Sputnik (2020)

Director: Egor Abramenko
Stars: Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov
Runtime: 113 minutes

Synopsis: The lone survivor of an enigmatic spaceship incident hasn't returned back home alone-hiding inside his body is a dangerous creature.

Performances: 5/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Entertainment Factor: 6/10

Verdict: John Carpenter's "The Thing" served as the inspiration to many modern sci-fi horror hybrids. Off the top of my head, "Apollo 18" and "Life" are examples of films that very clearly borrowed a few ideas from the classic. Egor Abramenko's "Sputnik" is the latest addition to the alien symbiote hunting people down list and, without being spectacular, achieves what it was aiming to do in a rather effective manner.

What I liked most about "Sputnik" is by far the horror element of it all. The scenes involving the mysterious symbiote are intense, and backed by a larger-than-life score that easily could've come across as obnoxious but instead adds tension to the film's atmosphere. The CGI was convincing most of the time, and while I do believe that the action could've been more entertating, it was still a fun time to witness the alien's carnage.

But, unfortunately, the entertainment factor is cut loose whenever the movie goes back to its rather cheesy core, one in which Soviet scientists and military forces try to contain and understand the behavior of their prisoner. I never really cared about any of the characters who on many occasions sacrificed common sense to add more drama to a movie that wanted to be taken seriously. This lack of tonal consistency was further emphasized by a script that didn't take enough risks to elevate the suspensful atmosphere it was building, instead opting for a generic outcome that left me disappointed.

Overall, "Sputnik" did have its moments but won't be remembered as something that redefined the genre. It's a slightly too long, fun watch that I'd recommend for fans of similar movies, no more, no less.

FINAL GRADE: 5/10