Solaris

To test the DVD playback capabilities of my recently acquired PS2 I rented and saw Soderbergh and Cameron’s Solaris today. I like the movie. A lot.

I read the book quite a long time ago. I think it was back in the “dark ages” in the summer breaks between the 11th and 12th grade or the 12th grade and College. I’m saying dark ages because I didn’t have a computer back then and so obviously I was bored to hell. I don’t remember exactly but I think I read it really quick through two rainy days spending almost all those days laying in bed with the book in my hand. I can’t recall details from the book but I certainly remember Lem’s book as a hallucinating one. The movie’s take is a quite interesting one, a little different from the book (or at least as much as I remember of it). I really loved the movie visually, that cold medical kind of color combination of the whole space station really blew me. It was in a huge contrast with the smooth warm colors of the flashbacks and the vivid colors of the planet itself. Although Clooney is not one of my favourite actors he plays quite well and Natascha McElhone is interesting to look at as always.

I’m currently watching the movie with the director and producer’s commentary overlaid as it comes as an extra on the DVD which I rent for 60.000 lei (about 1.5 euros). At least I’ll know I saw everything contained on the disc. Well except reading the script which is included in it’s whole…

I think I’ll “include” this movie in my personal top of sci-fi movies alongside Blade Runner and Gattaca. This is how sci-fi movies should be made.