For Your Consideration: Solaris (2002) Was a Great Movie | The Common Hatred
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- Steven Soderbergh's 2002 movie Solaris is a film I've usually seen get dismissed at best and trashed at worst. Does it deserve that treatment?
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:24 Background
03:49 Adaptation
06:50 This Is the Part Where I Retell the Entire Movie in Case You Refused to Watch It First
36:29 Analysis Intro
38:06 What is Solaris? Who, or What, is Visitor-Rheya?
50:13 What Happened at the End?
53:41 Miscellaneous Other Questions
56:32 What is This Movie *About*?
1:00:48 Outro
▶️📢If you enjoyed this video and would like to support me in making more, please consider pledging to my Patreon at / thecommonhatred .◀️
While I was working on my Anthem video in 2019, I slowly realized that I really enjoyed the creative process of presenting my ideas in a video essay format. My initial thinking was that I wanted to make a short video talking about how poorly-advertised Solaris (2002) was, culminating in the presentation of a trailer I made myself to demonstrate a truthful trailer vs. the deliberately misleading one we got. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I had a lot more to say than "trailer bad", and ultimately the poor marketing is a footnote in this video. I love this movie, and I've long felt that people would've been more willing to enjoy it had it been marketed differently and, perhaps, had it not attempted to present itself as having any ties to the Stanisław Lem novel or the Andrei Tarkovsky film based on it. This essay is my attempt to get you to consider the film on its own merits. I hope I've been successful.
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SOURCE LINKS FOR THINGS, IN THE ORDER THEY APPEAR IN THE VIDEO:
🔗IMdB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0307479/...
🔗Metacritic: www.metacritic.com/movie/solaris
🔗Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/solaris
🔗Box Office Mojo: www.boxofficemojo.com/release...
🔗Film Threat Interview with Soderbergh (Director): filmthreat.com/uncategorized/...
🔗"The Solaris Station": english.lem.pl/arround-lem/ad...
🔗"We Can Remember 'Total Recall' for You Wholesale", by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: web.archive.org/web/201910262...
🔗October 2001 Draft of Solaris by Soderbergh: www.dailyscript.com/scripts/so...
🔗TV Tropes page about Imagine Spots: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
🔗Film Threat Review: filmthreat.com/uncategorized/...
🔗JoBlo Interview with James Cameron (Producer): www.joblo.com/movie-news/inte...
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🚫**********SPOILER-CONTAINING CONTENT WARNING:**********🚫
Words censored to avoid angering the algorithm. Solaris includes an oblique mention of ab_rtion, but never says the word itself. S_icide and the urge to commit it are large plot points, and two [both bloodless but one a little graphic regardless] are depicted onscreen. I don't shy away from using the word in the video or discussing it. Please consider your own comfort zone when viewing this video. If you're struggling, please speak to someone, but also remember that we don't know one another and I'm not the appropriate person to go to with those concerns. 1-800-273-8255 is the National S_icide Prevention Helpline number in the United States. A list of worldwide crisis numbers can be found on Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor... .
#Solaris #Solaris2002 #FilmAnalysis - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
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Holy. this is a good video, it comes together SO well after the summary of the movie. You've obvious thought a lot about this, and your voice is wonderful to listen to. Thank you
Ah, geez, thank you!
@@thecommonhatred Wow a very deep Post and yes i cannot place your accent! I am a sound recordist so i have heard many Wonderful voices. Your voice is tippy top of the list! Chicago? I will never know! Only Solaris Has a clue! However Geez! could be mid west!
As a deep intellectual Sci-Fi fan I DEEPLY love this movie. In fact, it's the best sci-fi movie ever made in my opinion right up there with Dune 1984. Solaris is like a finest wine. Only an experienced tongue for taste can experience its beautiful effects and tastes.
Oh, thank you for your kind words! I've actually never seen the original Dune, believe it or not. Maybe I should give it a look.
I completely agree. I’ve been on the hunt to see this again for a very long time. Only certain people are going to feel the full impact of this film. It takes a special soul to both understand and be moved by it.
@@caseypromise I think I fell in love with this movie years ago. Rewind when the couple first met. A moment when you are thinking "Don't blow it". To the other person. To yourself. The haunting music returning the viewer to the space station as it moves through vacuous space, on a collision with the powerful entity. All of it. Everyone longs for something i they can no longer have and the deep sense of loss becomes more and more real as we grow old. This movie brings me to a place I inhabited and that makes it a brilliantly conducted piece of art. I would not speculate what it is "about". or whet version best represents the written story.
I LOVE dune too, watched it maybe 60 times, often put in in the background when I work. Like I use Solaris main theme song to meditate. Is that What Everybody Wants th-cam.com/video/nrbEhmIHM_0/w-d-xo.html
Solaris has one of the best endings of any movie I have seen in 50 years. I’m now realizing that maybe I’m the only person who thinks so. Yet the reason I feel this way is something you haven’t mentioned. The last line of the film is something like “Everything is forgiven. Everything.” I interpreted this as Solaris having comprehended the life of this man, and comprehending its own profound loneliness, perhaps for the first time, and offering him love. Solaris is rewarding him for staying. When that line is uttered, it felt completely clear and utterly compelling. I watch Solaris, now, just to get to the last thirty seconds and let it hit me again.
I'm always unsure how much sapience to ascribe to Solaris, with so little evidence one way or the other either in favor or against the idea that it acts intelligently, deliberately, with intent. A comment made recently by Pat Healy here in the comments dovetails nicely with this idea, though; that Solaris is sapient, and because Kelvin came with no ulterior motives and decided to stay and interact with whatever Solaris was doing with the copies, it rewarded him in the only way it knows how. It's an interesting theory; that Solaris WAS testing Kelvin, but not the way he thinks, and not as some kind of moral judge, just as one being interacting with another in the only ways they can.
@@thecommonhatred I’m not sure there was any test at all. But he didn’t leave, so Solaris has him. I’m convinced, as a human, and knowing that the author of the story is also human, that the author of the story intended to give the impression that the man was actually receiving forgiveness from another sentient entity- as opposed to merely imagining himself to be forgiven within some sort of fever-dream-before-dying scenario on a holodeck. Let’s say that’s what I imagine the author intended, within my own fever-dream-before-dying.
I think that guilt and suffering are not Solaris' Purpose or Goal. By telling him Everything is Forgiven, he can let go of all that. Also, since he's probably not himself anymore, so Guilt and shame would be misplaced regardless.
I think Solaris is an advanced Virtual Reality Engine, but humans don't know how to use the Controller.
Solaris is one of my favourite films and it still saddens me that most people don't even know about it, let alone appreciate it for the intelligent and cinematic art it is.
This is my favorite movie .. the part where he starts dreaming when they first met , the music , it's a dream for me.. I Love It
"Don't Blow It."
I saw this film when it came out and it had a deeply profound effect on me. To this day the line "I remembered her wrong" cuts through me like a knife.
My first encounter with Solaris was this Solaris, Soderberg's Solaris. I was probably 10 or 11, in the movie theater with my mom. I think she suggested it, not knowing the Tarkovsky, much less the Lem, and I agreed because I liked sci-fi things. My mom was bored within the first 15 minutes and suggested we walk out, but I was still intrigued, and every few minutes the small audience dwindled as people walked out. While some of the philosophical nuances were lost on me, I was gripped by how tragic it was-this sad meditation on how you can never regain some things lost and how even memories can ring hollow. It affected me, but I didn't think about it much after seeing it once in theaters, until a few years ago I was reminded of it and chose to watch the Tarkovsky. That left me wanting to read the novel, which led me to Lem's other assorted writings.
It's interesting that each version are able to be so different. The two films are different variations on a theme, and in their own ways reflect the transformation that Hari (or Rhea) undergoes on Solaris station. At some point on the way, they were no longer quite what Lem expressed with the original, but took the shape of how other's viewed it. In a way, all three are necessary to fully appreciate the depth of what Lem was articulating.
Thanks for making this video
Ar NASA, LEM stands for Lunar Excursion Module.
The score added so much to this movie, and along with the visuals gave it a beautiful ethereal ambience. Clooney was fine also. A great sci fi.
Absolutely. A unique soundtrack. There's really no other movie I can think of quite like it.
What's so unique about it, is it has no percussion. It has strings, synth, ambient pads, and processed synth brass but no percussion. Instead they use bass, and synth to create velocity and pulse throughout the soundtrack. Really a unique experience.
Solaris is my favorite movie, ever. Ever. It touches me in spiritual and emotional ways. I watch it, often. To me, it explores the unknown connections that exist and bind us together in profound and spiritual levels. Those connections not only bind us to each other, but bind us to ourselves. I have a hard time showing this movie to anyone. It is too precious to me. ❤❤❤
It takes a special person to really be moved by this film and I’m proud to be one of them and to truly be able to “feel” this movie….
same sentiments ,was too young in life to fully understand all of solaris but @ since I first watched it by happenstance on cable late night @ 12yo I have fallen in love with the idea of solaris just like kelvin it made so much unspoken sense about the deep tidings of life & its gift love .its core message is ethereal in this film & transcendent in the souls who connect deep into the heart of SOLARIS.
I'm currently writing a video essay of my own about this film, and now I feel like it's useless to do so. Holy shit, this is thorough and well done. WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD OF YOU BEFORE???
Oh, how kind of you to say. But don't be discouraged! No two people have had the same lived experience. I'm sure you can bring something to a video essay of Solaris (2002) that's uniquely your own. I say give it a shot all the same.
As for why you've never heard of me, well; I'm nobody, and my uploads are infrequent. It just be like that sometimes! ;)
I really liked Solaris(2002), I but I can't say its my favorite movie, but I can say: this is my all-time favorite movie review/explanation. PLEASE, do more.
that edit with Fairly Odd Parents dad adds 5 years to me life every time I watch it
This was and still is a great movie...it kind of presents us with the uncertainty of what we can find out there in the Universe...
This movie deserves more praise
Very much so.
Indeed it does.
I fell in love with Viola Davis after seeing this film for the first time many years ago. Her exchange with Clooney is one of the most powerful, and more importantly, believable character interactions in a film that I've ever seen. But Solaris is a fantastic exploration of its concept, stripped down to some truly root elements within the original IP, truly one of my favorite science fiction narratives.
Oh, BIG same. I would love to get her, in particular, to sign my DVD case someday. I've always wondered whether she'd be like, "is this a joke?" because the movie was so unpopular, and I'd just have to be like, "No Ms. Davis, this is my favorite movie and your performance in it convinced me to follow your career, you're so incredible," and then I'M the weirdo who can't stop gushing. Her performance as Dr. Gordon is just so *clenches fist*, you know?
@@thecommonhatred *clenches fists harder* I really do lol! I'm always saddened by how under the radar Solaris still flies (although I kind of love it more just because), but the movie takes itself just seriously enough as to not feel as if it needs to spoon feed the story to the audience without the need of extensive special FX (save for a tiny bit of gobbledygook science jargon). This is such a character heavy narrative, each and every performance was so spectacularly executed (imagine my surprise to see Davies as Baldur in GoW 2018) that I believed every moment, every emotion I was witnessing. Glad to see another appreciator in the wild!
@@thecommonhatred Admittedly I wrote all of this while watching your essay, now that I've finished, I'd be remiss not to mention: mirroring much of what folks have already commented, this was an extremely astute analysis, and by extension an impressive essay all around! I really hope you keep this up, and uh, just to throw my favorite into the hat for a future video, I'd love to watch your review of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain! This was a dope channel to have stumbled on, I guess the algo works sometimes!
Ikr! She is so good in this movie
"We don't have to think like that anymore" is such an amazing and meaningful line, it's resonated with me for decades.
Solaris 2002 happens to be my favorite movie too, and I'm standing quite alone among my friends with this opinion as well. Came across your review almost by accident while hunting around, wondering if anyone on TH-cam still remembers this wonderful love story. You nailed the essence of the movie in every aspect. Thanks for the work and effort put in!
Solaris is. I think the meaning, for me, is that of transcendence ...set to a background of a science fiction setting. Trancendence in what will happen to you after your gone. It also talks about the confrontation of humans with a process or entity that we are unequiped to understand (Solaris). The "visitors" seem understandable to the people on the station as replacements taken from their minds...and they find a way to cope with them on the Higgs Boson machine. But, Solaris itself can be anything and nothing. My feeling is that the replacements and Kelvin's final experiences are brought about by a natural process that Solaris "radiates" or "projects". It takes subcouncious memories and desires (Kelvin's thought of his dead wife and wanting to be with her) and makes it true and transcends them there.
Thank you for your analysis...thoughtful and entertaining.
You got my subscription at the start of this review, then justified it by being the only other person besides myself that I've heard declare this their favorite movie.
And to add, I'm very much hoping you do more reviews of anything. You seem to have amazing insight and clear analysis into the human condition that is lacking in a lot of media and cultural critiques of today.
I LIKED this film.
I ESP liked the intro, which masterfully scene-edited/introduced us to the protagonist, and Who He Was (George Clooney, at his (rare) best subtle).
Right up/through Gibarian's message.
And the BEAUTIFUL (albeit much-clipped) Space Docking scene. [Nod to "2001"]
And the (dream-memory) build-up to Kelvin finally meeting Rheya (sound track - heart swelling).
Jeremy Davies did a Great performance (both chill-manic, and quietly sympathetic) as "Snow".
Viola Davis - same. [And DAMN, Lady: Look at you NOW !
22 years later Rheyas still floating around space saying to herself "wtf?"
i get emails whenever someone leaves a comment on these videos, and this made me laugh so hard lmfao
Solaris is one of the very few movies I rated a 10 on IMDB. I saw it without having seen the Russian film, read the book, or even seen the trailer. I loved the novelty of an entity that is too advanced to understand, yet was not threatening. And unlike a Lovecraftian antagonist, this creature -- removed from humanity -- was by nature seeking to build a bridge to relate to humans. The only ones who were threatened by the entity were those who chose to equate strangeness with evil. At 60 I may be older than most who liked this movie, but after a lifetime of watching aliens attack earth, it was a breath of fresh air to discover an idea that was actually new. Your eloquent analysis of this film was time well spent by this viewer. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
This is my favorite movie of all time. The fact there is no blu ray, with extras and all we have are like two featurettes and a commentary not all dvds had, all I can find now is a itunes hd copy with no extras. I know there is a longer cut they wanted to release. but never did. Alot of people in my life died or abandoned me young, and to this day I am haunted by the line, "I remembered her wrong." what if I am? It keeps me up at night.
Yeah, I very much long for some kind of beautified, extras-heavy rerelease of Solaris. If I ever have occasion to meet Steven Soderbergh...
Thanks! Good analysys! I was waiting for somebody to see the movie in the way it deserves to be seen. Greetings from overseas.
I cried during this video.
Thank you for the feelings and the now spiraling existential crisis. 👍🙌 Your voice and writing are amazing btw.
I also think the boy at the end also represented the family Kelvin never had the chance to have with Rheya. Not huge logical leap but wanted to add that.
Huh! I can honestly say that I never considered that angle, but I can certainly see how that makes sense. Nice thinking 🤔
Another possibility is that the crew created the visitors due to their thoughts interacting with Solaris which is clearly a telepathic entity / realm. Each crewmember has a visitor who is either the most important person in their life or the one they long to see the most. My own personal theory is that there are entities in Solaris who inhabit these visitors to observe beings who are as alien to Solaris as Solaris is as alien to the humans.
Thus the Rheya copy is a sentient human caused by Chris' memories interacting with Solaris, but there is also another sentient entity inside. In the end I believe Chris falls in love with this sentient entity who takes the form of Rheya to help Chris understand a way of existence which is undoubtedly unfathomable to humans.
That's actually a really interesting viewpoint. I'm not onboard about entities from Solaris inhabiting the copies, but I am with the crew creating the copies in meeting Solaris as a natural effect.
In the end Solaris and what it does is intended to be something unknowable, like Lovecraftian entities but unlike them something much more benign kind of unknowable. It's a kind of critique of standard first contact with aliens stories, which tend to paint aliens as copies of us with some human flaw greatly exaggerated. What if the first aliens we actually do meet is not understandable? That's what Solaris as a story is trying to convey.
I love and appreciate this movie the more I watch it. I had seen this in the theater in the biggest auditorium on opening weekend Saturday night and it was empty, sad. I have to admit I had to watch this again to really catch and understand most of it. So many movies are misrepresented in the trailers. This is not Transformers, you have to think. Many nowadays don't want to invest the time to watch a movie like this. Hopefully will be appreciated this movie more in the future. I have not yet to watch the original 1972 version. The acting is great, I love Gibarian's voice! I love the beginning recorded scene when Gibarian asking Kelvin to come to Solaris.
As said before, you have a great voice, should narrate books online, or some other kind of broadcasting.
Thanks for clearing up some unanswered questions that I had.
This initially on HD-DVD back in the day, no blu ray for the u.s. They say the 4k is on the way but don't know.
Thank you! I am so freaking overjoyed you made this and are as passionate about this as I am. NO ONE I have ever met has seen it. Also, they don't get it after I show them which frustrates me
Thank you for this video. This is one of my all time favorite films. I dare to say, in my top five. I just adore the existential themes it dabbles with, and the execution is so wonderful, especially the art design. It was emotionally definitely more near to me than the book, which is, while fascinating, somewhat cold and cynical, and too smart for its own good. I always prefer stories having a punchline, instead of just reporting on some event or phenomenon. I mean, I get it, but I think we as humans are more gauged to stories communicating some eternal truths, which this film does beautifully. The book was just, a mere speculative contemplation. Tarkovsky's adaptation, while not without its virtues, is quite a misfire, especially in casting. And this is from someone putting Stalker in his all time favorite films, most probably above Soderbergh's Solaris. Subscribing.
Everything we have done, Rheya, is forgiven ... Everything.
I'v watched this movie so many times... I'm almost 38 years old, and I love movies for as long as I can remember. When I decided to watch "Solaris" for the first time only couple of days after cinema premiere I never assume that this flick will be one of the best Iv ever see (it's 2021 and it still is). It was 2002 and exept cinemas there was no other place to watch every trailer and get any information you would you like to know about movie you interested. It was different times and culture. You just pick the movie because of the movie poster, familiar actor or director, maybe some information found on the internet and that's it. So imagine the situation when you are going to cinema not knowing anything about the film or just having some basic knowledge about it. Dark room, maybe a few other people (because its not another Star Wars or Lord of the Rings premiere - just some "indie movie") and you know only this - on screen you will see George Clooney (other cast tells you nothing - maybe Natascha McElhone looks familiar but its way before "Californication"...) and the director made before really cool "Oceans Eleven". Thats it. Also, because Im Polish and fan of Si-Fi I read Stanislaw Lem novel (movie is based on it) but it was couple years before and my imaginations about this story was very different from Soderbergh vision... But back to main plot ;) "...Dark room, maybe a few other people...", and first shot of the movie!.. Just window, rain and stilness. This first shot, don't ask me way, for me is just benchmark for whole movie. And when the first note of the score hits, you also realize that this picture is not only beautiful with the simplicity of the framing but have one of the greatest soundtrack you will ever hear in your life. I know that main focus of this essay is the story but next to great acting/ cinematography/ editing/ pacing/ scenography the music is the most powerful tool of this movie. Still, there are days, mainly when its raining :D, that I'm listening to this great piece of work by Cliff Martinez and thinking not just about Chris and Rheya but also what this story tells and how universal and great it is. And your words (I mean author of the essay;) ideas, and conclusions are almost identical to mine! Really - there are moments in your essay when I literally hear my ideas and feelings about this movie! So this is the moment when Im thanking you deeply that out there are people who really enjoy this movie as I did, really understood the core of this story and as heroes of this story, we are not alone - in the love to this movie;) Before, and after this movie - there are many great pictures (of course not only Si-Fi) but "Solaris" did something to me that maybe just a few other achieved - took me entirely somewhere else, told me simple, but smart story, moved me deeply about love and faith and also showed me great art of cinema basicly. And when I'm thinking about this movie right now, Im really happy that I saw it first time years ago (when I was young, and world was different) because I'm almost sure that this piece of art really changed me, and show me that life is really complex, but beautiful, sometimes sad but there is always hope, and that the most important thing in your life are people who we love and care of. And thats it;) This is my movie that took special place in my heart and I believe that everyone who loves cinema have this kind of movie - but mine is Solaris;) If you didnt saw it - try;) If you did and have different opinion - really thats great because everyone have his own sensitivity and taste. I just wish you that you already have this kind of movie yourself;) So to the author of this essays - for me you are really smart and sensitive person, you have beautiful voice (calm and soft), and just do more this kind of work. You are just awesome ;)!! See ya!
without a doubt is one of my favorite.
I agree--seeing this film without knowing what to expect is really the best way to go into it. I wish I'd had the time to talk about the score, but at over 1hr, I figured I could do it later if I wanted to. Cliff Martinez's score is a critical part of the experience of watching this film, absolutely. It's my favorite film score, just as Solaris is my favorite film. Listening to it on a grey, rainy day really just takes you back to that mental space.
As for the opening of the movie--it really does immediately set the tone. I haven't looked for the specific source, but I recall reading somewhere that Soderbergh once said, of the slow opening to the film: if you don't enjoy the first ten minutes of Solaris, you may as well just leave, because you won't enjoy the rest. Starting the film slowly, quietly, with very little dialogue, does a great job of setting the viewer up for the pacing of the rest. A well-executed opening for a wonderfully executed film.
I agree the music is very important and mesmerizing
Steven Soderbergh's Solaris tops the original by far, and the accompanying audiobook is also recommendable.
P. S. Sorry for my bad English, i am from mainland Europe.
What do you mean by original? The book or the first movie? It's totally uncomparable to the book as it asks totally different questions in my opinion
@@ArgonathPL By original I mean the film from 1972. The novella, on the other hand, I still have to order.
Masterpiece...
Watchin' your video from Russia. Very deep analysis and emotional video-essay is created by you... Thanks..
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Hi. Nice to meet you. I love Solaris. I’m so glad that you have given a wonderful review, even though I am reading it 2 years after you posted. 😊 PS: Where have you gone?
This is the best video essay of this movie that I've ever seen/heard. I wish I could've conveyed to my friends with articulation and insight such as yours 19 years ago as to why they should've seen Solaris, hah
I watched the movie recently and needed more information and here I am and this video is just excellent
❤ loved it thank you so much for filling the gap.
Very interesting take on one of MY favorite Films, thank you....
Damn I watched the whole thing, keep making videos! You could be huge honestly
Thank you! 2020 was a rough year, as I'm sure is no surprise, but I do intend to keep putting out content! Please stay tuned for, hopefully, many more videos here in 2021.
Vi Solaris en la primavera de 2003 junto con mi entonces novia Cristófera. Recuerdo que renté la película en DVD y se me hizo muy extraño que una película así no haya sido promocionada ni estado en cines de mi pequeño pueblo al norte de Tamaulipas. Mi novia y yo no queríamos salir ese fin de semana y ella no parecía muy interesada en escoger películas en la tienda entonces después de ver varias opciones opté por llevar Solaris. Llegamos a casa, puse el disco y a los 10 minutos Cristófera estaba dormida. Yo sí me interesé en la película, de hecho tuve que regresar varias veces algunas escenas para no perder la idea de lo que veía. La casa estaba sola y oscura, sólo la luz de la tele había, volteaba a ver a Cristófera y seguía dormida. Me sentí como el protagonista de la película y su mujer. Al final se acabó la película y me quedé viendo los créditos hasta que decidí dormir y no despertar a Cristófera.
Esa es una hermosa historia. Simple y tranquilo. A veces puedes sumergirte literalmente en películas
@@nyoodmono4681 Es correcto, por cierto ya en Abril de 2023 se cumplen 20 años de esa vivencia.
One of my favorites, great work!
I gave this movie another try after your video and it finally resonated. It's deep and has a lot of meaning for me now. Thanks for your analysis and perspective 👍 Best wishes in whatever comes your way.
I really liked your review, your soothing voice and your style!
This was a mindboggling film, a lot was left unexplained, therefore a recap review such as this was much needed. Thank You.
I think that Solaris is sentient and that it is a She ( in human terms, of course )
Her prime colour, which is a glowing Lavenderish pinkish violet hue is also sort of symbolic of that. She can observe and react.
It appears as if she is a healing entity because she can detect the cause of a person's distress and then presents it in front of them in a sort of attempted exposure therapy.
This is visualized when Solaris is seen making 'neural connections' of her own in replication of George Clooney's sleep-time subconscious memories of his dead wife. The fact that his 'visitor' wife is just based on those memories, is not acting under any conscious guided agency of Solaris, implies that she just exists there for George Clooney's character to see her incarnated, because he never got closure.
(So is Solaris is a kind of cosmic psychologist herself?)
Likewise, the character of Snow is apparently self hating and that's what occupies his subconscious, so that is exactly what his visitor is - himself, and what is his first impulse ? - to harm the self. Also, the newly incarnated Snow emphatically refers to himself as a 'gift', as if this new version is finally able to surpass the negative self talk and think highly of himself! Therapy done! although murderously! This is the horror element of this premise.
Similarly, Dr. Gibarian misses his son and him not being able to be there for him, is the cause of his distress and therefore his son is incarnated too. But perhaps that is too much for him!
[Also, there is certainly that element of the 'higher power' deliberately put into this movie since that scene by the end, of George Clooney reaching out for the hand of the young boy is clearly an homage to 'The creation of Adam' by Michelangelo!
This is as if Solaris is basically creating this new man in her own way, when he gives in,
as you also have pointed out.
However I personally found this reference to be cheesy and to be making an already complicated movie more debatable. There is also a no-god vs yes-god debate early on in the movie.]
The only person whose 'visitor' we don't see and who is able to coldly hold on to her senses, is Dr. Gordon. In stark contrast to Snow's idea about women coming together and solving a problem, Dr. Gordon does NOT ally with either the visitor Rhea or Solaris. She sees Solaris and her incarnated Rhea as competitors and threat. That is why she is the only one able to leave intact.
And also obviously because she is Amanda Waller and has to go fight the Batman back on Earth.
I never considered it to be an amazing movie, although I really enjoyed it the very first time I watched it. But for the life of me, I couldn't understand why people disliked it so much. It was thought-provoking, intense and emotional. Plus the score was otherworldly.
Holy shit, this was amazing! I already liked the movie, and thought that I made some sense of it, and now your video just blew my mind to shreds. Can't wait to see the rest of what's coming up. Keep up the great work, what an awesome channel!
Ah, geez, thank you! That's so kind. 2020 was rough for everyone, but I've got more stuff in the pipeline for 2021 and beyond, so I hope you enjoy some of what I come out with in the future. Thanks for watching!!
I love good sci-fi but more than that I really love any movie that makes me think and feel. Solaris did that for me big time. Outstanding! As was your video. Thanx.
I watched it in the Sony theatre in San Fran when it came out. Loved it. I got my own copy.
Great video! Watched the video last night and my boyfriend fell asleep so I needed to discuss the ending with someone lmfao
Very meta that you showed me this movie and I basically forgot it.
Also very meta that 3 different creators (Lem, Tarkovsky and Soderbergh) look upon Solaris and draw completely different reflections from it.
This was a great video. Please do more.
Why did you stopped making videos? You have talent. I just discovered your channel and I loved. Just wanted to hear you again.
Oh, how kind! I haven't stopped, production is just very slow as life often gets in the way. I'm deep into work on a video, perhaps several videos in sequence [I'm not quite sure yet] about Planet of the Apes. When it's finally done, I hope you enjoy it!
I'm sure it will be great. Waiting anxiously.🙂
Impressive video. This shows a lot work, research and the delivery in your voice and cadence is perfect.
Great film, and I am impressed that this movie is your favorite. Since The Fountain is mine, I think you and I share an appreciation for intense supernatural plots, perhaps revolving around equally intense relationships.
Looking forward to your next documentaries...!
I've actually been told to watch The Fountain more than once by my older sister, so you're probably on to something there. I really should get around to it...
@@thecommonhatred same ive been recommended "the fountain" so many times I bring up solaris or similar films which are rare ,because I agree this film has a spiritual resonance.
Great video, still trying to wrap my head around the film still though.
I love Solaris, I mean the physical planet in the film. It watches over the human characters, it’s seems to play with them like marionettes. It’s Appearance changes throughout the film. I’m not sure if Solaris is benevolent or not. On a human level it’s about memory, loss, grief and the moment when your are on the edge of dreaming and reality. The cold sweats period. An amazing film, full of depth with one of the great soundtracks of al time
Yes, thats why it is so fascinating and scary at the same time. this planet probably just plays around, but for the fragile human mind the consequence are drastic. Tragic too because they make contact which they were looking for so long, but they can not realize or accept that this is what alien life can mean.
I've watched this movie more than 50 times.
All actors are amazing, the story is fantastic, and the cinematography flawless.
The soundtrack grapples you and don't let go.
It's a weird fact that I tend do make friends with people who loved this movie. Must be telling about something in us, but have no idea why.
empathy and good taste of thrill
@@nyoodmono4681 Thanks ♥
Have always loved this film-so much is left unsaid but becomes known through the apprehension of experiencing it, just as Love allows. I always felt Solaris itself was an organic being or entity searching for a pathway to communicate and self-evolve. Really Excellent Presentation-Thank you so much.
Love your analysis of the movie, I will just add that the movie talk about love, memories, but also the concept of letting things go as well. Visitors can simply be the new people we meet in our life and tend to compare endlessly with those we have lost and loved. Like solaris feeding from our memories, we feed our curiosity using our unreliable memory to find answers or to redeem ourselves. As you say it is unfair for those who disappeared cause our memories are always evolving, changing and finally becoming inaccurate about them... but even more unfair for the new ones, who cannot express their real self becoming thru our eyes simple facsimile of the later.
The inability of the copies--and Rheya's copy, specifically--to ever act in ways that aren't in accordance with the way the people on the station remember them is definitely something I felt I couldn't ignore in this essay. The concept of "free will" is so ingrained into us as a people [as long as you don't believe in predestination, I suppose] that the idea of being forced to live my life the way someone ELSE remembers me living it...it makes me uneasy. As I say in the video, even the people you're the closest to don't have a truly accurate idea of who you really are *inside,* of what your true thoughts and motives are. If I had to act the way people externally remember me acting, without them being aware of my internal thought processes...it's terrifying to consider, honestly. I would hate being restricted to living my life through the incorrect memories of other people.
Thank God others are out there this and Sunshine are 2 of the greatest space movies ever made and no one knows about them. This film is a masterpiece.
After just reading the book and then coming back to the films, I think your review/analysis here was great. The themes you dug into, i actually understood vs watching the actual film, where I got a bit lost and uninterested. My opinion is that the film would have been better complimented had they shown or talked more about the nearly unimaginable formations on the planet. The idea being, even if we or the planet could replicate the physical forms of each other, it's somewhat of an arbitrary feat and we are still alone in having a true understanding or "connection" with the other entity. Your reflections into the accuracy and truthfulness of memories (we create them much like the planet makes them in physical form) hit hard for me in this context.
I understand why Soderbergh forewent having the portions of the story that show structures forming and dissolving on Solaris, but I agree that it might have helped the viewer put together the idea that Solaris was creating without understanding. I have a few theories as to why he decided not to include it; the easy answer is just to save time or to keep the story from getting too busy, since his specific version of the Solaris story is largely just focused on Kelvin and Rheya. If we're getting a little more theoretical, he may have left it out specifically to leave the question about Solaris's motives, if indeed it has any, more vague. Showing that Solaris is creating structures in addition to fully self-aware humanlike creatures may have tilted the viewer's opinion in one direction or the other more than Soderbergh wanted. The book makes it a point to show that the people studying the station, who have been there for around a decade, have basically given up on understanding why Solaris does these things. They meticulously record its actions, but no longer theorize about why it does anything. Since Soderbergh's Solaris is much more focused on human thoughts and behavior than Stanislaw Lem's ever was, my best guess is that he simplified what Solaris does [and accelerated the timeline of events] both to simplify the story and to streamline the themes.
Really glad I came across this video. I love Solaris and like you either don’t know anyone who has seen it, and the few who have didn’t care much for it or remember it at all. I just rewatched it again and then wanted to see if there was any discussion videos about the movie in youtube and found this.
I find Snow to be an interesting character to think about. I feel like he is a copy of the real Snow and not his twin, or better yet Snow’s memory or image of himself rather than a direct clone, much like Rhea is born from Kelvins memory. I think this explains Snow kind of overexaggerated quirky characteristics and behavior. The “real” Snow might have been a bit weird, but the new Snow has that dialed up even more because of how he saw himself. I think Gordon’s “I knew it” line plays into this, she was able to tell that the new Snow wasn’t quite right, something was noticeably off about him. In the scenes where they are present together I always felt like Gordon looked at Snow like she didn’t trust him.
Will always wonder about the other crew members with such little information. Why did the security team open fire at Coutard? Why did he try to escape from them, and why did the security force leave the station after leaving the others.
And yes, what the hell happened to Reese?! lol
Great video 👍
The idea that Snow's copy is an exaggerated version of himself is interesting--that's something I'll need to think about some more. If the original Snow hadn't reacted so violently, had had time to interact with this other version of him, how would he have felt? Is it like when someone plays a recording of your voice back and you're thinking, "Is that really what I sound like?? I hate that." Would the copy of a narcissist be completely insufferable, even to the original? Would the copy of someone with major depression be considered a major bummer, even more than the original person? Man. Some stuff to ponder, for sure.
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the video (and the movie, of course)! I hope you enjoy my one other offering on this channel. More things in the works for 2021, now that the mess of 2020 is largely dealt with.
@@thecommonhatred Yeah it’s interesting to think how the “Snows” would interact and handle the situation if they weren’t immediately hostile. I’ve wondered that perhaps Snow might have something dark or violent inside him, though he otherwise seemed calm and nice towards the others. Like Snow’s immediately reaction to seeing “himself” is to try and murder him, and Snow II reacted equally violent in killing to defend himself instead of attempting to flee or reason. Also adds a bit of darkness to the line “I would kill to go back to earth. Kill.”
But it’s hard to tell because Snow as we see him seems the complete opposite of a violent person, so maybe it was just the bizarre situation that made the Snows want to kill each other as a first instinct.
Snow and Rheya always fascinate my when I’m watching, two beings who know they aren’t human and with different reactions to it. One coming to terms with that and desiring to be destroyed, and the other hiding that fact and trying to fit in, believing they are a special gift, and wanting to leave Solaris.
I look forward to seeing new content in the future!
You inspired me to order the DVD.
One of my all time favourite movies. (And yes, I've seen the Tarkovsky version, and read the book).
I love this movie as well.. I read the Stanislaw Lem novel after I saw the movie, it also was good, but the movie, yes... one of my favorite movies... beautiful movie for me.
Looking forward to Prince of Egypt, that shot of whale shark in the red sea left a lifelong impression with me. So happy I watched Solaris tonight then found your video
Thank you! I hope you'll stick around.
@@thecommonhatred 100%
Great video, you may find the bbc radio drama interesting as a 4th way, with a really interesting conclusion. I keep going back to it for the soundscape and the ost, but the central premise is also captivating
I just rewatched Solaris after ordering the Bluray from Germany, the only country that actually has a physical media release for this film. I've always loved Solaris since I saw it in the cinema before The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, even though my friend blasted me for making him watch it. The soundtrack is a masterpiece that can be listened to without any visuals to accompany it.
But interestingly, while watching it this time, I viewed the film as a sci-fi horror in the vein of 1982's The Thing. You have an isolated location filled with very intelligent people who are desperate to comprehend something that is beyond their intellect, while slowly succumbing to the isolation-induced madness. And then there's the terror of grappling with what may very well be first contact with some radically different yet clearly intelligent life.
Viola Davis successfully pulls her shit together, making her rational arguments consistently throughout the film and desperately clinging onto her scientific mindset throughout, even though she clearly indulges herself with her visitor (although maybe she hates herself for it?). Clooney is already shown to be in a pretty miserable place that his logic and reasoning have done very little to pull him out of. He eventually allows himself to succumb to the madness (or love, what's the difference?) for the reasons you've pointed out, and that's really probably the best outcome for him. I think there's a lot to this film that make it endearing, and I wish Soderbergh had been allowed to make it longer. More importantly, I wish he'd get around to a 4K release (he's done a remaster already), but since this is now a Disney film, I don't hold high hopes. I'll put the 1972 version on my to-watch list.
You have access to a BLU-RAY release in Germany? I'm so jealous.
Looking at this as a horror is definitely warranted considering the events that transpire, though Cliff Martinez's gorgeous score [among my favorites, and absolutely a score that can be listened to on its own] instills more wonder than terror. I wouldn't expect Disney/FOX to make any real effort to do an updated release of Solaris, considering it's so unknown and was fairly poorly received. Solyaris got a Criterion Collection release, and I'd love to see Solaris get the same, but much like hoping for an updated re-release of Eternal Darkness on the Switch, I think Solaris is a property that FOX is very willing to forget.
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
@@thecommonhatred You can import the Blu-ray from here: smile.amazon.de/gp/product/B078B3YCJQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I know that Soderbergh has done a 4K remaster of Solaris (he has remastered all his films), so at best, we will probably see it on a streaming service. But I'm afraid the German Blu-ray will possibly be its last physical media release. Fortunately, it's a really good transfer (not perfect, but it's the best it has ever looked) and soundtrack.
@@JudeNiro Oh, man, thanks! That's going on my to-do list for sure.
Doom…….Where did you go? Your videos are outstanding, and now you have flown the proverbial coop and left us all here to wait for more videos that will never come?
Ah 😅 well, I'm still around, theoretically. Life just gets busy, as these things tend to do. More pressingly, my bird, who I basically made my Year of the Dog video about, died last December, and that's been very difficult for me. I have indeed been working on my next video/videos [I'm not sure yet whether it will be one long video or more shorter videos], though I can't even begin to guess when they'll be ready. But thank you for watching my meager offerings so far, and I hope you like what I put out in the future, whenever it does eventually come out! 💙
@@thecommonhatred Hi again. Thank you for replying. I want you to know that I have been on TH-cam for over 14 years. I have a channel that I just keep for few of the things I like, but mostly I view and review other TH-camrs work, and offer those that I believe in.......assistance. Why? Because I know how hard it is to be a TH-camr, and putting out content is no easy task. I believe that you are incredibly talented. You have a grasp of language that is astounding, you have a way to convey this to those that watch you in a manner that is sensitive, yet informative, and without a hint of condescension. That is not just hard to do, but almost impossible to do well. You perform the task brilliantly. Moreover, your speaking voice is superb. Soothing, pleasing, intelligible. You, in so many words, are the real deal. Has anyone ever told you this? Why you do not have a million + subscribers seems to me only because your content is sparse. This is the question that I need to ask then. Is it sparse because of the time it takes to make content in such a comprehensive and detailed manner, or is it because you just do not consider TH-cam your priority? I know that I may seem a bit "intrusive" in my questioning of someone that I do not know, however, I want you to know that you are a very very talented individual. You could be a superstar on TH-cam if you wanted. As far as providing "assistance", that is difficult when your Patreon is free, which I cannot fathom. Anyway, not to belabor the issue, however, I am willing to be your Patron, if you can provide more content than you have. Solaris is one of my favorite films of all time, and you nailed it completely. Wonderful. As far as The Prince of Egypt, it is only through your review that I have now watched it. I am a sucker for The Ten Commandments from 1956 though, but The Prince of Egypt was a work of art, as is your review of perfection. That is all for now. I hope you take what I have written and take it to heart. Talent such as yours should not be wasted Doom.
This is a great video about an AMAZING MOVIE. Really enjoyed the Tarkovsky one as well (and I reall wanna watch the tv movie version from the 60s but I'll get around to it), but this is truly my favorite adaptation of Solaris. Love the intimate and subjective vibes of this compared to the other. So great job, and I hope you make more stuff about cool underappreciate flix.
And I kind of want to read the novel, but don't. Should i?
The novel is good, but very different from either of the adaptations you've seen [I'm also aware of the old b&w adaptation, but haven't been able to source a subtitled version :/]. Stanislaw's criticisms of the adaptations give a good idea of what to expect from the book: it's much more interested in Solaris as an unknowable entity than it is with the people on the station and the things that happen to them. The Solaris of the book is very different from the Solaris of either film. I'd recommend giving it a read, even if only to see how different it is from what Soderbergh and Tarkovsky ended up doing. It's fairly short, more a long novella than a short novel, so even if you don't end up enjoying it too much, you could still get through the entire book in a few days.
"Everything is forgiven", except for the unforgiveable GLASS cutting board!! lol
LOVE this movie, trippy sci fi mind squeeze with a fantastic soundtrack.
Truly a great video❤
Brilliant video and absolutely beautiful narration. Thank you for explaining this movie.
If Christopher Nolan directed it we would have talked about for years. Somehow the name and brand also play a huge role in a films relevance.
I think it was quite interesting & enjoyable. It looks good.
added: the entities that are replacements for humans lost and are only based on memories is a major factor but the the
'replacement' is sometimes so perfect 'it' doesn't know. The end is definitely not the first time that happens.
Great review of the movie 🎉
Your voice is awesome ❤
Thanks for this...agreed and yes..one of my favorite if not the favorite movie. Very insightful comments
I am a Polish guy. 40 years old. I read a lot and I should read S.Lem „ Solaris” long time ago.. becouse he is one of the most well onow Polish authors. I had not Watch tarkovsky adaptation. I liked movie ...this movie. I loved it and I even bought DVD copy. I show this movie to all my candidate for beeing gf..mate. These one which liked it and understand it are much better gf material. I agree with you. You did great job in this review and analisis. Make more uploads with other movies. Sorry for my bad English. I lived little bit of English from YT videos and comments but I understand what you said in 99,9%. Just my grammer sucks worse than having a diabetase. All the best for You and Greetings from Poland.
I watched this movie yesterday and absolutely loved it~
This is an amazing analysis. I fucking love this.
I loved the movie, and your analysis. Thank your for the fine job.
My interpretation of the ending is just that he's reunited with Reya in an afterlife (all is forgiven now), but not necessarily created by the Solaris body. I thought of Solaris as a mysterious space object (like a black hole) that warps space-time around it, not as a sentient being. Anyway I agree this was a good movie, I enjoyed the music and it was the first time I saw how a great actress Viola Davis is
I love this movie so much, I watch it once a year religiously. I love showing people movies like this. I think you'd like "Perfect Sense" 2011, It's another movie I watch over and over.
Somehow I have the feeling that the film has something that cannot be seen with the eye. There is something in the background that is difficult to put into words.
Even the moments of silence seem to want to say something.
Having watched the original 1972 version as well as the 1979 movie Stalker, I noticed that both films had the exact same theme - humans encounter an alien entity and the reactions of that entity are based entirely on what type of person the human is. Good people are given the reward of love (the one thing that has universal value,) and the bad people are either attacked or vanish never to be seen again. These aliens are neither good or bad, their reaction is a pure logical reflex action with no human agenda. On a side tangent: I love that in Stalker, "the zone" gave the main character a dog, dog people will get it.
Fantastic to finally find people that love this movie as much as I do. To me it is infinitely superior to its predecessor and much better than the very different book.
In a way it’s an extension of Sartre’s No Exit and the famous phrase “Hell is other people.” Instead of Hell, Life is other people.
Very well done.
Well, I didn't think it were possible but... you've given me a better appreciation of this movie. Originally, when I first watched Solaris, I thought it was the most boring thing I'd ever seen. This slow pace is very typical of George Clooney's movies, and sadly not at all my taste. I've grown too accustomed to the fast bombastic pace of Star Wars and Star Trek, and Solaris is as far from that as possible. Although, I could easily see Solaris as an episode of Star Trek (Star Trek episode "Shore Leave" from the original series did already kind of copied this movie.)
Star Trek Episode Spoiler Below:
In the Star Trek episode "Shore Leave", the Enterprise crew visit a mysterious planet that looks like a forest paradise but is completely unpopulated. Suddenly the crew begins to see people. Past loves, friends, former enemies, and even fictional characters from books. Animals, black knights, samurai, even the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Dr. McCoy, believing the manifestation to be illusions, allows the Black Knight to kill him. Finally, a strange man appears and apologizes to the crew. The strange man explains to the crew that the planet is actually a massive amusement park designed to bring your thoughts to life and allow you to play with them. The danger is that if you are unaware of the nature of the planet, then these amusements could be disturbing. The alien creator of the amusement planet even shows that McCoy is still alive and perfectly fine. McCoy comments how the planet has massive underground facilities that healed his wounds. The episode ends with the entire ship invited to come down and play as long as they are careful and understand the manifestations.
Could Snow have been a narcissist? Therefore the only person he cared about was himself and thus explains why he manifested himself. But being so self centered he couldn't stand the idea of another him and killed himself... literally.
What if Solaris is like this? Not evil, not trying to communicate, but just trying to help? To help people who have suffered loss. What if evil people visited Solaris? What would they manifest? What if you were a sociopath and didn't love anyone? What would you manifest?
Kelvin refers to a child as "the Spawn".
In our video game world, you die...you spawn. Repeat.
I like this movie quite a bit, the score especially stuck with me. I would love to see someone adapt it as a limited series. I think you could really pull the the taffy and cover every aspect of the story.
Love the score, and also love Deftones self titled :)
I always liked this movie and it’s music. Just fantastic!
Wow, this is indeed a good movie and a worthy adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaria novel.
What if memories are enough to create a person? Who can judge what deserves to live? Is Kris way of giving in and fully accepting the current copy of Rhea delusional or is it rational? Is Gordons way of dehumanizing the visitors rational, legit or ignorrance? Is Snow confronted by a version of himself because he is a loner and Solaris brings up what your mind is centered around? Is the copy of Snow less worthy then the original trying to kill it? What they all got in common is how stressfull these encounters are for them, full of regret, shame, fear, desire and yearning. Brilliant psychological thriller. I love the book and both movies.
this film made big changes to the book, especially the ending.
They never even showed the ocean and the structures it creates, which featured prominently in the novel.
It sure does change a lot, which I elaborate on at several points during the video, which you apparently didn't watch lol
@@thecommonhatred it was a comment, not a correction. For hour long videos, I sometimes comment first and then save for later.
The "big changes" you speak of were just attempts to modernize some of the more dated aspects of the book and to make things more believable. Science has come a long way since the original book was published. But the science behind how Solaris works and everything else in the book actually has no bearing on the book's message. The point is Solaris is supposed to be so alien that our minds would be unable to comprehend that Solaris is in fact trying to communicate with us, let alone what its message could even mean. It's about how we have a psychological assumption about how communication is supposed to work and how we fail to acknowledge we only know how humans communicate.
In reality, this version changes about as much substantiative material from the original novel as the Tarkovsky version. And both versions add and subtract their own embellishments.
I saw this movie and is magical...has great vibe to me
Watched Avatar 2, got into a James Cameron frenzy and learned he was a producer on this film.
Watching the explanations made me remember I actually already watched this movie. I don't intend on rewatching it because I don't want to fuel feelings of depression. This movie isn't happy regardless of the "best option ending considering the options". I need some laughs.
Excellent video discussion/breakdown. I usually don't like open-ended movies; Yet this is one of my favorite movies of all time! I saw it on a date, and she was completely bored.... I Natascha McElhone was already my celebrity crush before this movie. So throughout the first viewing I was just thinking, "Kelvin, shut up and just enjoy the bounty of Solaris, you angst-driven fool!" 🙂 Observations: I think the first Rhea visitor, was the closest one to what Kelvin would've wanted, she only wanted to be with him. As for Snow, I'm wondering if a Twin brother, would immediately feel some sort of revulsion because they he would deeply sense the alieness, or possibly even underlying motive?
what about gibrarian? why does "he" appear later and tell him to leave?
One of my favorite movies of all time
I saw the 2002 Solaris in the theater! I saw the 1972 version yesterday on HBO Max. I love them both, but the 2002 version is much easier to watch, not just because because of it's more modern and less low budget, and from my own culture, but because the original is so incredibly slow paced and many of the characters are very off putting. People who think the 2002 version was slow and boring wouldn't survive a viewing of the original!