The Blackout (2019) User Reviews

Very nice movie

[jmw111085 · 7/10 · 12 February 2021]

Much of what previous reviewers have written is accurate. The movie is a bit too long and some good editing would have improved it overall. The acting is ok, the special effects are fine, and the dialog is ok. Top marks for originality. I liked that best. It is better than much of the crap coming out of Hollywood. I think a an excellent director could copy this movie and make a great Sci-Fi flick by improving the dialog, using better actors, and having better drama direction. Overall a nice movie from Russia.

A Flawed But Decent Alien Invaders Movie

[peeedeee-94281 · 7/10 · 24 January 2021]

I was curious to see what a Russian scifi movie would be like. I've seen a few dramas, and they were usually pretty bleak. This one kind of was, but the ending I guess was 'hopeful'? The version I saw was an english dub, and the voices really didn't feel like they matched the actors, so if you can seek out the original language version, that might enhance the viewing experience. The direction is okay for this film. The action sequences and special effects are fairly decent. I would say on level of some Hollywood TV movies. But...one problem with this movie is the time jumps. This movie keeps jumping ahead without warning, or meaningful transitions, making it awkward to watch at times and confusing. One big example was one character had to be flown out of the battle zone, and head back to Moscow to recover from his injury. But it almost felt like the next scene he was back in the thick of the battle. It may have been a few scenes later, but that's the problem with the film, it's hard to get a sense of the passage of time with the jumps. It's almost as if it was made to be a 7 episode series of 1 hour episodes, and was edited down to 2 hrs. The other problem with the movie is the ending. The showdown between the two alien creatures was confusing enough, the explanations as to how Earth would be saved by killing the other bad alien who was controlling all the 'dead people', was also confusing. But then after they kill him, they start fighting each other. Eventually they kill the guy who helped them, but then a ship lands and just sits there. Huh? Wouldn't there be a crew on that ship to not only make sure the area was secured, but that the occupants were protected? So the survivors go onto the ship, start killing the occupants, but then stop as soon as they see the kids. The weird vag-faced children all awaken, cut to the end credits. Again, huh? So where is this supposed to go, they have no idea what these kids are going to eat, or if they'll be just as dangerous as their adult counterparts. Is this a set up for a sequel? lol So, if you are looking for a different non-Hollywood movie, this is a good one to see. But don't expect a clean, air-tight experience from the script or direction.

Reasonable good sci-fi

[ijameson · 7/10 · 26 December 2020]

A Russian end of the world movie that is as good as any out of Hollywood. Good acting, fairly good effects, and a decent story. The action scenes are very good, and at 2 hours, doesn't drag.

Worth watching, but it is in Russian, so subtitles will be required for non-speakers.

Good fun. Committed sci-fi

[mr3309 · 7/10 · 31 October 2020]

It's cheesy but commits to its approach and is good fun all the way through. It did a better job ending it than many action sci-fi movies. Well worth a watch!

It's not Blade Runner, but it doesn't think it is.

Sounds great on your home theater. Loud and full of battles.

Very good

[Lina_ · 7/10 · 15 January 2021]

Comparable with Hollywood. I really enjoyed watching, the acting is great, story pretty thrilling. The special effects are definitely great. I wonder why this series has only 6,1

Still better than all the trash coming out of Hollywood

[mister_bateman · 6/10 · 24 May 2020]

This movie is by far no masterpiece, but I was still intrigued and entertained almost all the way through. Perhaps it's partially because I am allergic to the American action movies of today, which are all just plastic, empty, uncreative, gradually deteriorating, incestuous clones of one another and this Russian film offers slightly different solutions, visually and storywise. The dialogue is pretty bad at times (the English dub I watched because I couldn't get my hands on the original probably made it 50% worse) and the ending is very disappointing storywise but visually it's a cool movie, very athmospheric, great scenery, great action scenes. I know it's not a very high bar, but all in all it's still better than anything coming out of the US.

Would I recommend it? Yeah. If you don't expect greatness, you'll have a good time.

We need the Russian language version.

[Nemesis42 · 5/10 · 27 December 2021]

The dubbing in this is badly scripted and atrociously mixed. The voice casting could be much better too. It's hard to rate this dubbed American version because at present it sounds like crap. I would give this version 2/10 because of the distracting soundtrack.

The Russian version, the version the director intended, will be a lot better, say 7/10. Though I suspect the sound design will still be bad because we're hearing the original music & SFX tracks here under the American dubbing, and the SFX and mix by themselves are deficient for most of the film.

The story is fair and interesting, but ruined by amateur sound work.

Superb Sci-Fi, something very rare these days

[procletnic · 9/10 · 15 January 2021]

Russian movies are usually frowned upon by the US audience. Historically, Russian Sci-Fi's weren't exactly creme de la creme. Recently I watched another Russian Sci-Fi called "Sputnik" and thought it was pretty good. Before I watched "The Blackout", I read some reviews online and there were lots and lots of them bashing the movie, so I though it wouldn't be that good but decided I will give it a shot. I was blown away. The production is amazing - acting is very good, the effects are top-notch and the story is captivating. Do yourself a favor if you're a Sci-Fi fan and watch this. I promise you, you will be entertained.

It's entertaining

[godsnames · 6/10 · 27 May 2020]

First of all, it kept me entertained from start to finish. The pace of it (story) and the visuals were there. I'd say, the camera work was well above par, astounding even, and the CGI works were also outstanding, up there with the 200 million dollars Hollywood blockbusters. That said, the character development was poor. There were some real joy in waiting character-wise that never happened. A waste. There was also too much killing, unnecessarily. But the story was good, believable and almost unique, compared with recent movies.

What Hollywood *used* to give us - awesome sci fi

[rsvp321 · 25 May 2020]

I'm a very harsh critic of sci fi, and have been rightfully disappointed in what we've been given from Hollywood lately.

This is a good, entertaining, fast paced sci fi. Plot written by writers, not the activists Hollywood employs for everything, these days.

No social agenda, no special interest group pandering, no identity politics, just good old sci fi!

Like a push up bra, looks great but nothing inside

[evz1974 · 4/10 · 28 May 2020]

Stunning visually in fairness, no complaints on that front but the dubbing is woeful, you'd swear whoever was doing it did it blind without seeing the context of what they were saying, at times they sound almost bored even when in the middle of a firefight etc...

The storyline is a bit of mess and opens up plot holes / requires leaps of faith that are stretching believability to breaking point.

It's about 30-45 mins too long, characters don't develop and the editing isn't great either...but the SFX are top notch which is a shame that they missed getting so much more of the film right.

The ending is laughable in fairness as well...

Usually hate the idea of Hollywood doing a remake of a foreign film but this feels like one that has scope for lots of improvements and could be a great film done right...

Refreshing Television from the east

[grassistefan · 9/10 · 27 February 2021]

I was surprised, that this decent show didn't get better reviews. It was the first show in a long time for me, where a post-apocalyptic scenario not beeing mastered by teenagers, hair stylists, bus drivers, little girls, crackheads on withdrawal while all military failed, but by actual professional Soldiers. No cringe, no stupid actions every 5 minutes, but just soldiers doing exactly what the beeing trained for. I'm looking forward to more of this.

Well made sci-fi. Well worth a watch.

[locoenglazy · 7/10 · 27 May 2020]

After you get over the dubbing which is in no way bad just a little wierd with lip movement not matching this is surprisingly good. The English dubbing is actually very well done. I get hints of skyline, battle Los Angeles and maybe even falling skies. I won't spoil the plot but I will say its pretty good. Not being familiar with Russian movies I have no idea if there are stars in it, but the acting is perfectly acceptable. There are a few well placed special effects all of which were tastefully and professionally done. I went in with low expectations and enjoyed it. As in a previous comment maybe a bit more editing would have been nice because it's a bit long for 2 hours.

I don't understand

[takato0524 · 2/10 · 7 July 2021]

How the reviews are so great. This was not good. Sure the visuals are nice, but that's where the compliments stop. I fell asleep 3 times during this movie. That should say something. The ending is hog wash. The movie is 45 minutes too long. And the characters are boring. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you'll be asking yourself why decisions were made that were made. That's not how people act, movie or not.

Very good and well made... and original story.

[andletlive · 7/10 · 5 October 2021]

A very involving and rather original plot, with suspense until the end. Kept me watching every scene till the end.

The computer generated effects are very good (some bits, impressive) and the acting is good -- although I saw a typically flatter English-dubbed version, which is never my choice.

The science aspects are understated, and overwhelmed by the abundant action and violence; but underneath there is a well written story with many turns.

I would have liked more effort and footage about the actual sci-fi story, which is the best part and rather original (vs. Hollywood clichés). That would have made the film more intellectually interesting, with a deeper understanding of the characters and their motives -- but seems like the direction intended to make it an "action flick".

There is also a slight low-budget feeling, when they clearly had the ability to avoid that, filling very few gaps.

All considered, enjoyable; especially if you want action.

Not half bad

[wimgielenglas · 6/10 · 19 September 2021]

It's a decent alien movie, but I just couldn't handle the emotionless and amateuristical american dubbing. It was the worst I ever heard. So I watched the original with subtitles. I can recommend that to every sci-fi lover.

Complete cheese. Loved it.

[fad-38798 · 7/10 · 23 May 2020]

Well made, good acting, interesting story, good effects and a story told outside of mainstream Hollywood mould.

A solid movie and worth the time.

Any chance of a sequel?

This was torture. It seems that each year, sci-fi action movies get worse!

[derek-a-charette100 · 2/10 · 3 April 2021]

What is the matter with these modern movie producers?! I swear... they all have this delusion that the more bullets are fired, the better the movie is. It's absurd. As God as my witness, there are damn near 100,000 bullets fired in this movie. I went back and did some math to get a rough estimate, and I figure between 95,000 and 115,000 bullets were fired in this movie. Amazing visuals, decent acting, but the plot is TRASH, the voiceovers are so bad that they sound like a high school movie project. They should of just left it in Russian and put English subtitles.

And who did you think build the pyramids?

[eddieroxx · 8/10 · 17 November 2020]

This isn't a movie, it's a series. And a pretty good one I must add. Something different, the Russians are definitely able to produce a great sci-fi thriller series. Very entertaining!

Mostly a great film. The ending was terrible.

[frankblack-79961 · 6/10 · 13 June 2021]

Quite an interesting take on the alien invasion genre. I would have rated it an 8 but for the incredibly bad ending. That will be the biggest point of contention with viewers in this film. How it ends. You may like it. Not me. I thought the characters dissolved quite quickly. Still worth a watch.

Great action and CGI, poor script...

[hhmbcs · 5/10 · 25 May 2020]

The main plot could have been far better explored, but they threw a lot of ideias in a blender and this scrip came out...

Sub-par acting, empy ending, stupid choices by characters...

Only the lockdown here in Brazil to make me see this...

GOOD Movie

[plasticmask · 9/10 · 18 July 2021]

Good movie! Russia can make some SUPER movies, and this is on the top of the list, believe me. It's WELL worth streaming.

TONS of action from beginning to end.

You'll think that you have it figured out, but trust me; you won't.

If I told you why I gave it nine stars instead of ten, I'd have to put in a spoiler and I refuse to do that.

Just watch it. You will be glad that you did.

no expectations, big surprise

[christianludwig-25623 · 7/10 · 19 November 2020]

I finished only the third episode, but im triggered to write a review, cause im quiet amused of this series and also kind of amazed. its a russian production - and yes - its no hollywood blockbuster, but wow, i really like this!!!! The series is really an entertaining, good scifi jewel. At some corners maybe a bit rough, but still respectable. Something different - and if you lower your expectations and turn a blind eye here and there, you will get a great scifi movie with a respectable story. its a solid 7 from my side.

In short - what is it about??? tiny (copeable) spoiler: the whole world becomes silent, except Moscow and its border district. Everybody seems to be dead everywhere... 7 billion people, leaving 50 million with the big question - what the hell happened. Nobody has a plan. The military is sent out on a reconnaissance tour, but again and again troop battalions disappear without a trace - the first outpost in the quarantine zone was successfully established. From there, the military will go on a reconnaissance tour... everything is pretty crazy, because nobody really has a plan what's going on here... and also super funny, this event. And in Moscow, people are a little bit crazy... understandably. It actually takes an exciting course... again and again there are little aha-effects - but not too much, so that the suspense remains. I'm looking forward to the next episodes - but I'd like to recommend them now.

Wish Amazon included a subtitled version

[TwistedCyberChik · 21 July 2021]

Saw this on Prime Video and after 10 minutes was quite worried about the quality of dub. It nearly put me off from finishing. But I stuck with it and I was glad I did. Some questionable writing decisions in the last 15 minutes but overall entertaining, though some of the voice actors were painful to listen to, especially the main military chick. 7/10.

Foreign films live and die by their translations

[adrenachrome · 3/10 · 27 May 2020]

I feel (from what little Russian I speak) the translation is pretty accurate here, which is a shame because this movie makes little sense. One one hand, you have high tech Moscow, with very clear nods to Blade Runner, and on the other hand the Military is still using 1960s BTR-60s (8 wheeled APCs). It's possible the director was attempting to make a subtle jab at the Russian gov't today, with the haves and have nots, but I"m not convinced this is accurate.

The plot is the major downfall here, with long-winded exposition dumps at every turn. The director seems not to have heard the phrase "show, don't tell" as some of the exposition is vomited forth for minutes at a time, and seemingly go on forever. Worse still, the central plot point is laughably nonsensical.

Very few of the characters show any emotion whatsoever, and again, it's possible they were going for the deep stoic look, the worn out soldier just trudging through his job, but it's not properly portrayed as such so the acting comes off at stilted, wooden, flat.

Much of the military tactics used in the film were also a matter of form over function, and even non-military watchers can see where certain scenes were set up to look cool, as opposed to being logical, this too, detracts from the film.

There are a few subplots that could have been trimmed from the runtime to tighten up the film (clocking in at over 2 hours) but like the last big action film from Russia, The Guardians, they seem to think more is better, and that's not the case.

As others have stated, it's a quarantine watch, little more. There is a kernel of an interesting film buried within the 2+ hours, but like the Phantom Menace, it could have done with an Phantom Edit.

You are not missing anything by not seeing this.