SOLARIS —** — George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Jeremy Davies, Viola Davis, Ulrich Tukur, Morgan Rusler; rated PG-13 (profanity, sex, brief nudity, brief drugs, brief gore, brief violence); Carmike 12 and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Consolidated Starships Gateway 8 Cinemas; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.
George Clooney fans going to "Solaris" simply to see his, ahem, cheeky appearance are bound to be disappointed; his bared posterior appears for less than three of the film's nearly 100 minutes, and both scenes are in shadows.
Those hoping to see an involving science-fiction movie are bound to be even more disappointed.
Not that "Solaris" — a ponderous existential drama with sci-fi trappings — doesn't have a lot of interesting ideas. It's just that they're not realized very well, and it's clear that filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is too fixated on 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey."
However, "Solaris" is a far cry from the late Stanley Kubrick's science-fiction masterpiece — which was all about awe and a sense of wonder and didn't require the audience to have much emotional attachment. "Solaris" is similarly aloof and lacks any real raw emotion, which is fatal for a film that relies on personal relationships.
The film's title refers to a planet that is being studied by scientists in an orbiting space station. That's where psychologist Chris Kelvin (Clooney) finds himself after receiving a distress call from Gibarian (Ulrich Tukur), the mission commander and Kelvin's longtime friend.
However, when Chris arrives, he discovers that his friend and the remaining crew members (Jeremy Davies and Viola Davis) appear to have become unhinged by something they've seen or heard from the planet below.
And Chris may be next, judging by his reaction to what appears to be a tangible manifestation of his late wife, Rhea (Natascha McElhone). At the same time, he also has to find a way to persuade the others to either return home or try to salvage the mission.
Among the film's bigger problems is a total lack of chemistry between Clooney and McElhone, who look uneasy in each other's company. In fact, given their somewhat glacial performances, it's easier to forgive Davies' tic-ridden supporting turn, as well as the apparent look of disgust on the face of Davis.
"Solaris" is rated PG-13 for occasional use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" profanity), scenes of simulated sex, brief male nudity, brief drug content (tranquilizer use and prescription abuse), brief gore and brief violence (domestic). Running time: 98 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com