Film Review: Sputnik

Ever since Ridley Scott unleashed Alien upon the world, the influence it left behind has resulted in numerous films that can be described as homage at best and knock off at worst. Scott and his collaborators, Dan O’Bannon and H. R. Giger brought a distinct vision to the genre, and the spread of its influence truly can’t be understated. The DNA of films like Contamination, Xtro, Forbidden World, Event Horizon, Pitch Black, and even ones as recent as Life can all be traced back to the seminal 1979 sci-fi horror film. That tradition continues with Sputnik, a Russian film from director, Egor Abramenko, and writers, Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev.

The film is set in the early 80s, in the peak of the Cold War. A shuttle with two Soviet Russian cosmonauts experience something terrible on their way back to Earth. The military leaders, led by Colonel Semiradov (Fyodor Bondarchuk), bring in Dr. Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina), who was already standing trial for questionable decisions in her methodology, to assess the situation with the sole surviving astronaut, Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov). Turns out, he brought with him an extraterrestrial creature that is somehow linked with him, emerging only at night leaving him with little memory or awareness of what is going on.

What proceeds is an interesting balance between paranoid political intrigue and gnarly creature feature nastiness. While the choice to bring the thrills down to Earth as to keeping it all set in space might seem like a minor one, it utilizes all the same tones and cinematic language to great effect, shifting the horror of being hunted by an alien creature to that of living under the oppression of an authoritarian regime, especially one as intense and shadowy as that of the Soviet Union. It’s somehow more thrilling to see Tatyana navigate the space under the watch of Colonel Semiradov than it is to see the alien itself.

The general look and aesthetics of the film is a bit closer to the cold, static qualities of recent David Fincher than it does with the slimy, metallic, and dark imagery of Ridley Scott’s Alien. It’s more measured and methodical than one might anticipate based on the eerie opening sequence, but the filmmakers have a strong sense of control here. It’s moody and patient, but effortlessly engaging and watchable. It comes off all the more impressive considering it’s the directorial debut of Abramenko, and one that signals a very promising career.

The twists and turns in the film aren’t the most surprising. Despite the relatively refreshing setting, the actual story beats don’t stray too far from what we’ve seen in other films in the same genre. A subplot involving an orphan inside an orphanage doesn’t fit neatly within the narrative, and the payoff didn’t quite justify it being here. And while its touches on corruption, morality, government conspiracies, and the way cultural narratives need to be crafted and maintained by the powers that be add a fascinating layer to the film, they don’t stretch its thematic weight too hard. The filmmakers do seem aware of this, and thus don’t try to grasp at themes that are far from their reach.

However, these issues ultimately seem small as you’re watching Sputnik. As you experience it, it’s easy to get lost in the filmmaking, as well as the performances. Oksana Akinshina has an incredibly striking presence that demands attention for every second she’s on screen. She’s great at presenting this sense of confidence and authority with a deep vulnerability hidden underneath the hardened exterior, and she bounces off well with the likes of Bondarchuk and Fyodorov, who deliver strong work as well. The film apparently did incredibly well when it was released in Russia earlier this year, and easy to see why. It cleverly uses a compelling historical context to play with familiar but effective genre trappings. 2020 has been a bit disappointing in its output of space related sci-fi movies, but Sputnik delivers a great time that is sure to make a strong impression.

 

Sputnik is now out in select theaters and VOD platforms.