Sputnik

IFC Midnight | Release Date (Streaming): August 14, 2020

6.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 63 Ratings

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MarakaiSep 3, 2020

The sci-fi, creature feature is normally cornered by the American market so it’s encouraging to see a Russian take on things which adds a new level to low-cost B-movie making. Egor Abramenko’s Sputnik starts very strongly and manages toThe sci-fi, creature feature is normally cornered by the American market so it’s encouraging to see a Russian take on things which adds a new level to low-cost B-movie making. Egor Abramenko’s Sputnik starts very strongly and manages to maintain the intrigue and intensity for the majority of its running time. It’s clever enough to know that taking its time and building the tension moment from moment is the best way to hold your attention. And it works. It’s a solid sci-fi/horror that benefits from a strong story, engaging performances and impressive production value. It’s just a shame, that in the final 20mins, it abandons it’s methodical approach and the characters’ motivations became silly and contrived. Despite this unfortunate unravelling, however, there’s still much to recommend it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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muldjordAug 21, 2020

The first half of the movie is great. The effects are good, the story and characters are interesting. But there's a certain point where I lost interest.

It's a scene with a bit of a shock reveal. Up until that point you are fed tiny bits ofThe first half of the movie is great. The effects are good, the story and characters are interesting. But there's a certain point where I lost interest.

It's a scene with a bit of a shock reveal. Up until that point you are fed tiny bits of information that only reveal just enough to keep you interested. But it fails to keep that momentum going and basically paints itself into a corner. So instead it just goes for that shock effect which, in my opinion, doesn't work well. Suddenly characters started to feel out of place and didn't react the way they should given the circumstances. I kind of guessed it before it happened, so it was what I was expecting (they hinted at it earlier in the movie in a pretty obvious way), but I was hoping it would outsmart me and go for something less obvious. Unfortunately it didn't.

So at that point the characters were all fleshed out. The plot was basically laid out. And now they had half a movie to wrap it up.

I'd say it's worth a watch for the first half. If you can then fast-forward through the last half you'll get a decent ending as well. Just don't expect it to surprise you in any interesting ways for that last part.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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RalfbergsOct 21, 2020

The movie was ok, even though the premise felt like I have already seen it somewhere. Good quality, nice acting, story was ok, watchable, but overall average and won't stick in memory

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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BroyaxJun 25, 2021

Un cosmonaute revient de mission… mais il n’est pas revenu tout seul : il a ramené qulque chose avec lui, notamment un xénomorphe pas jouasse qui n’a pas passé la douane… Enfermé dans une base, il est temps de faire connaissance et deUn cosmonaute revient de mission… mais il n’est pas revenu tout seul : il a ramené qulque chose avec lui, notamment un xénomorphe pas jouasse qui n’a pas passé la douane… Enfermé dans une base, il est temps de faire connaissance et de l’étudier. Ou d’essayer en tout cas !

Appelée à la rescousse, une experte en neurosciences va tenter de briser la glace en la fort belle personne d’Oksana Akinshina, rôle principal de cette alienerie traitée de façon assez réaliste (et bureaucratique) puisque ça se passe dans l’URSS du début des années 80. Cette belle blonde ressemble à Rosamund Pike mais avec le talent en plus, ce qui n’est décidément pas pour déplaire !

La réalisation est de fort belle facture, la musique électro bien agréable mais ce huis-clos a tendance à s’éterniser un peu trop alors que des rebondissements de bas étage nuisent à l’équilibre de l’ensemble, déjà quelque peu fragile… Le film ressemble un brin à « Life, origine inconnue », l’autre huis-clos avec un migrant indésirable très agressif et à vrai dire, j’aime pas trop ces vermines de l’espace ! c’est dégueulasse, putain… tuez-les, liquidez-les, Bon Dieu ! nan mais je vous jure…… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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JLuis_001Mar 20, 2021

Generic? Yes, of course. Its own plot and structure force it to do so.
But even so, works fine with what it has. This is a personal comparison, but this movie does better what Venom couldn't and I say that because it has elements that makeGeneric? Yes, of course. Its own plot and structure force it to do so.
But even so, works fine with what it has. This is a personal comparison, but this movie does better what Venom couldn't and I say that because it has elements that make them similar.

Sputnik didn't surprise me, but it has a decent and respectable quality.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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theredskyOct 10, 2020

My feelings on this film get worse and worse each time I think about it but I think a 6/10 is fair for now. I really enjoyed the first half of this film a lot. The opening scene itself in space was beautifully shot and full of tension and theMy feelings on this film get worse and worse each time I think about it but I think a 6/10 is fair for now. I really enjoyed the first half of this film a lot. The opening scene itself in space was beautifully shot and full of tension and the rest of that first half had some good character development and tension until we see what the creature is. After we see the creature for a little bit, the film took a harsh nosedive. Basically, I enjoyed this Russian boots on the ground version of Alien but after that first half, it wasn’t doing anything for me. It become very dull and boring and the characters lost a lot of their motivation and become very dull. It turned into a B- action film with no tension at all until the film finally ended. I felt the film had some pretty good performances and was well shot for the most part. The one technical aspect I really enjoyed a lot was the music. It sounded great and worked well with most of the film even if it felt a little over dramatic at points. If you want a different kind of horror movie or just want to expand your horizons with international horror films then go check this out but if not then pass on this.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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JeabusDec 13, 2020

It starts with a good premise and has reasonable and logical escalations of events as more information is given to the viewer through the eyes of the Main Character. However it derails itself around 2/3 through the movie and becomes painfullyIt starts with a good premise and has reasonable and logical escalations of events as more information is given to the viewer through the eyes of the Main Character. However it derails itself around 2/3 through the movie and becomes painfully cliche seemingly just for the sake of achieving an ending at any cost. It's even more painful to view when you realize that the movie unintentionally convinced you it was too "intelligent" to pull of something so contrived and uninspired.

Ultimately it's the kind of movie where I would start looking for other things to watch at that 2/3 mark because it established that the best parts are already over and you already know how it's going to end.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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umaumaiDec 10, 2020

Full of atmosphere and solid acting, but the film's cast can't carry the thin script beyond its extra terrestrial intrigue. My Russian might be rusty, but since when did Sputnik mean "trying so hard to be M. Night Shyamalan yet falling soFull of atmosphere and solid acting, but the film's cast can't carry the thin script beyond its extra terrestrial intrigue. My Russian might be rusty, but since when did Sputnik mean "trying so hard to be M. Night Shyamalan yet falling so short...like M. Night Shyamalan." I did really enjoy this movie, but it tries something that just doesn't work for me in the end and without giving any spoilers I'll just say that we really know who the lead character is without knowing that much about them. The special effects are actually really great and they set up, for the most part, a period of time that I fully believe is Russia circa 1983. It's very straight forward and very shocking in how graphic the action becomes, but I never felt like it was a horror spectacle. If you are looking for something a bit different and from a foreign market, I'd suggest giving it a watch. Definitely on the scarier side and not for anyone who doesn't like gore.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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Mauro_LanariMay 7, 2021

(Mauro Lanari)
Abramenko's debut is still derivative from Western and Hollywood cinema. It does not ape "Alien", "The Thing" or "Arrival" since the intent of this director, class of 1987, is the propagandistic one of stigmatizing the USSR(Mauro Lanari)
Abramenko's debut is still derivative from Western and Hollywood cinema. It does not ape "Alien", "The Thing" or "Arrival" since the intent of this director, class of 1987, is the propagandistic one of stigmatizing the USSR from today's Russian pulpit by underlining the caesura of 1989 (glasnost, perestroika, Gorbachev), intent sinked by the infantilism of his primary reference: the Duffer Brothers.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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CarlElmoreNov 24, 2022

The opening scene is absolutely amazing but everything else after that is just okay.

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