the audience applauded

It is a performances centric movie

A different way of telling a story

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I came across this film on TV accidentally and being born in USSR it brought back some sentimental memories; mostly because it is based on Kir Bulichev's story – this author used to be published in almost every soviet youth magazine – so this made me feel like 12 again… don't get me wrong – it is quite bad, it was never a hit, and it looked pretty outdated already when it came out at the end of the soviet era. Not only the audience but even the directors were totally mesmerized by the B and C level American trash films - mostly because were so different from everything we saw before that. So this film is a clear attempt to emulate not even the original Star Wars, The Predator or Conan but their cheap imitations In less than an year my home country quit the USRR in midst of wars and economic collapse and relations with Russians have been getting worse ever since. but still, this is a fantasy (I would dear to call it a science fiction) film from the time and country that remains now only in the memories and fiction, may be that is why it gives my the same sad feeling of the world that doesn't exist anymore.The actors playing the main parts (except Karachentsov who seems to be out of place here) here were mostly the young generation that were not yet that popular in non-Russian republics (unlike the older generation that is still loved and admired) even though Zhigunov was star of Russian answer to 3 musketeers ("Gardemarini" series) and Pevtsov (the villain in this movie) went on to become the major heartthrob of Russian cinema of the next decade, none of them are appealing enough to hold the entire film, and director's decision to cast own wife as a female lead did not help – if both hero and antagonist a trying hard to be Schwarzeneggers (Pevtsov comes close - with over the top ridiculous grimaces), the main lady is too obviously really poor man's take on every single "Tanya Roberts wearing fur bikini" character from American B movies. The special effects are really lame, not even the "American B movie" lame but rather a "Godzilla wanna-be" lame. And one can feel that it was too obviously aiming at young audience – it is felt in dialogs, and in many scenes, like in a sequence that has a promise and look of a vintage German porn the female lead takes shower in the waterfall, but alas, doesn't even take of her Stone Age bikini. The film is also gives an interesting alternative of the future where the an astronauts are wearing only soviet red flag - badges – I suppose communism was meant to survive into XXX century.The funniest part for the Russian speaker comes when the a soviet astronaut of the future and a savage princess talk with an obvious Russian yuppie accents, that and seem to be almost embarrassed to be doing all this adolescent ninja staff.On a positive note however, even with all of this criticism, the film has more heart, plot and potential than most of its foreign sources of inspiration. It is pretty interesting, and pretty fun, even though in a masterpiece theater kind of way.

This is a sci-fi movie, it has nothing to do with the Bible and/or biblical symbolism. Nice and pure piece of fiction, story of what might become of us. Contact with an alien life, justification our of intervention into natural order, men and what they carry within them to the starts are the main problems aroused by the film. A.Tarkovskiy's "Solaris" (written by S.Lem) would be the closest in a genre. One might find deeper thoughts encapsulated within the story, but in reality it has no more that any other movie would have. Easy to watch, a bit naive. I'll give it 10 of 10 for the script, 8 for the play, 5 for decorations/special effects (don't expect much). Enjoy it, should you find decent translation or subtitles.PS: By the way, Bulychyov's book has much more to appreciate.

There is some praising on I-net and so, here goes my reply with a snarl.The film is almost forgotten in Russia. No information about it for years. Have noticed the unofficial DVD on the shelves of a near-by store these days (it brought back some memories from my childhood - most of them not connected with the movie itself, though). As a matter of fact, it is fair.It is not original. It borrows things from other titles (mostly American), I am sure. If you want to taste real solid Russian movies of the highest quality, watch "Viy", "Solaris", "Kin-Dza-Dza", "Mimino", and some others. Those ones live their own life on screen. They deserve attention. As to this one - it is a passer-by.It was created when tough revolutionary movies began penetrating into Soviet everyday life. "Ninja", "Terminator", "Conan", "Aliens", "Cyborg", "Max", "Commando", "Batman" became the words so familiar and so cool. We were discussing Terminator between the lessons, some of us drew "Alien" images upon their caps, we made pictures of ninja-warriors during the classes, and recited the phrases from the action flicks. Suppose, the Russian directors of that time also wanted to create something tough and so this film appeared. It was shown here in theatres in late 1980s and it did not amaze me (unlike the mentioned "Terminator", "Aliens", "Cyborg", and "Mad Max"). The directors failed, in my humble opinion. They should have looked deep into Russian traditions - that could be really useful. They should have revived the trend of "Viy". Tough movies about Russian heroes with proper use of the fairy-tale presentation style would have been marvellous. Instead, they wound up arranging something that looks like a Conan-clone with a sci-fi touch, all done with a very limited budget.Yes, human heads are being cut off, naughty spiders are attacking but being eaten by Conan-like men, some witches are thrown in, a positive hero with hastily pumped-up muscles walks about, etc. A simple action 2D video-game would have been more than enough.One more piece of fault-finding: the actors were out of place here. They all are well-known actors in Russia, usually operating in comedies and melodramas, therefore the whole movie looks like a joke. Unfortunately it is not funny either. Cannot remember a single line from this flick.But this movie is not offensive and can be easily consumed by the whole family. Nothing remarkably violent.Anyhow, it is not complete junk and deserves an average mark. Thanks for attention.

I was privileged enough to pick up a copy of this seminal piece of Russian horror (horrorpiece, to employ the official term)at Mike Knight's Open-All-Night VHS Dungeon on W 5th Street, LA in the early 90s. For anyone familiar with the area at this time, Mike's store was a great place for the distinguished VHS "aficionado" to relish in the more under-appreciated World rarities. Sadly, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword; I last heard Mike's Dungeon was closed down for video piracy by none other than LA's infamous video piracy vigilante, The Pirate JB. On to the film, and what a film! Marina Levtoza (who later went on to star in what was a bigger box office success, yet inferior critical success, 'President i yego zhenshchina' aka 'The President and his Women') delivers a strikingly convincing performance as the mentally unhinged love interest Belogurochka. It is delightful to see a horror film of this calibre (trash horror) trying its hand at some old fashioned Biblical symbolism, as Marina is enticed by the dark side, or Satan's path, as represented by the witches. This is pure Genesis parody, and the tremendous clout of the chromatic imagery is rival, if not commensurate, to that of Polanski's 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968). The witches, of course, inhabit a cave, symbolic of that small, hidden alcove in all our hearts where Satan lurks, "whispering" to us with his empty promises. NOTE: The witches communicate with each other by whispering! Class!