Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Solaris

Play trailer Poster for Solaris PG-13 2002 1h 39m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
66% Tomatometer 208 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Based on the classic science fiction novel by Stanislaw Lem, "Solaris" centers on a psychologist sent to investigate unexplained behavior of key scientists on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Once aboard he, too, falls victim to this unique world's mysteries -- as well as to an erotic obsession with someone he thought he had left behind.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Solaris

Solaris

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Slow-moving, cerebral, and ambiguous, Solaris is not a movie for everyone, but it offers intriguing issues to ponder.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Geoff Andrew Time Out Jun 24, 2006
Scripted, shot, directed and edited by Soderbergh with his customary intelligence and assurance, this is perhaps the most ambiguous and cerebrally sophisticated Hollywood movie in nearly three decades. Go to Full Review
Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) Oct 19, 2003
Anomalous and mesmerising. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian Mar 25, 2003
4/5
With audacity and style, Steven Soderbergh has revisited one of Russian cinema's landmarks, and done so very successfully. Go to Full Review
Noah Berlatsky Splice Today Feb 19, 2026
Steven Soderbergh’s 2002 remake isn’t necessary, but is nonetheless all the more in the spirit of the original’s vision of reality, and of itself, by being an ersatz copy. Go to Full Review
Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Sep 17, 2022
A
Like Tarkovsky, and Kubrick before him, Soderbergh has made a philosophical art movie in a sci-fi costume. Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Aug 25, 2022
4/5
“Solaris” is a psychological thriller told through the stylistic lens of Soderbergh’s camera. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Cinema S @cinema_sensei 10 hrs ago Easy to follow and well-made, but after watching Tarkovsky’s original, this version feels less powerful. Soderbergh keeps the core ideas about love, grief and memory, and Clooney gives a solid performance, but the shorter, cleaner approach loses some depth and mystery. Good film, just not a great experience compared to the original. See more Robert P @Superbad Sep 18, 2026 Solaris = a *3* star Movie! See more Blake- N @PBSAniDom Apr 17, 2026 Solaris (2002) is a quiet, reflective science fiction film that feels less like a traditional space story and more like an emotional investigation into grief, memory, and identity. Based on the earlier Solaris novel by Stanisław Lem and clearly influenced by Tarkovsky’s 1972 version, this adaptation takes a more streamlined and intimate approach while keeping the core philosophical ideas intact. George Clooney delivers a restrained performance as a man haunted by his past, and the film uses its minimalist space station setting to emphasize isolation and psychological tension rather than action or spectacle. The pacing is slow, but it suits the meditative tone, allowing the emotional weight of the story to build gradually. While it may not have the same depth or impact as the 1972 version for some viewers, it still stands as a thoughtful interpretation in its own right. Overall, i'd gave it a 7/10. See more Sam P @laniakea Apr 4, 2026 Everything about a Clooney movie is about Clooney. From the moment he appears on screen, any hope of genuine storytelling evaporates. You're not watching a character grapple with grief and memory on a mysterious space station. You're watching George Clooney's face do George Clooney things. And then there's the naked arse. Soderbergh apparently felt the world needed to see it. We did not. The source material, Lem's novel and Tarkovsky's masterful 1972 adaptation, is about the unknowability of the other, the way memory distorts love, the limits of human understanding. None of that survives contact with a movie star whose entire screen presence radiates self satisfaction. Nauseating. Watch the Tarkovsky instead. See more Cohil P @cohil Dec 20, 2025 Underrated remake. We'll judge again in ten years. See more Heather D @deepsters Apr 20, 2025 An excellent Cerebral, mind bending film that still holds up 23 years later better than most sci-fi films of today. Don’t pay attention to the negative reviews. Those are the same people that complain that their ice cream is cold. See more Read all reviews
Solaris

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
The Adjustment Bureau 71% 67% The Adjustment Bureau Watchlist The Fountain 52% 74% The Fountain Watchlist The Invasion 20% 40% The Invasion Watchlist Knowing 35% 42% Knowing Watchlist The Arrival 65% 44% The Arrival Watchlist TRAILER for The Arrival Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Based on the classic science fiction novel by Stanislaw Lem, "Solaris" centers on a psychologist sent to investigate unexplained behavior of key scientists on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Once aboard he, too, falls victim to this unique world's mysteries -- as well as to an erotic obsession with someone he thought he had left behind.
Director
Steven Soderbergh
Producer
John Cameron, Rae Sanchini, Jon Landau
Screenwriter
Steven Soderbergh, Stanislaw Lem
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Lightstorm Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Nudity|Brief Language|Sexuality|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.0M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, SDDS, DTS-ES, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings