Solaris on DVD

Occasionally, when Hollywood decides to waste our time with a bad movie, we can forgive it because, either it’s supposed to be bad, or it still has some entertainment value.

Which brings us to Solaris, the least enjoyable movie to come out of Hollywood in a long time. It’s really a shame, because there’s so much talent involved that you go into it with such high standards.

Chris Kelvin is a lonely psychologist who, since the death of his wife, doesn’t seem to have a lot to live for. One day he gets a “call” from an old friend (Ulrich Tukur), who asks him to head to a space station near the planet of Solaris to investigate some eerie happenings. When Chris arrives, he begins to experience the happenings for himself.

He’s haunted by visions of his wife, who appears too real to be fake, but who can’t possibly be there. He learns that the surviving crew members have also been haunted by loved ones passed; but rather than try to help them, he spends all his time being depressed and trying to find a way to get his “wife” back home.

To put it most succinctly: this movie sucks. There’s not a single enjoyable moment, and it’s possibly the most excruciating 99 minutes we’ve experienced in quite some time. The only thing that kept us going was the thought that, eventually, something had to happen.

But it never did

Steven Soderbergh, who is a talented director (but who doesn’t always make good movies), adds another miss to his hit-and-miss career, while James Cameron, who has made almost nothing but great movies (Piranha II not included), was actually willing to have his name attached to this thing. George Clooney is a good enough actor, as is Natascha McElhone, but the movie is too bad for them to be able to save it.

Solaris is another example of a good idea gone horribly wrong. As my brother so appropriately put it, it is “like Star Trek mixed with an episode of The Outer Limits with all the imagination taken away.” Indeed, it has potential, but absolutely nothing of interest is done with the idea. This is a bad movie that should not be viewed by anyone under any circumstances.

Deservedly so, Solaris was a flop back in December of 2002. Despite this, it still gets a very good DVD (infinitely better than it deserves). The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and the picture is quite impressive. Details are good, colors are rich, and there is no grain or dust or halo effect. There are a few fairly dark scenes (though not dark enough!), but it’s still easy to tell what’s going on (much to our chagrin). The audio isDolby Digital 5.1 surround, but it’s pretty much front-restricted. This is a very quiet movie for the most part, with dialogue, music and sound effects all fighting for the front channels. Each is audible enough, together or separately, but sometimes the dialogue is too quiet to hear properly (though I’m sure we didn’t miss anything).

The highlight extra is an audio commentary by Soderbergh and Cameron. Both are intelligent, talented filmmakers with plenty to say, but it’s hard to take them seriously when they’re so proud of such a bad movie.

There are also two featurettes, the first being a very standard HBO First Look special. It’s strictly promotional, featuring cast and crew interviews, and doesn’t really tell us much about the making of the movie. The second featurette is “Solaris: Behind the Planet.” This one has a little more making-of stuff, but is not overly engrossing (how much time do we really want to spend on this movie?). There is also the original screenplay, and the theatrical teaser and trailer.

If, for some reason, you enjoyed the movie, you’ll be pleased enough with the disc.

Solaris, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
99 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Jeremy Davies, Viola Davis
Produced by James Cameron, Rae Sanchini, Jon Landau
Written for the screen and directed by Steven Soderbergh

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