Solyaris (Solaris) poster & wallpaper
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Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Donatas Banionis, Anatoli Solonitsin, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky ... see more see more... , Nikolai Grinko , Sos Sarkisyan , Tamara Ogorodnikova

Based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem, Solaris centers on widowed psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donata Banionis), who is sent to a space station orbiting a water-dominated planet called Solaris to investigate... read more read more... the mysterious death of a doctor, as well as the mental problems plaguing the dwindling number of cosmonauts on the station. Finding the remaining crew to be behaving oddly and aloof, Kelvin is more than surprised when he meets his seven-years-dead wife Khari (Natalya Bondarchuk) on the station. It quickly becomes apparent that Solaris possesses something that brings out repressed memories and obsessions within the cosmonauts on the space station, leaving Kelvin to question his perception of reality. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, Solaris was remade by Steven Soderbergh in 2002. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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89% liked it

23,511 ratings

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96% liked it

45 critics

PG, 2 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky

Release Date: October 6, 1976

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DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002

Stats: 1,472 reviews

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Solyaris (Solaris) Solyaris (Solaris) Solyaris (Solaris) Natalya Bondarchuk as Hari in "Solaris" Solyaris (Solaris) Poster of "Solaris" Solyaris (Solaris) Solyaris (Solaris) Donatas Banionis as Kris Kelvin in "Solaris" Close up Natalya Bondarchuk Poster for "Solaris" Solaris DVD Cover Donatas Banionis in "Solaris" Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk in the original 1972 Solaris Donatas Banionis as Kris Kelvin in "Solaris" A scene in "Solaris" A scene in "Solaris"
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Flixster Reviews (1,472)

  • fb1710827246
    May 28, 2012
    fb1710827246
    A laboriously long science-fiction film gives time for deep meditation about human existence and its perplexing themes. A bit tad too long, but it must be, in all its mystery. Its haunting, and has me rooted to my own life and thinking..
  • bottcorecords1
    January 8, 2012
    bottcorecords1
    Evolutionary philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme recently hosted an enlightening PBS program called "Journey of the Universe". In it, Swimme postulates that there exists an awareness or sentience to energy "that is more than what takes place in elementary particles but less than (ou... read morer) human consciousness". There is a primitive discernment, he says, made by even the simplest cells due to what is suggested to be the "self-organizing dynamics of the universe". When a cell encounters a molecule, the cell must decide whether to incorporate it or not. On a celestial level, our Earth has developed a symbiotic relationship with the sun, "Earth's systems attune to the sun, changing molecular structures to absorb the sun's energy". What motivates life to stay living? Why is existing so important for unconscious energy? 99% of the human body is made up of only 6 chemical elements (oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus), and these elements come from the residue of stars exploded billions of years ago. Somehow, through some natural progression, we've come to exist from the dust of stars. It can almost be suggested from all this that life is the driving force of the universe. That the will to progress, evolve and *live* overcomes any other movitating power.

    In "Solaris" (both the film and the 1961 novel by Stanislaw Lem), mankind encounters a lifeform it cannot comprehend. A "living ocean" on the planet Solaris that seems to cause mysterious hallucinations to the astronauts investigating it. The Solaris Project has spent decades orbiting the planet in a space station, trying to make contact with the alien lifeform, but rather than enlightenment, the project only seems to get further mired in confusion. So, psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent up to the space station to investigate the matter and see if the project might need to be permanently closed. Kelvin is highly skeptical of the supernatural nature of the phenomenon occurring on the station, dismissing them as mere hallucinations, but almost from the moment he arrives there, he's sucked into their existence by the appearance of his dead wife. The scientists believe the alien consciousness ("the ocean") is creating neutrino-based lifeforms from their own repressed memories. Well, the word "lifeforms" might be contested, as some of the scientists believe they are living and others believe them to be just physical hallucinations that exist only as a part of their mind. The manifestation of Kelvin's wife knows she's not the original wife and doesn't share the same memories. She is composed only of what Kelvin believed his wife to be. But given these parameters, she accepts and functions and exists in her "state". By whatever definition you choose for "life", she lives, but is still not human.

    Director Andrei Tarkovsky's languidly ponderous film isn't about space aliens or body snatchers, but the nature of life and humanity's fundamentally willful isolation in the universe. We don't understand because we choose not to. We fail to make contact because we don't comprehend what we're looking at or looking for. This explains why the planet Solaris' motivation for creating life from the astronauts memories is never learned or even suggested. As the closing scene of the movie suggests, we grasp at things to understand them, but are left fundamentally alone in the universe.
  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Solaris poses the question, "does the capacity for logic and emotion conceive Humanity?" A source of mysterious energy, Solaris is a fictional ether that renders hallucinations to a group of scientists aboard a laboratory in space. A science fiction feature aware of the world fro... read morem which conceived, Solaris, in simple terms, is profound and sophisticated. Brilliant.
  • 366weirdmovies
    September 4, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    An astronaut on a satellite circling a mysterious planet that may be alive meets, and falls in love with, a hallucinated version of his dead wife. A fascinating anfd thought-provoking mix of hard science fiction, arthouse drama and heavy existential symbolism; making a "sci-fi" ... read moremovie was writer/director Andrei Tarkovsky's way of getting around Soviet censors who wouldn't allow him to discuss the concept of God. Warning to anyone who thought 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was "too slow-moving": Tarkovsky's pacing makes Kubrick look like Michael Bay.
  • stevenecarrier
    July 22, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    Now, I will say this first, I like Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel more than Andrei Tarkovsky's. This version of "Solaris" is extremely good in it's own ways mind you. Tarkovsky's film is deeply emotional and deeply influential. Though I believe that the f... read moreilm is just too long to actually enjoy. This is one of those films where the point the filmmakers are trying to make comes across clearly long before the film ends (a recent example of this is "The Tree of Life"). "Solaris" is worth your time because of it's endless influence on science-fiction and makes a nice counter point to Stanley Kubrick's sterile, but equally thought provoking "2001: A Space Odyssey."

    On a side note, I think Soderbergh's film works better because it is a bit more streamlined. Plus, he does away with the obvious philosophical musings and finds interesting ways to insert them into his visuals.
  • blkbomb
    May 18, 2011
    blkbomb
    Although very slow, Solaris is an awesome movie. Many complain about the pacing, but I enjoyed the pace which slowly unveils the great story. It is plagued in mystery and leaves you asking a lot of questions.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    November 27, 2010
    StarCrossedVoyager
    An interesting tale that to me wasn't fully explained. Maybe I need to watch it again but why are they on Solaris, how did they find Solaris, what exactly is going on in the space station... Many questions left unanswered. Some of the extreme long takes were annoying and unnecces... read moresary.
  • ythelastman89
    August 3, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Very worthy of its reputation as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. The way Andrei Tarkovsky manipulates the camera and viewer is extremely unique and powerful. There's not many movies that feel quite like this, it sets itself apart from being another 2001 or Alien. It'... read mores not quite sci-fi/horror, but it definitely has a very suspenseful slow-moving pace that keeps you questioning what you see and why you are seeing it. There are no flaws, no bad performances and not an once of change needed. It's as perfect as they come.
  • MovieGeek13
    January 24, 2010
    MovieGeek13
    On my first viewing of Solaris, I firmly believed that I had just seen one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. Having watched it a second time, I believe it more than ever.
    I can only imagine people watching this movie today and writing reviews like this: "Boringest movie e... read morever!" or "Put me to sleep in fifteen minutes." But what else could you expect from people who associate sci-fi with Transformers?
    Solaris deals solely with the psychological aspect of the genre. A planet has the ability to give you anything you ever wanted. A man, who has just lost his wife, has the chance to be with her again, and not just an image of her. She is completely flesh and blood real, like a clone. What happens next will engage and challenge you. Beautifully shot, acted, and scripted.
  • blacksheepboy
    November 7, 2009
    blacksheepboy
    A wonderful meditative film that raises many philosophical and metaphysical questions about human existence, loss and happiness.

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Critic Reviews

Jay Cocks
May 23, 2011
Jay Cocks, TIME Magazine

The effects are scanty, the drama gloomy, the philosophy of the film thick as a cloud of ozone. The plot is not all that original either. Full Review

May 30, 2007
Variety

Andrei Tarkovsky spins a strange, slow but absorbing parable on life and love in the guise of a sci-fi theme. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 30, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

More an exploration of inner than of outer space, Tarkovsky's eerie mystic parable is given substance by the filmmaker's boldly original grasp of film language and the remarkable performances by all t... Full Review

Richard Eder
May 9, 2005
Richard Eder, New York Times

This complex and sometimes very beautiful film is about humanity but hardly at all about politics. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 24, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There was so much to think about afterward, and so much that remained in my memory. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
January 23, 2003
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

A visionary science-fiction film that takes us on a profound voyage into both outer and inner space. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
November 21, 2002
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

A dazzlingly imaginative work with awesome production values and special effects that bear comparison to those of 2001. Full Review

J. Hoberman
October 15, 2002
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

The most pop film the great Russian filmmaker ever made. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The third feature in Tarkovsky's brief, shining career will deliver you from the mundane to the sublime. Full Review

Bryant Frazer
June 8, 2011
Bryant Frazer, Film Freak Central

In Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris, we have made contact with the aliens, and they want you to call your mom. Full Review

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