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Reviews
Utomlennye solntsem 2 (2010)
The only movie that took me to grow up to understand... strangely
When I first saw this movie back in 2010 I thought it is nothing more than a failed attempt to make "our version of Apocalypse Now". Although I caught the spirit of "The Citadel", the sequel, this one really made me mad! I hated Mikhalkov for this film, I wrote negative reviews, I really despised the guy. Although the journey through the roads of war reminded me of captain Willard's journey up the river, the plot seemed to be a mess of unrelated short B-movies piled together. The acting seemed extremely bad, political messages - too anti-Russian, the portrayal of Russians seemed to be so contrasting with heroic US soldiers of Saving Ryan. It turned out however this was the first movie I was not prepared for... And this is the only movie that grew in my eyes from absolute nonsense to masterpiece. I don't know what has to happen for the viewers to really tune to the author's language, so that it turns from torn pieces into a poem. That's what happened with me. But yet another requirement seems for the viewer to be neither pro- Russian, nor pro- Western, neither a patriot, nor a liberal, for it focuses on values different from all of these. It's not a "war is hell" movie, not a heroic movie, not a history-rewriting movie. It focuses on human beings and their plays, so to speak. But putting that aside, Mikhalkov himself is the owner of such rare human qualities, but he also possesses the true Russian character, and seems to be the only director capable to capture the scent of the past, the spirit. I certainly didn't think so back in 2010... Mikhalkov's film has a message to deliver, and that it just passes by the traditional elements of a war movie, it ignores things that usually make sense, and focuses on what has true meaning for the director. In other words, Mikhalkov wanted to share some very personal, intimate view, and the viewer is either prepared for the talk, or not. If not, the author simply does not find it necessary to explain things.
Belka i Strelka. Zvyozdnye sobaki (2010)
Space Dogs enables viewers to experience something very different and long-forgotten
Suitable for kids? I guess so. But the movie is pretty unconventional.
It tries to capture and deliver the long-forgotten atmosphere of soviet childhood with many of its supporting characters based on nearly iconic characters of old Soviet cartoons and children's stories. The setting - Moscow of the 60-s. This contributes to the overall spirit of nostalgia, It's like if the authors take their old toys from an attic and start telling their stories.
The story is little sad, and the characters always have to keep struggling, while their fate doesn't even belong to them. This spirit is probably created intentionally to make the viewers experience what it was like to be a Soviet man. There's nothing propagandistic about this film, and, as I said, It feels very authentic.
The original Russian voice acting plays an important role in delivering the spirit, which is often even more important than animation itself. I do suspect the dubbing doesn't contribute to correct perception of this piece.
Overall, this is not exactly similar to Pixar movies and it's not about a positive message, fun or enthusiasm. But it enables viewers to experience, like, an ancient civilization that no longer exists.
What it reminds me is "LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE". However, "Space Dogs" does seem to be acceptable for little kids and has some humanistic messages to deliver. Only that it's not about walking around and making the world a better place. It's more about facing things that are not in one's power to change at all.
That said, the pace is quick and action-packed, so it's hard to get bored. Overall, a good first step towards Pixar standards.
The quality of CG is not exactly up to modern standards, but it's advantage is about delivering the spirit of Soviet puppet-animated films. So I say it's good, as I doubt anyone else could do it.
So, why is this worth watching for a non-Russian-speaker? I guess it's like anime - another world, another life philosophy. It's also educational.
It's not very good for those who: a) expect a charge of purely positive energy and uplifting messages b) have a particularly strong bias against USSR