My quick rating - 5,3/10. Russian horror flick that had some decent press so thought would check it out. I really wanted to like this one more than I did. After Russia churned out Sputnik, I had to check it out but unfortunately it just doesn't capture that same flair. The movie itself is very similar to The Thing (1982) with the atmosphere and general sense of isolation. This time they are trapped in an underground facility with something that seems to be assimilating whomever it comes into contact with. It is nice to follow a story with a completely new set of actors since I am unfamiliar with anyone who would be top billing in Russia and this cast all do a pretty nice job. I have to say that with a big asterisk with it since I saw a dubbed version and I am sure it was actually better in its native tongue. My biggest problem is the linear nature of the story. I never felt any wonder of what would happen nor were there any twists tossed in to change things up so the predictability factor was very much a negative. But a big positive was the special and visual effects. I have no idea what the budget here was (and chances are the actuals are not public knowledge) but the creature design is different than the norm and every scene where the spores do come into contact with the humans looks stunning. The tension does build up and will draw you in for the entire ride, it is just a ride that you most likely won't bother with again. Arseny Syuhin directs a very adequate horror/thriller here and surely would be a name to watch especially since this was supposedly a "low budget" production. If that is the case, then I cannot wait to see what happens with full studio money backing them up.
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