5. Solaris (1972)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky Cast: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis We re willing to bet that many hard-core science fiction fans havent seen the Russian film Solaris, from 1972. After all, Russian cinema at that time was not exactly known for its sci-fi. But youll find Solaris on nearly everybodys list of greatest science fiction films of all time. If you dont believe us, check it out on your own. Solaris is not the fast-paced sci-fi were accustomed to today. It is, frankly, slow, but not plodding, and with a running time of 167 minutes its not likely to stimulate the adrenaline. But great science fiction is not necessarily light sabers and photon torpedoes. Solaris is a cerebral film that questions reality and our perception of it, and remains a fascinating descent into the human mind. When a crewmember aboard a space station orbiting the distant and mysterious planet Solaris dies, a psychologist named Kris Kelvin is sent to investigate. Arriving on the station, he discovers the other two cosmonauts have gone insane, and speculates that there is some force or intelligence in the planets ocean that may be the cause. But Kelvin is not immune to the peculiar forces that are affecting the crew. When his dead wife returns to him on the space station, Kelvin begins to question his own sanity. Steven Soderbergh remade Solaris with George Clooney in 2002. The remake was visually stylish and competently done, but lacked the ominous sense of dread created by the original. If you are a true sci-fi fan, and enjoy a film that makes you think, then do yourself a favor and see what one of Russias most famous directors created in 1972.