Solaris

One can only hope history will be kinder to this Steven Soderbergh remake than the critics and film going public were. A supremely fine rendition of the Stanislaw Lem novel SOLYARIS this is not a film for those in search of whizz-bang shenanigans and bug eyed slime creatures. No, in reality SOLARIS is a love story about loss and regret disguised as a science fiction movie. Yes, there are some space ships and a nubula like thingy which is never truly explained...these are of no real import. What is under the microscope here is the human condition and this may be Soderbergh's finest hour. George Clooney is superb in the leading role as a disturbed psychologist who is sent to the research station observing Solaris to figure out what the hell is wrong with everybody. What he finds is a dead wife and a crew of certified whack jobs. Visually stunning with wonderful use of music and sound this vehicle may bore the living hell out of most but if you are looking for a thinking person's evening of entertainment SOLARIS will not fail you. If nothing else it's worth watching just to look at Natascha McElhone who is perfectly cast here.