Solaris

I had read all of the review's, both Google User and professional critic alike and was raring to go for a cerebral treat. What I got instead was Solaris. Mind you, the performance's were spot on. There's just nothing unexpected and not predictable in the movie at all. You will see every so called plot twist coming in plenty of time to put a batch of cookie's in the oven ( it's my movie substitute for popcorn, each his own). I wanted, and was expecting, something to stimulate my neuron's, get the electrical connection's working and instead your brain feel's like the arm you accidentally slept on now awaiting blood flow...just substitute your mind for the arm and that's what Solaris will give you. footnote and possible spoiler to some degree: the ending seems to have religious overtones. There is a line "All is forgiven...etc". In order for a human to be forgiven for transgression's would that not suggest a deity or higher power? Whether this was the film maker's intent I do not know. Judge for yourself if you take the leap into this space version of Romeo and Juliet ( it really is just a story about love, loss and regret).

I think it had brilliant performances. The idea was intelligent. But...it needed depth. The ending was predictable. *Spoilers* The idea that if you injured a massively powerful entity, it would decide to cause your loved ones to come back to life according to your memory of them is a bit far fetched. I still don't understand the relevance, other than an excuse to give the guy grieving his lover a second chance. Really, it's a glorified love story masquerading as a psychological thriller.

I keep scratching my head reading the reviews. It seems too few people realize that 1) this is not an original and 2) this is not a remake of the remarkable Tarkovsky adaptation. This is yet another high-budget poor-execution adaptation of an important sci-fi book. Cast is mismatched, the performance is clinical, the cinematography is unremarkable, the directing is ... insufficient. I'll just leave it at that. For now...