Solaris

Steven Soderbergh takes a crack at melding his commercial sensibilities with his esoteric art-film soul in this abstract, ultra-stylish, philosophical science fiction psyche-bender. Adapted by the director from Stanislaw Lem's novel (and from Andrei Tarkovsky's original 1972 Russian film), Solaris stars George Clooney as a shrink (poorly recovering from his wife's death) dispatched to a distant space station where scientists are being driven mad by private mental obsessions turned corporeal by the apparently sentient planet they're orbiting. When a meditative Clooney tries to get answers, he's initially met with riddles and then wakes up from a dream of his dead wife (Natascha McElhone) to find her in the flesh, in his arms, onboard this station. But is this a supernatural resurrection or an alien manifestation? Conceptual and otherworldly to a palpable degree, Solaris is more of an intense metaphysical experience--tickling both the intellect and the heart--than a straightforward narrative, and even if it ultimately isn't as mind-blowing as it could and should have been, it's still far more interesting than most Hollywood fare. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Steven Soderbergh and producer James Cameron, a 12-minute HBO Special “Inside Solaris,” the 18-minute “Solaris: Behind the Planet” featurette, text stills of the screenplay, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an arty mindbender.] (R. Blackwelder)