Sputnik is a Russian movie released in July of 2020. It follows the lone survivor of a spaceship incident and is set in the 1980’s to give it that cold war feel.

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https://youtu.be/oGgtRsvq6hc

Synopsis

Sputnik is the story of Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov), who was the lone survivor of a russian spaceship crash. His partner was inexplicably killed after the crash but on the crash site. 

Konstantin is being detained at a Soviet research facility in the great land of Kazakhstan for study as things don’t seem to be quite right with him.

The man in charge of this research facility, Colonel Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk) goes in search of a neuroscientist to help him determine what is going on with Konstantin.

He finds Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) and enlists her help because she seems to care deeply about the well-being of her patients, even to the point of risking her career.

As the movie progresses we learn that Konstantin isn’t alone in his return to earth, and everyone gets more Sputnik than they bargained for. 

Review

Having seen a few teasers for Sputnik, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I did not.

This movie looks like a creature feature, and it is, but it’s a drama too, and a convincing one.

As Sputnik unwound itself, I kept having to rejigger my expectations to fit what was happening. I kept asking, why is all this morality and guilty being touted around instead of a bloodthirsty monster. 

Don’t get me wrong, there was some bloodthirsty monster in there, but with a hefty helping of personal drama and good old-fashioned Russian guilt.

This is not a movie for the traditional horror fan looking for a good scare, this is more of a tale of heroism, personal responsibility, and standing up to your fears for what is right. 

Is it a creature feature? It is in a similar way to Monsters (2010). There is a monster, and it’s weird, but it’s one of several focal points of the movie.

Subtitle Issues

I had a technical critique of the version of Sputnik that I watched, which was that the subtitles are sometimes blisteringly fast. I had to back up the movie many times to get to see what was happening and see what was said. I am not a fast reader, so one could chalk this up to my shortcomings, but I feel it’s worth mentioning.

I enjoyed a lot of what Sputnik had to offer, and I particularly liked the way it handled personal relationships and dialog.

What I didn’t love about it was it’s slow pacing and lack of a satisfying finale to the incredible action at the end of the film. 

A tremendous amount of time is devoted to the will they won’t they aspect of this, which makes for a boring middle of the film.

Score

7/10

Final Recommendation

If you enjoy horror that doesn’t try too hard to scare you, instead focusing on intriguing you, this is for you. It’s a thriller with a monster, and the morality play makes it an interesting discussion piece, especially in the context of it’s Russian roots.

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