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COVID-19 Special: 'Sputnik' (15)

Sputnik (2020) - IMDb


Director: Egor Abramenko

Cast:  Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov

Where can I watch?: Sputnik is streaming on Amazon Prime

Rating: 4/5

Review: The premise of an astronaut returning to earth with more than he might have bargained for is hardly original, and yet Sputnik, a Russian-language take on the sci-fi saga, somehow manages to feel wonderfully new and fresh, creating an alien film that's far and away better than anything Hollywood has churned out in recent years. Masterfully drawing us in with a suspenseful opening sequence, director Egor Abramenko (this is his first feature length film) then introduces us to our protagonist, Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina), who is facing disciplinary action of her unorthodox treatment of mental illness. Parallels can be drawn between Tatyana and Alien's Ripley: both are no-nonsense, tough-talking scientists with an undying ambition to do the right thing, whatever the cost. Akinshina is a very engaging lead - boasting an expression that veers between undecipherable to wonderment, she guides the film through its more clunky parts in a wholly believable manner. Personally, I prefer the deliberately slow and understated first section of the film, where we spend time getting to know the main players, a sense of dread and uncertainty bubbling up in the background, but the inevitable action pieces of the final section are well done too, with a surprising outcome tying up all the loose threads neatly and concisely. 

A COVID-19 Must-Watch?: It's a 'yes' from me! Slow, ponderous and spooky when it needs to be, before exploding into a well-executed shoot-out, Sputnik may not be entirely original, but it's certainly entertaining. With a couple of gory little plot twists and an engaging lead at its centre, this expert take on the alien action flick is one of the most gripping sci-fi outings in recent years. 
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  1. imlanguages1 October 2020 at 03:49

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