We don’t get enough material set in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The era is so fraught with mystery and intrigue, it benefits more than just spy thrillers. This weekend’s new release Sputnik, for example, manages to use the period for a science fiction / horror outing. The already potential laden field of space horror mixes with a creature feature to form something pretty unique and often a lot of fun. Things fall apart a bit at the end, but this is a great little under the radar title. You’d do well to give it a look, especially if you’re keen on genre offerings. The movie is sci-fi horror picture, set in the former Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Cosmonauts Konstantin Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov) and Kirill Averchenko (Aleksey Demidov) are returning home from space when something interacts with their capsule. Veshnyakov is taken to a secret government facility, unable to remember what happened. Colonel Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk), knowing more about his situation, recruits young doctor Tatiana Yurievna (Oksana Akinshina) for help. About to lose her medical license for controversial methods, the military swoops in and brings her to the secure science research facility to assess Veshnyakov’s very special case. Quickly, she learns that he has returned to Earth with something living inside of him, a creature that only shows itself late at night, emerging from his body to feed. As Tatiana tries to stop it from killing Konstantin, the military has other plans for it, while the creature itself grows and thrives on the fear of its victims. Eventually, destruction ensues. Egor Abramenko directs a screenplay by Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev. Supporting players include Vitaliya Kornienko, Anton Vasilev, and more. Maxim Zhukov handles the cinematography, while the score is from Oleg Karpachev. With a memorably original creature, a pulsating score, and a vibe of creative, this easily sets itself apart from the pack. Now, the third act is problematic, with all of the mystery and fun giving way to more violence and less intelligence, but this is largely a successful flick. Oksana Akinshina is a compelling lead, while the early sections of the script are hugely intriguing. Again, not everything gets paid off in a fully satisfying way, but it’s hard not to look at the creative forces here and not give a hearty thumbs up to its willingness to do some genre […]