It’s unfortunate that “Sputnik” will inevitably draw comparisons with other “they brought something home from space” films. Director Egor Abramedko gives us much more than that, weaving together an exciting story with an equally interesting subplot that delivers at the end – if you’re paying attention.
Cosmonaut Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov) experiences something in space and after his spacecraft crash lands on reentry. Officials come upon the spacecraft and find his comrade dead with half of his head missing and Konstantin crawling from the craft not feeling on top of the world. Something is wrong and it’s beyond what they can handle.
Colonel Semiradov (Fyodor Bondarchuk), the stereotypical strong-willed and equally iron-fisted Russian military leader, recruits Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina) to visit the location Konstantin is being held for observation. She’s recruited because she’s willing to take risks and ignore rules to do what needs to be done to give patients what they need to come back from the brink.
Once at the facility, she meets Konstantin, evaluates him and labels him as PTSD and asks to leave the facility. She also encounters Yan (Anton Vasiliev), the scientist in charge of Konstantin. They immediately clash when he realizes she is a threat to his work. But for Tatyana, her task is done, and she wants to leave the facility. Things change when she’s called in the middle of the night to see another aspect of Konstantin’s condition. In true “the beast comes out at night,” she observes the extraterrestrial hitchhiker for the first time. The officials inform her that the creature gives him an almost Wolverine-like ability to regenerate. This brings Tatyana back into the fold.
During her research, she learns the cosmonaut had a child that was given up for adoption and uses that info to press him to continue to assess his condition and how he reacts to stress levels. He reveals he never knew the woman was pregnant, had the child and given him up for adoption. This information seems to light a fire under Tatyana. Now, she looks intent on doing whatever needs to be done to get him back to his old self and possibly reunite him with his son.
She’ll separate the two – the cosmonaut and the alien – and then that will be that. Unfortunately, as things progress, she realizes the terrible truth that doing so might not give the Russians back their hero cosmonaut, as the two have become one.
“Sputnik” is full of suspense, blood and everything that makes a good sci-fi thriller. The bonus is it has an emotional payoff that I will admit I didn’t see coming. The film’s sound design is equally impressive, hitting all the right notes and the design of the creature is creepy as hell. Akinshina and Fyodorov are wonderful in their lead roles and play great off each other and Bondarchuk is a menacing force throughout.
The thing I thought “Sputnik” excelled at was the subplot. To be honest, I liked the idea, but the execution was a little clunky. It didn’t do anything but pull at your heartstrings as you see this orphan struggle against their disability. I thought it was unnecessary. Then Abramedko, working from a screenplay by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev, revealed his hand and I loved what he had done. Very cool use of sleight of hand.
“Sputnik” is a worthy sci-fi horror/thriller. It captures your imagination from the opening and gives the viewer enough surprises and twists to keep them guessing to the end.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGgtRsvq6hc[/embed]