Sputnik – A Solid Creature Feature (Early Review)

Creature features are not a particularly new subgenre and it’s also a little bit tired to be honest. The same conventions and tropes consistently keep showing up for the most part and the best films take those and do them very well, dressing them up in interesting ways. Meanwhile, Sputnik, the latest Russian creature-feature (for lack of a better word) dresses those up in interesting ways, resulting in a solid and incredibly tense watch that will certainly not be for the faint of heart (it’s unrated but heed my warning). Though it may take a little long to get going and it could be a touch shorter (with a current running time clocking in at nearly 2 hours), those are merely minor quibbles while the subtitles could be a contentious aspect for some viewers (though it shouldn’t be but it is what it is) not to mention the fact that it most likely won’t be converting any non-fans of the subgenre.

Sputnik takes place during the height of the Cold War and follows a famed Russian psychologist named Dr. Tatyana Klimova (Akinshina) and her unconventional methods are taken to a remote military compound and are tasked by Captain Colonel Semiradov (Bondarchuk) to assess the condition of the commander of a doomed space mission. Now it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that there was a lot more going on here with this situation and Commander Konstantin Veshnyakov (Fyodorov). This fact became will become increasingly clear over the course of the film as the events of that doomed mission are revealed as Konstantin. That truth should also not come as that much of a surprise to anyone but nevertheless, the reveal will definitely make an impression. As mentioned, the film won’t be for the faint of heart as it leaves plenty of graphic violence (that could be too much for some) in its wake.

However, Sputnik proved to be much more than that, if only to balance out everything else, as the setting eventually took over and the story became more than that. This turn may be more difficult to take for some though it works more often than not because of the character of Klimova. She served as a counterbalance to Semiradov who in turn was a counterbalance to the rest of the Russian military complex. It was a shame that that latter contrast wasn’t explore more but the former contrast was an interesting one as Klimova’s principles ultimately prevailed in spite of Semiradov’s intentions. Meanwhile, Veshnyakov wasn’t a passenger. His story kind of gets lost amongst his relationship with Klimova while also being overshadowed by the creature to a certain extent as his arc is nearly as developed as it could have been. The story’s secondary subplot involving him suffers as a result.

Despite a seemingly low budget, Sputnik certainly makes the most of it. Even with an overabundance of greys, there was some nice cinematography to be had and the set design and costumes were very period-authentic. While the story is admittedly on the cheesy side, the exaggerated score rose to that level, adding to the tension and also some entertainment value. Last but certainly not least, the titular creature won’t exactly set the world on fire, however, is still quite impressive considering. In the end, the best part of the film was the strong performance of Akinshina as Klimova. The story may be cheesy, a little derivative, and predictable at times, she was compelling to watch and carried the film through it all. While the emotion was arguably not there, it could just be lost in translation. Although Fyodorov was decent as Veshnyakov, showing some quality tortured moments and having chemistry with Akinshina, the emotion was also lacking. Finally, Bondarchuk was a fun foil as the eccentric Semiradov.

At the end of the day, Sputnik is a decent Cold War creature feature that will surely satisfy horror and sci-fi fans but viewers should know what they are getting themselves in to.

still courtesy of IFC Films

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.