Rented (on iTunes) a new Russian science fiction/horror flick called Sputnik. I haven’t seen too many Russian-made films but the ones I’ve seen are pretty much the rare imports that some American studio thought we’d enjoy. Which usually means a blockbuster, effects-heavy Hollywood-like big budget action flick… the kind of thing starring a man who turns into a giant bear with a machine gun. Sputnik offers something different… something that’s gotten itself a very good Rotten Tomatoes score so I had great hope.
Sputnik, set in 1983, is about a cosmonaut who has a hard landing on return to Earth. He has amnesia about the events that lead to the crash and he’s being cared for by a team of military and scientists. It’s not long before we realize that a parasitic (or possibly a symbiotic) alien creature has taken up residence inside him. What is this creature? Is it friendly? Is it intelligent? Can it be separated from this hero of the Soviet Union?
For the first half of this flick, I was very encouraged. This is an attempt at a serious-minded, intelligent science fiction premise. It’s far from the over-the-top flicks that get released locally and I was encouraged. And, to be fair, it never stops being what it is… but that is ultimately to its detriment.
The film has taken a kind of generic B movie premise and made something serious out of it. But that doesn’t mean it’s made an ultimately interesting or accomplished movie. In short, the movie is a little too stilted and serious for its own good. It would have been better served if it offered up some humor or cheese or extravaganza or something. Either that, at least a better script with more interesting twists or psychological or scientific ideas. Instead, we largely get a too-serious creature feature about a (very slimy) alien creature that just doesn’t do enough, say enough, or make you think enough.
To be fair, the film is quite gory at times… it has a very good effect for the creature and offers some impressive splatter. But that weirdly seems at odds with its otherwise serious tone. Maybe the image of heads being eaten or exploded was their one tip of the hat to the flick’s B movie roots. It wasn’t “enough” to make this is a good creature feature though.
I admire what this movie sets out to do and I admire whatever American film company that decided to translate and import it. It’s very nice to see a serious-minded Russian science fiction film. Unfortunately, I just wish it had been more interesting. Namely, I wish it had taken its serious tone and found something far more creative and thoughtful to do with it. Nice try though… and certainly the Rotten Tomato score might suggest that I just didn’t get it and you might enjoy it more.
Score: 68