“Sputnik” 2020 Review – Gritty Dark Sci-Fi. Yes, Please!

When I hear the word, or name, “Sputnik” I always think of the first satellite that the Russians shot into Earth’s orbit in 1957. However, Sputnik means “Fellow Traveler” in Russian, which really makes a lot of sense for the Russian-made Horror Sci-Fi movie, released in 2020, Sputnik. There is a fascinating thing I discovered that argues the Russians didn’t actually name the object “Sputnik” but was basically just calling it a satellite, as sputnik can mean the same thing, satellite. As in, if America sent a satellite into orbit and didn’t give it a name, just called it a satellite. But I’m not here to argue space history. I’m here to review a movie. (Still though, it is interesting…)

Sputnik (the movie, not satellite), Directed by Egor Abramenko, may be one of the most overlooked and underrated movie to come out in 2020.

The opening scene is this serene little moment we get to spend with two Russian cosmonauts, who are in space, as they discuss what they’re going to do when they get back to Earth. There’s some singing and good natured jibing between the two. It’s a heart-felt moment. But then they see something outside the windows of the ship...while they are still in space, which could never be a good thing. We fast forward to when the astronauts have landed back on Earth. This scene really pulled me in for the entirety of the film as it sets the stage for the level of blood and gore, the intrigue and mystery behind what happened just before they landed, as well as the gritty cold setting that is created for atmosphere and mood.

Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov), one of the cosmonauts involved in the tragic opening incidence, is being held in a Military run facility under the pretenses that he has amnesia after the crash. He is confined by large metal locking doors to a cell consisting of sleeping quarters and an interrogation area. Colonel Semiradov and Doctor Yan Rigel study him, question him, try to get answers as to what happened in the final moments of his approach to Earth. They appear to be getting nowhere with his memory regardless of hypnotization, medications, etc.

Thus, Colonel Semiradov, perhaps in desperation, summons one Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina), a young doctor on the verge of losing her license due to her questionable decision-making while trying to save a drowning boy. The controversy, and her willingness to do anything it takes, is what draws Col. Semiradov to recruit her to help Konstantin breakthrough his “conditions”. Surprisingly, the Colonel allows a lot of free reign, in this confidential location, to Tatyana in her work. She is tasked with assessing what is wrong with the felled space “hero”, as Konstantin constantly deems himself.

Speaking of conditions, we find out that amnesia is not the only issue Konstantin is dealing with. Tatyana discovers that the Colonel, and the Doctor, did not show her everything of what they’ve been studying and experiencing with their patient.

As you see in movie previews, Konstantin has returned with a “fellow traveler”, a sputnik, so to speak. The creature in Sputnik is all CGI but it is creepy and has a horrifying secret in its relationship to Konstantin. They are tied to together in a way that is quite disturbing. The creature's movements and intentions are aggressive but meditative and thought-out. It’s also really brutal as the gorier parts of the movie come at the hands, or I should say at the mouth, of the creature.

Tatyana has a short timeline to figure out how, and if, the creature and Konstantin can be separated. And to find out if Konstantin is even aware of the thing he brought back to Earth with him. Of course, the Colonel has other intentions than he originally leads onto with Tatyana, which builds more pressure for her to figure out how to help Konstantin. The storyline intensifies as Tatyana and Konstantin get closer to each other the more she works with him. There’s a great crescendo to the climactic ending with much blood and guts along the way.

Set during the height of the cold war in 1983 Russia, you get a decent glance at what it might’ve been like in the heart of Russia during the time. According to IMDB, around 70% of Sputnik’s scenes were shot in a Bio-Organic Chemistry building that was built in 1959, providing an example of “brutalist Soviet architecture”. This turned out to be a great choice for the setting, lending to what I already mentioned about the atmosphere and the mood of Sputnik.

Sputnik had a great color scheme, primarily with lots of grays and olive colors, then assaulting red and dark blue at times. As the movie runs its course and comes to an end, they use a blend of agitating hues to accentuate the building suspense. It just looked fantastic for a dark Soviet alien Sci-Fi flick!

Surprisingly, I felt like there was a bit of heart put into Sputnik, regardless of the cold setting, horrific situation, and the Soviet militant characters. One of Konstantin’s secrets, which we find out through Tatyana’s discovery of it, plays into this aspect of the movie. Did an alien movie that is nearly two hours long need heart and empathy included in the storyline? No, but I think it added to my liking of the movie even more because of it. Sputnik does a lot of character development from start to end, so adding something that can pull at the heartstrings a little was necessary, I thought. Let’s not go crazy though…it’s still a dark Russian horror Sci-Fi alien flick, with plenty of blood.

Although the movie is almost two hours it had enough great content and Horror aspects that I didn’t notice the length. I actually wanted more! I think Sputnik is one of the best alien movies that has come out in quite some time and highly recommend it.

If I were able to change my post of my Top 15 2020 horror movies, Sputnik would’ve landed right on the fringe of top 10. I liked it that much!

Sputnik

Released: 7/24/2020

Rating: NR

Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci Fi

Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes

Director: Egor Abramenko (The Passenger, Polaroid Love)

Writer: Oleg Malovichko (Attraction, Ice, The Method) and Andrey Zolotarev (Attraction, Ice)