Decent remake (Solaris [2002] (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Solaris [2002] (DVD)
Date:	04/07/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Atmospheric

Disadvantages: Poorly paced

Few that decide to watch Clooney and Soderbergh's remake of Solaris will even be aware that it's a remake, let alone that the original was directed by one of the greatest auteurs of all time - Andrei Tarkovsky. His film was an overlong epic but an utterly engrossing cerebral trip, and Soderbergh, thankfully, has the smarts not to try and overdo Tarkovsky's attempt, but instead create a homage for a new generation as well as those sadly too lazy to read subtitles. This is a surprisingly decent remake, and whilst a little uneven, has the very best intentions at heart, and has a good hit percentage.

Nevertheless, the film does suffer from some terrible pacing - for a 90-minute film, it's very rare to see things trundle along as painstakingly as they do here. It's a shame, because the exposition otherwise is very compelling, but unfortunately drip-fed rather than dished out continuously. That said, the performances in the interim are stoic but clearly composed with deep considerations rather than vapid emptiness.

George Clooney and Natascha McElhone provide solid performances to this remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's sci-fi classic, and whilst its considerations towards existence and the overwhelming power of guilt are intriguing, they are muddled amidst a disorientating and painstaking delivery.

Summary: Uneven but good