What’s It All About
The 1 Sentence Summary of Sputnik
An outspoken and unorthodox doctor is recruited by the military to evaluate an astronaut that has recently returned from space with a foreign body living inside him.
Cast and Director
Sputnik’s cast really makes this movie shine. Starring Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, and Pyotr Fyodorov, Sputnik’s cast creates the tension needed to sell this film. Egor Abramenko directed this throwback to old Soviet space programs with an alien twist.
Spoiler Alert
We’d much rather you watch the movie than read some of our favorite and least favorite parts about it. But if you have to know, check out our breakdown below.
The most interesting aspect of this alien movie is how the alien lives in the chest cavity of the host as a symbiotic entity. When Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina) sees the alien emerge from Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov) as he lay asleep in the holding tank. The
Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) is definitely the favorite character in this film. She is introduced as a person who takes chances and uses unorthodox treatments on patients that need results. When she is introduced to Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov), she immediately takes a different approach than other doctors. Making her stand out while also validating Colonel Semiradov’s (Fedor Bondarchuk) choice to bring her in. She is a strong character but also very relatable.
Sputnik is definitely a slow burn alien film. There are a few good scares early on, but not major scares. One of the better ones is when Tatyana opens the observation room where Konstantin Veshnyakov is kept. The alien is outside of his body and she brings in a toy that the astronauts had on the ship to see the alien’s reaction. When she does, she quickly attacked and injured by the alien, barely escaping with the help of the soldiers on guard.
In order to humanize Konstantin Veshnyakov, they made him a father of a child that had been put into an orphanage. Tatyana uses this throughout the film in an attempt to reconnect Konstantin with his life at home. During the film, we see flashbacks to the orphanage and we are led to believe that we were looking at Veshnyakov’s son. In the end, it’s revealed that we were seeing a younger version of Tatyana. The lead up to this could have been better established. Leaving that as a mystery was odd. It was good back story on why Tatyana was so tough, but it was weirdly shown. Might have been better to use dream sequences or flashbacks specifically coming from Tatyana.
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Scare Critic Picks
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Summary
Scare Critics Say: WORTH A WATCH
Scare Critic Review
This film really delivers on atmosphere and tension. Taking place during the Cold War and the old Soviet era space program, this film uses the dreary and often sterile appearance of old government institutions to reinforce the feeling of isolation and dread. Add the alien and a Colonel that is on a mission to weaponize an alien, you have the perfect combination for a good movie.
Scares Breakdown
- Alien attacks
- Isolation
- Oppression
Good
- Great acting
- Throwback to Soviet era space program
- Delivers on scene setting/atmosphere
- Memorable alien
Bad
- Slow in some parts
- Flashbacks are hard to follow
