His Movie Review: Solaris (1972) and Stalker (1979)

Why he watched them: On a list of sci-fi films to see

His rating: 3.5 stars for Solaris; 2.5 stars for Stalker

His review: I’ve been a science fiction fan my whole life. As a young reader, science fiction became my genre of choice. Consequently, science fiction films have long held my fascination. As an avid fan, I’ve always looked beyond the blockbusters and tentpole films for the independents and small gems. Through Netflix, I’ve also been able to explore older and international sci-fi. Fitting both of those categories are two Russian films by Andrei Tarkovsky, Solaris (1972) and Stalker (1979).

The plot of each film is rather simple. The goal is to use science fiction to explore human experience–grief and desire. They are philosophical and measured. When the philosophy and the science fiction merge well, it can be mesmerizing and intellectually stimulating, providing us an engaging lens to explore ourselves. But when the balance is off, the films can become tedious and obnoxious.

Solaris does the better job of the two. The story of a psychologist-astronaut, facing loss as he faces an alien world, brought together the visuals of this strange world with how we deal with loss. It was interesting throughout, and the philosophy and sci-fi blend together. Stalker, however, becomes more of a philosophical study rather than a film. The ideas take over, and film becomes an extended conversation as characters wander around a series of indistinguishable woods. While I appreciated what Tarkovsky was doing in each, Solaris is the much more successful, and memorable film experience.