A remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film, Solaris sees George Clooney playing Chris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to investigate mysterious events on Prometheus, a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. His presence was specifically requested by the station's commander and although he's reluctant to go as he's busy mourning the death of his wife (McElhone) several years after her suicide, Kelvin eventually accedes. Sceptical as he is, nothing can prepare him for what he faces when he gets to station itself..
Solaris is Clooney and Stephen Soderbergh's second project together in a little over a year, but this deeply ambitious film couldn't be further removed from the popcorn, superficial thrills of Ocean's 11. A lofty, teasing proposition, Solaris is a sleekly made and designed film that might not always carry the ultimate intellectual weight of its convictions, but this is certainly an intelligent, enigmatic diversion. Quite refreshingly, Solaris is entirely devoid of any action hero hysterics which have become part 'n' parcel of the sci-fi genre at this stage, and Clooney supplies a sombre controlled depiction of a man's whose world has crumbled with only self doubt taking its place. It could be argued that Soderbergh is overly cautious throughout Solaris and his deliberations on the big themes here - life, love, death, identity, memory - are too open ended, too vague for real effectiveness or penetration. But Solaris' elusiveness is one of the factors which makes it so unusual in these days of quick returns and easy answers. Just don't go along expecting Ocean's 12, folks.
