Critic Reviews
Solaris (2002) Rank 3 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (382) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Days of Thunder (Travis Hoover)
Appreciating Great Trash
Baltimore City Paper (Lee Gardner)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Philip Messina's claustrophobic sets and Cliff Martinez's elegantly creepy score add to the film's distinction and work off Clooney's performance and Soderbergh's staging to create an hypnotic spell and suggest a cosmos full of spiritual possibility. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
SOLARIS. It's based on a classic science fiction novel by Stanislaw Lem, and has been made once before in a much different fashion by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, which many people have cited as a major influence. In fact, elements exist in many other Hollyw ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Brian Oliver)
DVDActive (Pete Roberts)
UpcomingDiscs.com (David Williams)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
Entertainment Ave! - The Movie Theater
artechock (Thomas Willmann)
Slate (David Edelstein)
Essentially a solemn, splintered meditation on lost love: a movie about personal space, in space. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Solaris achieves an almost perfect balance of poetry and pulp. This is as elegant, moody, intelligent, sensuous, and sustained a studio movie as we are likely to see this season -- and in its intrinsic nuttiness, perhaps the least compromised. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Meshing philosophical inquiry with a propulsive otherworldly mystery, it has the smart-pop quality of a vintage episode of Star Trek . ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Toronto Star (Geoff Pevere)
Film Threat (Rick Kisonak)
I find Soderbergh's Solaris an eminently more satisfying experience than Lem's. This is a film as elegantly directed as any by Kubrick, one which is superbly acted and brilliantly scored, as spellbinding a work of cinema as we're likely to see for some ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Film Threat (Rick Kisonak)
New York Times (Stephen Holden)
In the Hollywood pantheon of recycled heroes, [Clooney] suggests a Clark Gable for the new millennium, without the raised eyebrow and rakish leer. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
I loved every frame of Solaris . I'm just not sure why. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Jam! Movies (Liz Braun)
Time (Richard Corliss)
Can't touch the 1972 film's austere poignancy, and McElhone lacks the bewitching beauty of Natalya Bondarchuk in the original Solaris. But the project's gravity and ambition can't be denied. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Time (Richard Corliss)
Film Threat (Michael Dequina)
More concerned with overall feelings, broader ideas, and open-ended questions than concrete story and definitive answers, Soderbergh's Solaris is a gorgeous and deceptively minimalist cinematic tone poem. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Film Threat (Michael Dequina)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
It is, all at once, exhilarating, frustrating, cryptic and wise. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Arizona Republic (Bill Muller)
This is Lancashire (--)
Empire Magazine (--)
Supercala.com (John Venable)
Not for everyone, but for those with whom it will connect, it's a nice departure from standard moviegoing fare. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Supercala.com (John Venable)
Citysearch (Erich Scholz)
Parallels to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 abound, and Clooney's portrayal of a man offered the opportunity to escape into a world of dreams might be the actor's best work to date. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Citysearch (Erich Scholz)
Movie Roundtable
UTK Daily Beacon (Glenn LaFollette)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Washington Post (Desson Howe)
CountingDown.com review (Larry Carroll)
CountingDown.com (Larry Carroll)
ninth symphony films
Deranged Video Dude (Robert Wurth)
Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
Fulvue Drive-in
Reel Criticism - Reel Reviews!
Entertain Your Brain! - Review
Modamag.com - DVD Review (Kage Alan)
filmhobbit review
The Bubakar Awards
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
CultureDose.net (Lee Chase IV)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
That level of acting-without-words demands the likes of a Bruno Ganz or a Klaus Maria Brandauer, not a Clooney. Even when flashing his bare derrière in a sex scene, he isn't revealing nearly enough -- his work is just skin deep. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
MovieJustice (Tony Arlington)
Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Soderbergh, who hasn't ever attempted a film of this sort before, brings his gifts brilliantly to bear, with gorgeous shots of outer space, delicate, swift edits and a captivating score by his longtime collaborator Cliff Martinez -- But when the script ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Solaris, an exploration of outer space and inner anguish, reminds us that science fiction can embrace adult ideas and human drama as well as technology and futuristic action. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
So beautifully made (everything in it is understated except the gorgeous good looks of its stars) and turns out to have such real cumulative power that it is worth holding out to the end. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Neither as effective nor as ambitious as Kubrick's masterpiece, but it's still a compelling cinematic experience for those who are willing to abandon themselves to the unforced, measured rhythms of an issues-based motion picture. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Reel Movie Critic (Lee Shoquist)
The Movie Insider (Kyle Smith)
d+kaz. Intelligent Movie Reviews (Daniel Kasman)
That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
To appreciate Solaris, the new film by Steven Soderbergh, it helps to downshift your moviegoing metabolism to a level approaching the cryogenically frozen: The movie's that cerebral, that contemplative, that slow. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
The film's real appeal won't be to Clooney fans or adventure buffs, but to moviegoers who enjoy thinking about compelling questions with no easy answers. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)
Natural Born Viewers (Kevin Skinner)
New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
A darkly brilliant sci-fi movie about emotions so deep, the story could be taking place within the chambers of the heart instead of an arid space station. At the same time, it is a coldly theoretical piece that could leave viewers unengaged. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)
There's no way to talk about "Solaris," Steven Soderbergh's visually astonishing and thoroughly admirable new film, without giving away some crucial pieces of its story. So if you're a reader who's determined to avoid spoilers of any kind, I advise you ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Soderbergh skims the fat from the 1972 film. What's left is a rich stew of longing. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
The Movie Chicks
Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)
It's seriously hampered by its focus on an oddly bloodless love story, but there's enough provocative, thoughtful 2001 style material about the human identity here to salvage the movie. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Both cerebral and woozy, like a Twilight Zone episode with hyper visuals, or a more vulnerable, even feminized update on Them . ...read the complete Solaris movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX) (Danny Minton)
This science fiction, psychological drama will make you think, but might also make you sleep as well. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at KBTV-NBC (Beaumont, TX) (Danny Minton)
CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
The movie never takes the easy road. It dares you to think about issues that are hard to wrap your mind around. I appreciate a movie that intellectually engages me as much as this one did. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)
Reno Gazette-Journal (Mark Robison)
It’s an interesting movie and a good rental, but it never quite engages like it should. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Reno Gazette-Journal (Mark Robison)
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) (Audrey Rock-Richardson)
...there you are, keenly aware that if you were intellectual enough, this would be seriously exciting entertainment. But since something in your artistic-merit decoder isn't functioning properly, you’re checking your watch ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) (Audrey Rock-Richardson)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
One of the most frequent charges against science-fiction is that it replaces emotion with intellect. Its characters are people who live by and for the mind, and their personal relationships are likely to be stifled and awkward, That's probably true enough ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Toronto Life (--)
La Presse, Montréal (--)
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
It's a lovely, eerie film that casts an odd, rapt spell. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Solaris may be the first big budget science fiction motion picture that belongs in an art house rather than a multiplex. The movie bears a stronger resemblance to 2001: A Space Odyssey than to Star Wars, with an emphasis on ideas over action. Those expect ...read the complete Solaris movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) (Jeffrey Westhoff)
Steven Soderbergh doesn’t remake Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris so much as distill it. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) (Jeffrey Westhoff)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Like Kubrick, Soderbergh isn't afraid to try any genre and to do it his own way. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
San Jose Mercury News (Glenn Lovell)
If you give it half a chance, it will bore into your subconscious, mess with your mind and leave you mumbling, 'Hmm, what if --' ...read the complete Solaris movie review at San Jose Mercury News (Glenn Lovell)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
An example of an A-list director and movie star using their clout to do what more people in their position should: challenge themselves and their audience. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
[Soderbergh] goes so far into the terrors and rewards of romantic love that he comes out the other side into the universal. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Boston Globe (Ty Burr)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
This bit of pseudoscience has been made appropriately enigmatic by Soderbergh and company. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)
No film this acutely self-aware has fallen victim to unjust contempt so widespread since Last Action Hero . ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Film Freak Central (Bill Chambers)
eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
In a film of mostly singular shots and very few whole dialogue passages, the silence and unreliance on overemphasizing the glorious special effects gives the viewer plenty of time to think about the discussions the characters have. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
Star Newspapers (Chicago, IL) (Michael Drakulich)
Solaris does not reduce the complex dilemma it creates for itself down to a simple set of conditions solved by a simple set of rules. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Star Newspapers (Chicago, IL) (Michael Drakulich)
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)
More like "2001" than "Pitch Black." ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) (Linda Cook)
BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
Moody and characterised by steely greys and blues, this subtle and sharp transfer is beautifully done. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
USA TODAY
Soderbergh does a fine job creating a moody atmosphere of pervasive anxiety. The ending can be interpreted a few different ways and should ignite debate about its meaning. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at USA TODAY
Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
A shrewdly pared-down version that confines its focus to a single issue for the ages: the nature of romantic passion. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
There is a truly memorable love story somewhere in Solaris, unfortunately it’s buried under much 2001-ish pretensions. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
JackassCritics.com (Mike Long)
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
...one of those movies that can mean everything and nothing at once, depending on your level of intellectual curiosity and your mood. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) (Bob Bloom)
As written by director Steven Soderbergh, Solaris comes across as one of those movies filled with cryptic dialogue that skirts around the story, forcing viewers to use their imaginations to fill in the blanks. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) (Bob Bloom)
dvdfuture.com (George Castillo)
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
The Hot Button (David Poland)
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
3 Black Chicks ("Bams")
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)
TheBoxSet.com - Complete Movie/DVD Review
Sci-Fi Movie Page (James O'Ehley)
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium (JoBlo)
The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Gorilla Pants (Melissa Prusi)
CinemaScreen (James Salter)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
JackassCritics.com (The Grim Ringler)
The Filmsnobs (James Owen)
Needcoffee.com
The Phantom Tollbooth
THE WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
Reel.com DVD review (Jerry Renshaw)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)
I can think of two reasons that as to why the Steven Soderbergh/James Cameron/George Clooney movie version of SOLARIS ($28) received a lukewarm reception (rather unfairly, I might add) upon its theatrical release. The first of which is that this SOLARIS ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)
Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik
RevolutionSF.com (Jason Myers)
RevolutionSF (Jason Myers)
The Spinning Image
filmdeculte.com (Anthony Sitruk)
LA Weekly (John Powers)
While I could tell the love story was supposed to be moving, I kept feeling the characters' passion struggling against the virtuosity of Soderbergh's direction, which is so tight, so gorgeously lit, so worked that even when he wants scenes to be ...read the complete Solaris movie review at LA Weekly (John Powers)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Ends up more challenging and intriguing than personally involving, and while these are far from small things, it is only human to hope for more. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
rec.arts.movies.reviews (Mark R. Leeper)
filethirteen.com
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Dan Heaton)
Film Monthly (Joe Steiff)
DVD Town (Yunda Eddie Feng and John J. Puccio)
Guess the Gross
DVD MovieGuide
Popkorn Junkie's Review
Zertinet Movie Reviews
Box Office Prophets
Cinemaphile.org (David Keyes)
IndependentCritics.com (TC Candler)
Movie-Vault.com (Dick Douglas)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Radio Free Entertainment
DVD Verdict (Mike Pinsky)
Parent Previews
DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)
Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
This tale of the battle between predestination and free choice may hold some appeal to more mature audiences but will be hard pressed to get the younger, laser-sword-loving sci-fi fans to the theaters. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Eclipse Magazine (Sean O'Connell)
An interesting concept exists at the heart of Solaris, a movie that ironically has no heart. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Eclipse Magazine (Sean O'Connell)
Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Solaris is rigid and evasive in ways that Soderbergh's best films, "Erin Brockovich," "Out of Sight" and "Ocean's Eleven," never were. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
The Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)
In the future, psychiatrist Kelvin (George Clooney) is sent out to the distant planet of Solaris to investigate the mysterious failure of a mission there. He agrees to go because a friend of his was part of the crew of the space station orbiting Solaris, ...read the complete Solaris movie review at The Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)
Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DVD Net (Anthony Horan)
eFilmCritic Reviews
Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Gabriel Shanks)
This is Local London (Rob Carnevale)
CultureDose.net (Keith Uhlich)
PopMatters (Kirsten Markson)
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
MovieJuice Satirical Review
Peter Sobczynski
Despite the presence of such high-powered names as star George Clooney, producer James Cameron and writer-director Steven Soderbergh, the 2002 version of "Solaris" almost instantly disappeared from theaters and in hindsight, it isn’t hard to figure out ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Peter Sobczynski
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
Chart Magazine
The Boston Phoenix
Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
Movie Magazine International
Friday & Saturday Review
mealandamovie (Bill Wine)
Off-screen
Che Soderbergh, frutto spurio godardiano e del suo percorso di ricostruzione teorica riguardo il dispositivo-cinema, poi adattatosi magnificamente (cioè criticamente) all’ eclettismo iconico del postmoderno dovesse prima o poi confrontarsi con la ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Off-screen
Culture Wars (Alan Docherty)
CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Film Fortress (Colin Le Sueur)
World Socialist Web Site
Sinlechuga.com (Dan Hoy)
@ comme ciném@ review
The Perpetual Three-Dot Column
MediaScreen.com
MovieMaze (Janis El-Bira)
Slant Magazine - DVD Review
Reel.com (Mary Kalin-Casey)
Future Movies (Nik Huggins)
The Filmsnobs (Stephen Himes)
Cineclub-Filmkritik
hybridmagazine.com
Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Steven Soderbergh's Solaris is an uptight movie -- the opposite of his scintillating "Out of ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Time Out New York (Mike D'Angelo)
Whatever else one might say of Soderbergh and Clooney, they understand that clout is something you exercise, not something you safeguard. ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Time Out New York (Mike D'Angelo)
Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
filmcritic.com
Fear not, Clooney fans. Those two already-infamous shots of George's butt are alive and well in the long-talked-about but barely-anticipated Solaris -- a remake of the equally infamous 1972 Russian sci-fi epic (known for its stark photography, a ...read the complete Solaris movie review at filmcritic.com
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Fear not, Clooney fans. Those two already-infamous shots of George's butt are alive and well in the long-talked-about but barely-anticipated Solaris -- a remake of the equally infamous 1972 Russian sci-fi epic (known for its stark photography, a near-thre ...read the complete Solaris movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Accessible movie reviews (Joe Clark)
Every second Soderbergh film is a good one. Usually flat-out great. Is there a single thing wrong with The Limey? Doesn’t it swagger with breathtaking braggodocio through cinematic history, casting Terence Stamp and using footage from a previous film ...read the complete Solaris movie review at Accessible movie reviews (Joe Clark)
That Cow (B. Kiefer)
ToxicUniverse.com (Keith Uhlich)
Entertainment Weekly
Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
from $5.41
(23 sellers)
User Reviews
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
