Sputnik 2020

The only survivor did not come back alone

6.51 / 10   685 vote(s)
R
Science Fiction Drama Horror

At the height of the Cold War, a Soviet spacecraft crash lands after a mission gone awry, leaving the commander as its only survivor. After a renowned Russian psychologist is brought in to evaluate the commander’s mental state, it becomes clear that something dangerous may have come back to Earth with him…

Homepage https://www.hypepro.tv/filmtv/video/sputnik1
Release Date 2020-09-08
Runtime 1h 53m
Directors Egor Abramenko, Maxim Zhukov, Oleg Romanov, Alexandra Kozlova
Producers Fyodor Bondarchuk, Vyacheslav Murugov, Michael Kitaev, Alexey Gusev, Mikhail Vrubel, Dmitry Rudovsky, Nikolay Goryaev, Murad Osmann, Ilya Stewart, Egor Borschevsky, Alexander Andryuschenko, Alina Tyazhlova, Pavel Burya, Yekaterina Lee
Writers Oleg Malovichko, Andrey Zolotarev

There's a genuine sense of creeping biological dread in "The Sputnik".

Obviously, the immediate point of gravity for this film is Ridley Scotts 1979 film "Alien". Let me start by saying the resemblance is only superifcal. This is very much its own film. Unlike "Alien" that ramps up the pace as the terror increases, The Sputnik is a slow burn sci fi. Yes, its an alien monster mash up but utlimately its as much psychological, as it is literal.

Does it work? Well, sort of. There's some moments of genuine tension and terror, as well as a sickening sense of what people are capable of doing, to each other. Who's the real monster is a question that sticks its ugly head up.

Action is on offer too but its very brief and over almost before it begins. Whats left is interesting but does not serve up enough "bite" on the action or psychological terror front, to really amount to more than a entree, when a main is called for.

6/10 from me.

MovieGuys

Egor Abramenko's movie puts the characters in perilous situations where no answer seems like the right answer, leaving you wanting to know what happens next, and keeping the audience engaged. Although it doesn't reinvent the wheel, 'Sputnik' is an effective monster flick that touches upon human nature and the moral choices people have to make when it comes to life and death. - Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-sputnik-a-familiar-lethal-movie-monster

SWITCH.

If you watched the excellent "Life" sci-fi horror thriller, this is its spiritual sequel. A cosmonaut returns with an alien life form in this slow-burn Russian export.

Repo Jack

Wow. There is a lot to praise here.

The cinematography, score, and writing are all excellent. The acting is very strong, from Oksana Akinshina (who hasn't changed a bit since playing a minor but important role in The Bourne Supremacy) to Pyotr Fyodorov, nearly the entire cast is excellent. 4 out of 5 mainly because I have no benchmark. Hope to see more excellent films like this from Russia in the next few years.

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