One of the greatest science fiction films of all time is streaming free. Released 53 years ago, the sci-fi outing is now cited as one of the best examples of the genre in cinema history, thanks to its combination of psychological thrills, philosophical musings, all of which are wrapped up in an elite sci-fi package for the ages.
Co-written and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972’s Soviet film Solaris combines Soviet psychological terror and arthouse spectacle to form what is now considered one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. A two-hander that stars Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk, Solaris finds the filmmaker pushing the genre towards emotions rather than technology after being disappointed in the Western world’s approach to sci-fi. Which included another sci-fi classic: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
While Tarkovsky would further lean into these sensibilities in his 1979 sci-fi movie Stalker, Solaris is the one that’s remembered by most, with its tale of a space-traveling psychologist struggling over the death of his wife taking hold and never letting go. Solaris is all set to stream for free on Tubifrom December 29, and you can check out the official synopsis below…
“A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.”
”Solaris’ Is a “Deeply Rewarding” Sci-Fi Experience
Trying to explain the aching beauty of Solaris is a near-impossible task, so, instead, we’ll let the reactions and reviews give you an idea of how and why the sci-fi movie has achieved such seminal status. As well as being among renowned filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s favorite films, film-authority.com gives Solaris a perfect 5/5 saying, “…as philosophical as sci-fi gets, Solaris is a meditation, deeply rewarding on a spiritual level…” Another 5/5 comes courtesy of Alternate Ending, calling the movie, “Perfectly immaculate, using the chilliness of the way the location is framed to offset the profoundly human story being told there.”
Epoch Times, meanwhile, says Solaris is “Easily one of the most important science fiction films of all time,” with CineVue adding, “Where 2001: A Space Odyssey’s final act explored the limitless possibilities of human potential, the heart of Solaris‘ thesis is the crushing limitation of human psychological experience.”
So elusive is the brilliance of Solaris that even Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh failed to recreate it. Released in 2002 and starring George Clooney in the lead, the Hollywood remake followed a similar path to the influential 1972 effort (which was itself a remake of TV movie from 1968) but failed to capture what made Solaris so remarkable. And you can soon discover why without spending a dime.
Source link
Add Comment