MovieChat Forums > Solaris (2002) Discussion > So Unbelievably Underrated....

So Unbelievably Underrated....

posted 15 years ago by snow_crash-3
105 replies | jump to latest

This is one of my favourite films, and it's really shocking to see such a good film be given a 6.2 while films like superbad get a 7.8, and Leon get's a 8.6. Firstly, Solaris isn't a remake of the Tarkovsky classic. But seeming as many people mistake it for a remake (and remakes always cop a lot of flak), they instantly call Solaris garbage. Secondly i think too many people just rate it low because it bears the name Steven Soderberg, whom many think of as being pretentious.
The sci-fi elements in Solaris feel really well done, as it's not fixated on giving you 'cool' technology like flying cars or super advanced computers. It reminded me of 2001 in the way that it almost verges onto Hard Sci-fi.
Solyaris (1972)(which is a also a great film in it's own right) was focused more on philosophical idea's and giving slightly surreal and vivde atmospheres. Solaris (2002) is instead focused on psychology and emotions of the characters and their relationship to the mesmerising planet.
I think this is what Soderberg set out to do and i think he did it perfectly. The characters were actually intersting and we got a chance to delve into their psychological patterns and behaviours. Yes it is fairly slow paced, but to those who say it's boring, go watch Bad Boys 2.
Solaris is a seriously underrated film.

[–] jackluminous1965 10 years ago

imho Solaris is just above average...the plot is paper thin - psychiatrist goes to space station and meets his dead wife...its essentially a ghost story in space with a few bells and whistles. The pacing is erratic and my attention wandered on and off during many scenes - and before you assume I have NO patience I have watched many Asian films which usually have slow pacing. The plot suffers from one logical gap - Why send ONLY Clooney aboard when they KNOW there is a problem. IMHO there was no dilemma shown...his dead wife appears and after a few minutes he's accepting it. And we find out she has committed suicide - whoop de whoo. In short there was no real emotion running through this film so it just comes off as some pretentious sterile flick. Visually it looked great and the soundtrack was very good ...but the rest was mediocre.

Thats why it gets low ratings

[–] dantzu 7 years ago

".the plot is paper thin - psychiatrist goes to space station and meets his dead wife."

That's like saying the plot of Citizen Kane is paper thin because it's about "a guy who longs for a sled".

The complex, beautiful exploration of loss, grief, love and spirituality was completely lost on you.

But don't worry, as is evident by this thread, the ratings in general... you weren't the only one.

[–] TexasJack (12515) 7 years ago

Lol, great point re Citizen Kane. I agree this movie is very underrated.

[–] FabioPirovano 10 years ago

Touching movie...underrated I agree, Cinematography;Story Music and Direction 10/10

"life is Chiaroscuro matter" Fabio

[–] mindfull1 9 years ago

I gave it a 9, but almost gave it a 10.

This is one of the few movies I've ever watched more than twice. It is just mesmerizing and the soundtrack is what makes it so.

[–] robbystoner 9 years ago

Yeah, I also fall into the group of people that really like the film. I liked it ever since I first watched it when it came out.

I failed to comprehend the cheezy acting comment. I thought the relationship between the Clooney and McElhone character was very good.

It made my ponder quite a bit after the first time I watched the film.

My first girlfriend whom I loved a lot died quite young. She was hit by a car while crossing the street. Its in the long past now but I remember one dream I had a long time ago where she appeared in the dream and we were in a relationship in the dream and in the dream both me and her were aware and knew she has passed away but we were both so happy and excited that we were together and couldn't understand how it was possible but we wanted the dream to go on forever and not wake up. (It was one of those dreams where you know you are in a dream -- needless to say, very vivid and a dream that sticks in your memory).

Anyways, long story short, this film totally made me think of her and that dream.

"Oh, Mama, can this really be the end, to be stuck inside of mobile
with the memphis blues again"

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Lamebrain17 7 years ago

for some odd reason I love this movie too, and the 1972 version.

[–] Moviesforever (6) 6 years ago

It's definitely underrated, and honestly, I'm one those people who used to do so. I find that it gets better with each watch. I think part of the issue is that it doesn't spoon feed things to the viewer, and so you can miss a lot (nothing against spoon feeding). For example, part of enjoying a film is how it makes you feel at any given moment. Solaris has plenty of terrifying scenes, but most don't come across as scary unless you actually stop to think about it, because they don't use jolting music or panicked camera movements to emphasize it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I think it works really well, but I do think it creates a scenario where you don't get the full experience in one watch, and people often don't watch a film twice if they don't love it the first time around. Personally, I like it better each time I watch it, though I still don't love the ending.