Sputnik (2020) User Reviews

Finally something new and refreshing...

[shakal_marko · 7/10 · 28 August 2020]

I have to say,I really liked it. The story was tense from the beggining and the acting was quiet good. This is how every sci-fi movie should be...Entertaining,good plot, new and fresh ideas...Overall a good sci-fi movie... well done

A little Sci-Fi gem

[IMDbKeepsDeletingMyReviews · 7/10 · 2 September 2020]

Well, what do we have here? Could this be one of those films that have stopped coming from big studios a long time ago? Could this be a decent, well-made and thought provoking story in an interesting setting with great visuals and acting? In 2020?

Well, yes! Leave it to the Russians to bring some loving Sci-Fi back. Set in an intriguingly nostalgic feeling USSR of the 80s, "Sputnik" is a slow-paced, but increasingly intense story that manages to make you think a bit. The characters are nuanced, the plot is adequate, the cinematography very nice to excellent, and even the CGI is better than many films with way higher budgets.

If you don't try to project any "Western" expectations onto it and maybe even understand the "Russian soul" a bit, you will definitely enjoy this.

It has Been A Long Time Since A Good Alien Movie

[crowes-18865 · 7/10 · 16 November 2020]

This is a very well done sci-fi with a solid creature which isn't too over the top and is kept just simple enough to really work. Some of the only gems coming out of the horror and sci fi genres these days are the indie/foreign films and this one delivers a scary creature without getting so bogged down and convoluted as some of the more recent big budget films. It is subtitled but you can still appreciate that the actors/actresses were quite good. It was an unexpected surprise and I recommend it to anyone surging through the massive catalog of cookie cutter and ridiculous horror movies of late.

Felt this movie was weird? Let me explain

[kuarinofu · 6/10 · 14 August 2020]

I know something about Russian cinema (I live near Russia and I speak Russian).

Let me explain why this movie is not what it could've been.

First of all, modern big-budget Russian cinema is desperately trying to copy Hollywood-style productions and franchises, they even borrow some scripts and ideas (which is fine, many European filmmakers do this). Indie Russian filmmakers mostly do other types of films and there are lots of great Russian films out there, like Durak (2014), Leviathan (2014), Zhit (2010), Zavod (2018) and many more.

This film is not an exception in terms of Hollywood copy-pasting. Up to around 1 hr mark, they just copy scenes and concepts from popular films like Annihilation, Venom, Gravity (opening scene), Arrival, After Earth, and Alien Covenant. This is a common practice since sometimes they just straight-up rip off scripts and whole films like Nochnye strazhi (2016) (MIB rip-off with vampires), Den D (2008) (Commando scene-by-scene ripoff), Voin (2015) (a rip-off of Warrior (2011) and many, many more.

They do this copy-paste pretty well, the cinematography is great, the 80ties Soviet-era setting works although they never really dive deep into it since this film was made for international release and most of the more complicated stuff just wouldn't be understood. In this film though they re-create those scenes not exactly knowing what they are meant to establish. Many scenes are supposed to be emotional but not in this film, they clearly misunderstood the tone of some of those since the music is heavily misused in this. Like the scene where the doctor is transported to the facility, which was taken from the Arrival, but they play military-style music which does not fit well into the "delving into the unknown" style of the scene, more like an action film build-up.

Right around 1hr mark, they run of these and just start making their own stuff up, making really big stretches in terms of the script. Since the premise was a mix of other films they didn't really know where to go with this and thus, the film transformed into a mess of unbelievable scenes and random unnecessary subplots. Character motivation is completely dropped and all the things the characters do make absolutely no sense, nobody knows what and why they are doing.

The kid subplot was so incredibly unnecessary and disconnected that removing it from the story would change absolutely nothing. I have absolutely no idea why it was even included (probably because of using this mix of ideas they didn't really know what genre the film is supposed to be, a sci-fi horror? a family drama? who knows).

The ending is very messy and kind of defeats the purpose of most of the unmotivated character actions, which is a staple of these types of films.

We will surely see more of these since foreign markets are very profitable, and since most of these big productions are co-funded by Fond Kino (Cinema Fund, Russian governmental organization), the creators are not really scared of losing money and are just trying to build up better visuals and more recognizable imagery to sell their product worldwide.

Even though this film was quite a mess, I still want to give props to the filmmakers (one of which is the son of a great Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk (the author of many great films and even an oscar-winning Voyna i mir (1966-67), who plays the commander in this one) for achieving a technical level of a good Hollywood production.

Too bad they had no original concept or a general idea of what they are trying to show.

Hope this review makes it easier for foreign viewers to understand and appreciate this film for what it is.

The second half needs remaking

[Jim_Screechy · 6/10 · 17 August 2020]

This movie starts off well enough with an intriguing, if a little slow account of the aftermath of a Russian space craft's return to earth.

There is a good deal of suspense throughout the movie and its well acted and reasonably well directed. The problems stem from the failing plot that surfaces about an hour into the screenplay where the focus shifts from the extra-terrestrial and scientific aspect of the events, to one of inter-Soviet self interest, coupled with professional ambition, deceit and posturing.

This is all done fairly badly and is incongruous with the preceding story line. The result is a sudden and very disjointed feeling from what was a quite immersive film experience. I'm not sure why this was done, but I suspect it was a foolish attempt to add depth and dimension to a plot that really needed something extra to successfully bring it to conclusion.

Though this isn't Alien, or anything like a number of other titles involving extraordinary beings coming into contact with humanity, its a well trodden path that doesn't deal with the subject mater particularly successfully. Finding a unique path for development isn't always easy and though it begins well, the plot becomes messy, the scenes and dialog delusive, and progression of the story becomes dependant on the characters making unrealistic decisions, poor choices, and atypical behaviour.

I definitely liked it initially, but sadly I began rolling my eyes with the later developments and by the end I was fairly disappointed with what really should have been a good film.

Old Hollywood movies always had romance in them. It mattered little if it was a thriller, Sci-Fi, Comedy, or some other genre. There was always some romantic subplot thrown in for completeness. Similarly, Bollywood films necessitate scenes where the cast dance around in the street like some sort of expression of national pride. This movie had its own throwbacks of this dated approach with the professional posturing, the vying for position, and the excessive engagement in political skulduggery. The results made it feel stilted and hackneyed, especially because it was done so obtusely. It really spoils the film.

I can't recommend it in all honesty, though I think a six is a fair enough score given it did have some good aspects.

Excellent cinematography, but the story goes nowhere

[Gentzen · 6/10 · 19 August 2020]

Cinematography (camera, pace, lighting, angles) is top-notch. Score is majestic and utterly suggestive of a dark, claustrophobic atmosphere and the sense of grappling with the unknown. Acting is good enough. However, the story goes nowhere really. The reach of the plot runs out at just over an hour, once the picture has become clear of what the situation is. From there on, it becomes nonsensical, as it lacks a credible motivation for the main characters' choices of course of action. There is also little reason behind a middle ranked army officer keeping all of this secret from headquarters. And the child subplot is rather superfluous and contributes nothing. The resolution of the story is hasty and fairly commonplace, a sign of the script having run out of original ideas.

The film is, therefore, a mixed bag. Technically, it stands its ground very well against better and more expensive sci-fi productions from Hollywood . It is true that special effects and CGI are sparse here, but this film is not meant to tread the same roads as thinly-scripted, CGI-heavy, teen sensations like Transformers. Instead, a well worked out script would have allowed expert direction to make this into a solid, sober and tense, sci-fi drama.

It's a quality film.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 23 January 2021]

I'll be honest, I was really excited to see this, I don't have much experience with Russian Cinema unfortunately, but I'd this was anything to go by, then I am keen to see more.

A very good start, it's creepy, it's imaginative, I can truly believe that this is set in The Cold War USSR in the 1980's.

Well acted, well produced, I'm no film expert, but in terms of the visuals, it feels more American cinema than European cinema to me, it looks great.

I just love how Russian it is, from the name, to the Russian dolls that pop up.

It's chilling, it looks great, it exceeded my expectations, I perhaps didn't enjoy the ending quite to much, but that's a minor quibble, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 8/10.

A good find

[apollosdei · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

Usually you don't expect much from non American sci fi movies. But this one is a good find. It's like seeing those movies of the 80's or 90's that still weren't that formulaic and doesn't try either to lecture you on morals or is totally devoid of any moral standing. The pace is slow but not boring (something American movies have lost the ability to keep) and the story evolves naturally and never fails to its own logic (there is no "you gotta be kidding me" moment as it all matches and fits without foolishness or absurdity, given the preset premises). Maybe it needed a little more or a little else to excel but it's quite a good product and the special effects are perfect (on par or even surparssing the American CGI's).

Solid Russian sci-fi with horror elements

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 21 May 2021]

Set in 1983, this film opens with two cosmonauts preparing to return to Earth; they see something on the outside of their capsule. When the capsule lands one of them is dead and the other, Konstantin Veshnyakov, appears to be injured. He has no memory of what happened. The authorities, under Colonel Semiradov, invite psychiatrist Tatyana Klimova to try to help recover those memories. She is taken to a facility in Soviet Kazakhstan where she learns that there is far more to Konstantin's story than she was told... he has brought something back with him; something potentially very dangerous.

I enjoyed this film; some of the ideas may have been less than original but the setting gave it a freshness. Early on I wasn't sure what genre the film was as it is a while before it becomes obvious what the creature does and why. The design of the alien creature was impressive as was the way it moved. The cast did a solid job, most obviously Oksana Akinshina and Pyotr Fyodorov as Tatyana and Konstantin. While there isn't too much violence, what there is, is quite gory although unlikely to disturb horror fans. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to sci-fi fans.

These comments are based on watching the film in Russian with English subtitles.

very impressed

[mitza_bombonik · 7/10 · 14 July 2020]

My dad is a fan of Russian movies and he recomend me this movie who really impressed me. the script wasn't like the american movies where you can guess the next move and how it will end. The special effects were well made. I totally recommend this movie

Disappointing

[richkiel · 1/10 · 18 July 2021]

When a film appears promising in the beginning, but then quickly takes a wrong turn, and keeps going in the wrong direction, it's one of the most frustrating things for the audience imaginable. This film had a decent budget, good special effects, and that nostalgic cinematography similar to that of "Chenobyl". The setup is good, and we are led to believe we will be in for a great ride. And then nothing happens until the end. That is, nothing that would engage the audience, develop characters and their relationships in a meaningful and satisfying way, or provide a plot worth watching. Most of the time the film made no sense at all. One struggles to understand what is going on and what the motivations of the characters are. Lack of logic plagues the film from very early on, and it only gets worse. They have an alien creature, but they don't isolate it properly, they let people come in contact with it and mingle with others on the base. Security measures are virtually non-existent, and it is most unpersuasive that a local base commander could, or would even attempt to keep this a secret from the government. It also makes no sense that a neurologist is recruited to deal with this problem, rather than a team of experts in all fields of biology. Nonsense piled up as the film progressed, and I stopped caring before the film reached half its length. I did not like or even understand the protagonists. By the end I was hoping the film would turn out to be some sort of allegory about Soviet society or human nature, but if it attempted to be that, it went over my head, and frankly I couldn't be bothered to try and understand what they might have tried to say with this film, because the film insults and frustrates the audience, and does not merit that kind of reflection.

I am hugely disappointed, particularly because Russian film has the potential to be a counterweight to the nonsense coming out of Hollywood, yet all too often it just copies Hollywood's cliches. Is Russian society as vapid as the West? Has this entire civilization come to the end of a cycle, needing a fresh start? Because if art is a mirror of society, and art is meaningless and soulless, then what does it say about society?

Good SF/Horror

[Pairic · 7/10 · 15 January 2021]

Sputnik: SF/Horror thriller. Echoes of Arrival as attempts are made to communicate with an Alien. This is a more vicious alien though who likes to chomp on humans, biting half their skulls off to obtain cortisol from their brains. The alien lives within a cosmonaut, emerging at night for brief periods. Set in Russia in 1983 the cosmonaut is confined at a special military base and a psychiatrist is recruited to assess the cosmonaut and to try to interface with the alien. Quite disturbing when the ET gets the munchies, some interesting plot twists. The symbiosis between alien and man is put across in a plausible manner and the creature itself is convincing. Directed by Egor Abramenko from a script by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev. On Netflix. 7/10.

Slow burn horror movie, but worth it

[criscal · 7/10 · 30 March 2021]

I really enjoyed watching this movie. The cinematography and the sound and soundtrack are the best part about it. The special effects for the creature are absolutely adequate. There are no cheap uses of scare effects, which make the majority of horror movies so lame.

Very good slow burn Russian scifi

[siderite · 8/10 · 17 August 2020]

I am happy to see that Russian scifi films are finally moving towards the Russian scifi literature that I loved so much as a child. This is a wonderful little gem, a Russian version of Life, but with more focus on the people and less on the special effects and action scenes. Not perfect, mind you, but so far the best Russian science fiction film I've seen them make recently. And the special effects were very good, too, which makes the decision to keep them in the background so much more laudable.

The weakest link is the main character, unfortunately, who does things that make little sense for a scientist. Yet her contribution is not that of a character, but as a carrier of the audience, so what she does is really not that relevant.

I hope Russian cinema will start bringing back the intellectual slow burn story, the civilian scientists that have to solve problems without relying on strength or weapons, but on their own thinking.

Nothing like Alien!

[Leungzy · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

Have read a few reviews of people saying it's a rip-off of Alien... I'm not sure what they watched because it was nothing like it bar the alien being inside the cosmonaut! Overall the movie wasn't too bad, it was a refreshing take on the idea of an alien being brought back from space. It's a slow burner, nothing really like the trailer implies and not a whole lot of action/horror scenes.

It starts off really well with intense scenes but kind of loses it momentum and goes a bit "Hollywood" in the later half. Won't go down as one of the best alien movies I've seen but definitely not one of the worst. I would say watch it if alien horror movies interest you, otherwise you're not missing much.

Cool Looking Space Junk That Should've Stayed in Orbit

[AGuyNamedJake · 4/10 · 27 August 2020]

Like the design of its alien antagonist, the movie "Sputnik" has things that work and things that don't. Unfortunately it's the things that don't work that make the movie--and the alien-fall apart in its own logic.

What'a great about "Sputnik" is its atmosphere. Every. single. shot. is perfectly structured to feel unsettling. The lighting and placement of certain objects and characters throughout the movie generate a sense of isolation and fear. It's visually gripping from beginning to end.

That being said, a lot of the movie seems to reflect American sci-fi cinema in style, but it is devoid of any understanding as to WHY certain stylings are employed. Hence, a scene that's meant to be heartfelt falls flat because what's needed to make such an emotion work--i.e. tone, dialogue, direction, color pallet--is replaced by stylish nonsense, as if the filmmakers are just repeating what they've seen in better movies. In fact, now that I think about it, the whole movie feels cold and heartless, despite many honest attempts to pack some emotional punch.

As much as I ultimately didn't like this movie, I've got to give credit where credit is due. The screenplay is amazing. You can tell the filmmakers really care about the characters because much thought went into crafting who they are, even if their motivations aren't always clear. The story makes several literal and metaphorical connections to the fearful nature of human beings, the early 1980s time period and Cold War isolationism, and the irony of what makes national heroes... "heroes."

Where "Sputnik" starts to show its cracks, I think, is in the logic, or lack thereof. There are things about the creature that aren't fully explained, so when it does certain supernatural feats we are left scratching are heads with no thought beyond, "Well, at least it looked cool." Characters seem to flip-flop in their decision making, sometimes arriving at conclusions that don't make any sense at all.

And I'm no professor of anything, but when I find myself arriving at solutions to problems that our supposedly highly-educated characters haven't come up with yet, then the movie has a problem. Audiences shouldn't be able to out-think a movie's heroes.

"Sputnik" has what could be called a "surprise ending," but I think most audiences will just find it confusing. Without getting too spoilery, it's an ending that seems to come out of nowhere and for no clear purpose, although it does reveal something interesting about one of the characters. Regardless, why the filmmakers felt we needed that little "twist" feels completely unnecessary. It doesn't play into the movie's A-plot, or even the B-plot, and therefore feels like you could totally remove it without impacting the movie at all.

Ultimately, as cool as "Sputnik" looks, it just more sci-fi space junk.

excellent

[saamitrov · 9/10 · 16 August 2020]

I almost never give a nine for a movie but this one deserves it,I'm a big fan of science fiction and I saw probably everything worthwhile from that genre but this film is a real surprise for me,this is one of the best sci-fi movies in my life ! Watch this movie without the prejudices which you may have about Russian movies and you will be as surprised as I am !

A movie of 2 halves

[PsychoBeard666 · 7/10 · 23 January 2021]

For all its flaws I enjoyed this movie. A brilliant first half that bulks tension and intrigue. A second half that feels random and derailed.

Way over-rated!!!

[dylanscontact · 3/10 · 21 August 2020]

A well constructed movie with a great atmosphere (like the Chernobyl series). What it lacks is an original alien form and the script doesn't know whether it wants to follow the line of 1. Alien 2. The hidden 3. The shape of water In the end its just another easy way out for another alien movie . I rate this a 3 out of 10. Three for style and zero for substance. The lead character is a medical person with vacuum between the ears. And that's being kind....

Quite entertaining, wasted potential.

[mikerdabrowski · 6/10 · 18 August 2020]

Despite being a cliché full of conspicuous logical discrepancies - it's a cliché with completely new approach to one of the major plot elements, and logical errors are the hallmark of this genre. Good cinematography, detailed world-class level CGI and a pleasant overall experience except for the very end of the movie makes up this simple statement:

far from being a masterpiece, but still fun to watch. Once.

I lowered my rating from 7 to 6 because of the last 3 minutes of the movie for which would be better if they didn't exist. I also had the feeling that it could've been written much better, potentially resulting in a rating of 8 or more.

Very enjoyable science fiction with alien

[sergeyvtorushin · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

This one comes from Russian production company. I am not a fan of modern Russian pictures in general, but Sputnik has this distinctive dark atmosphere that I really enjoyed.

Actors did a great job, the script and the structure are solid. Sputnik did its job to keep the suspense throughout the whole movie. I would recommend this film to any sci-fi fans that want to see some fresh perspective of an alien from the east.

This movie was a very nice surprise...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 14 August 2020]

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I sat down to watch the 2020 Russian sci-fi horror movie from director Egor Abramenko. In fact, I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to actually sitting down to watch it.

However, I must say that the movie's poster and cover was definitely interesting and served to lure me in.

And I am glad that it did, because writers Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev really put together a very enjoyable and entertaining movie. I liked the storyline and how it panned out. And truth be told, then there wasn't really a dull moment throughout the course of the almost 2 hours that the movie ran for.

Don't let the fact that this is a Russian movie put you off, because you will definitely be missing out on an interesting movie if you opt to skip on it solely because of the language.

I can't claim to be familiar with a single person on the cast list, and that is something that I enjoy. And I will say that they had a great ensemble of casted actors and actresses to portray the various roles and characters in the movie. And that definitely added to the overall enjoyment that is "Sputnik".

Normally sci-fi is not my go-to genre of movies, nor is it one that I actively avoid. But every now and again there are sci-fi movies that catch my interest and entertain me. And "Sputnik" was definitely one such movie.

Right, well before I forget, then the special effects and CGI should be mentioned. Wow. Just wow. The special effects team and CGI team definitely knew what they were doing. And the alien creature looked really realistic - if there is such a thing to be said about aliens, if you believe in them or not. But color me impressed. It was really nice to look at with such great CGI effects.

All in all, "Sputnik" turned out to be a great movie, and if you enjoy a darker sci-fi movie with elements of horror to it, then you should most certainly sit down to watch "Sputnik". My rating of this 2020 movie is a solid seven out of ten stars. It is well worth the time, money and effort.

Puts most mainstream films to shame.

[SnobReviews · 7/10 · 21 August 2020]

"Sputnik" puts most mainstream sci-fi / horror flicks to shame. This Russian thrill ride will creep you out and have you an the edge of your seat.

In this film, at the height of the Cold War, the lone survivor of a spaceship incident hasn't returned back home alone; hiding inside his body is a dangerous creature.

A slow burn and at times darkly funny, "Sputnik" is a low budget film that has big budget potential and puts most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. A great story, surprising visuals and a solid cast. There's also just the right amount of gore - it isn't too excessive. If you're into films like "Alien" or "Arrival", you should stream "Sputnik".

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Sputnik nails the Atmosphere for the Sci-Fi Horror

[Harikl · 8/10 · 15 August 2020]

This Russian sci-fi horror was surprisingly good. It captures the atmosphere of Russian military and alien amazingly. Yes, the relationship and motive between two main characters is debatable and feel unrealistic. But i am passing it as the rest of the movie was fantastic. Actors did a good job especially the military commander. It would have been 10/10 if they had tweaked the script a bit.

Sputnik

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 21 January 2021]

Top psychologist Akinshina is bought into to look at cosmonaut Fyodorov who has returned to Earth with issues - notably a creature inside him. Can the creature be separated from Fyodorov without killing him or is the potentially symbiotic relationship irreversible.

Nice to see something quite original for once. Sure it's a bit of a monster from outer space movie, but it's well scripted, has some interesting ideas as well as some enjoyable gory and tense moments and quite a fun creature. This is low budget stuff, but a really noble sci-fi effort - worth catching.