Movie Breakdown: Sputnik

Pre-Screening Stance:

I’ve been really into the last couple of IFC Midnight releases (The Wretched, Relic), and I’d love to see that snazzy streak continue on with Sputnik. My gut says that it will, as the trailer for it paints a competent-looking slice of sci-fi horror, but who knows anything anymore with the way that 2020 has been going.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I enjoyed (and was adequately grossed out) by Sputnik, but it’s one of those movies that comes and goes and ultimately doesn’t really stick with you once the credits have rolled. It begins with a couple of cosmonauts arriving on Earth – one is missing a chunk of his head, and the other seems fine. The “healthy” one is, of course, not fine and only looks like he is because an alien has taken up residence inside of his body. Personally, I would have moved to “nuke it from orbit” here, but all the Russian scientists, military people and whatnot decide to double down on their efforts to research the creature by bringing in Tatyana (Oksana Akinshina), a young doctor who has made a name for herself via risky procedures. She initially does try to help, but as the government’s true intentions steadily come to light, her moral compass sends her in a different direction.

Sputnik is clearly a direct descendant of Alien, which is fine to a certain degree. Just like in Ridley Scott’s film, the creature design here is fantastic – it’s icky, creepy-looking and brutally violent (it essentially eats brains) – and you will move to the edge of your seat whenever it crawls out of its poor human host. When the alien isn’t around though, Sputnik sputters because you already know the story the film is telling and it offers zero surprises or anything new, just gore. Granted, the gore is well done, but that’s all you’re getting here. If that’s enough for you, then seek out Sputnik when it hits VOD services.

One Last Thought:

I’d hate to have to throw up a murderous alien every night.