two-hander between George Clooney and Natasha McElhone, two extremely handsome actors who are accomplished performers to boot. I couldn't think of a better cast.

The film delivers an eerie atmosphere despite not a lot happening. It's definitely a mood piece. The romantic scenes between Clooney and McElhone feel authentic, and the many flashback scenes are pretty moving. This is a film that explores all the aspects of the human psyche: love, lust, withdrawal, madness, acceptance, suicidal tendencies, and more. Clooney is great, but McElhone is even better, playing a flawed and sometimes frightening woman. The sci-fi trappings are kept to a minimum, which is good, and the supporting cast members are also particularly fine – most notable is Jeremy Davies in a role just as kooky as the one he took in RESCUE DAWN. I liked this film, but I didn't find it particularly enjoyable. It goes on a journey of the human soul so to speak, but I wasn't left with much in the way of insight afterwards; I didn't feel that it had developed the characters very much. Still, it's worth a watch for fans of this stuff.

Psychologist Dr. Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) is sent to a space station to investigate an unusual phenomena experienced by his friend Dr. Gibarian. He arrives to find Gibarian and most of the crew dead. Survivors Snow (Jeremy Davies) and Dr. Gordon (Viola Davis) are mercurial. Chris Kelvin starts having visions of his dead wife Rheya (Natascha McElhone).

This is a great film but a terrible movie. You love car chases, big explosions, laugh tracks, or big emotional cues. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM!!! YOU WILL HATE IT. Soderbergh said it right. "If you hate the first 10 min, walk out right away. It's not going' get any better." The acting is terrific. Soderbergh uses all of his cinematic tricks in a minimalist vision. It opened my eyes to both GC and Soderbergh. In GC, I thought you had a popular guy who uses his charm to act his way thru most of his projects. In this, his range and acting ability is complete. Without a doubt, it is his best performance. In Soderbergh, I thought you had a good mechanical director who's able to produce hits. His best film "Sex, Lies and Videotape" was well behind him. In this film, he shows his experimental side and love of cinematic. There is no shot that was sub-par. This looks beautiful. The movie is able to move in some sections even without dialog. Only a true master could pull that off. Add to that, you have Natasche McElhone and Jeremy Davies in their top performances.

Once again we have people complaining about their boredom. It's so slow. A true psychological drama may appear slow because the person watching has such a short attention span and a limited world view. There, I've said it, Mister 1 out of 10. I prefer the Russian version of this book by Stanislaw Lem, but this is a worthy interpretation. The planet Solaris has an affect on anyone that approaches it. It is a sentient organism and so it isn't there to be exploited; it's there to protect itself. When George Clooney's character is called to investigate the goings on at a space station that has been set up to investigate access to a water planet, he walks into a surreal mass of images and tricks. Something is causing personages to appear on board the space station. A child who should not be there runs down a hallway. People are committing suicide or running away, frightened or overwhelmed by emotions. Clooney, despite being a rock, still succumbs to the planet's trickery because of his great love for his lost wife. I often like to look to movies for an intellectual challenge. It doesn't always work, but there are few that don't offer something to think about.