Phil’s review of Solaris > Likes and Comments
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The film is great if you get a chance to watch it. The full movie is available on YouTube.
Good to know! Very curious how they adapted it for the big screen!
So there are actually two movies- Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's adaptation from the early 70s, and an early 2000s remake with George Clooney. A friend and I had a weird running joke in college that involved starting the former late at night, and never even making it halfway before falling asleep. I did eventually see it, and I think it's great, but it's very deliberately-paced, and you've got to be in the right mood. Never saw the Clooney version.
I saw the Clooney version a while ago. I liked it, but I could see why it didn't do well at the box office: Too cerebral.
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p1/287915.jpg)
I love this book, but then I really enjoy Lem's attempts to take Soviet dogma to their logical conclusions. In the rudderless, Godless, joyless universe they insisted upon, why would we ever expect to be able to communicate with -- let alone *understand* -- fundamentally alien lifeform? In a universe adhering strictly to Darwinian Lysenkoist laws, why would intelligent life be the pinnacle of creation?
Phil wrote: "Yeah, like the book?"
Haven't read the book. I read a collection of Lem's stories, The Cyberiad. I didn't like it at all and haven't read anything by him since.
I also just read this shortly and I felt the same way and was disappointed. It has been so hyped up.
Ed-- I am looking forward to reading some of his other works, but this one did not do it for me either.
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Quill (thecriticalreader)
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Aug 28, 2026 06:38AM
The film is great if you get a chance to watch it. The full movie is available on YouTube.
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Good to know! Very curious how they adapted it for the big screen!
So there are actually two movies- Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's adaptation from the early 70s, and an early 2000s remake with George Clooney. A friend and I had a weird running joke in college that involved starting the former late at night, and never even making it halfway before falling asleep. I did eventually see it, and I think it's great, but it's very deliberately-paced, and you've got to be in the right mood. Never saw the Clooney version.
I saw the Clooney version a while ago. I liked it, but I could see why it didn't do well at the box office: Too cerebral.
I love this book, but then I really enjoy Lem's attempts to take Soviet dogma to their logical conclusions. In the rudderless, Godless, joyless universe they insisted upon, why would we ever expect to be able to communicate with -- let alone *understand* -- fundamentally alien lifeform? In a universe adhering strictly to Darwinian Lysenkoist laws, why would intelligent life be the pinnacle of creation?
Phil wrote: "Yeah, like the book?"Haven't read the book. I read a collection of Lem's stories, The Cyberiad. I didn't like it at all and haven't read anything by him since.
I also just read this shortly and I felt the same way and was disappointed. It has been so hyped up.
Ed-- I am looking forward to reading some of his other works, but this one did not do it for me either.