If you're a "space-head" like me, this is a terrific opportunity for you to see a story that Hollywood has always ignored: mankind's first spacewalk, performed by Alexei Leonov during the flight of Voskhod 2.
Made in Russia, the pacing will at times seem to plod a bit, especially compared to the frenetic pace of most American-made films. And one should not expect 100% historical accuracy: this is a dramatazation, not a documentary, so the filmmakers have "juiced" the drama of some events a bit, although the major outlines are all correct. Even so, it is probably as accurate as "Apollo 13", and more accurate than the entertaining but historically sketchy "The Right Stuff."
That's not to say that this is in any way amateurish. The special effects, where used, are excellent, quite comparable to the best Hollywood has to offer. It's difficult for me to judge the acting since I was reading the English subtitles (I don't speak Russian) but from what I could tell, it was at least serviceable. I met Leonov a couple of times in his later years, and from that limited perspective, I'd have to say Evgeniy Mironov well captures his great humor and adventurous spirit.
Please note: a later edition (under the name "Spacewalker", with an "R" at the end) has been released on DVD and Blu Ray that DOES have an option for English dubbing. I have not seen this one, but the dialog in the trailer seems pretty wooden; it's definitely not any A-list American actors reading those lines. I suspect that this might become a bit distracting after a while, and have a negative effect on viewers' perceptions of the movie.
That would be a shame. This is a very good movie, as entertaining and dramatic as "Apollo 13", with better performances than Gosling's terrible Armstrong in "First Man," and much more scientific accuracy than the laughable "Gravity." It's definitely worth a look.
Made in Russia, the pacing will at times seem to plod a bit, especially compared to the frenetic pace of most American-made films. And one should not expect 100% historical accuracy: this is a dramatazation, not a documentary, so the filmmakers have "juiced" the drama of some events a bit, although the major outlines are all correct. Even so, it is probably as accurate as "Apollo 13", and more accurate than the entertaining but historically sketchy "The Right Stuff."
That's not to say that this is in any way amateurish. The special effects, where used, are excellent, quite comparable to the best Hollywood has to offer. It's difficult for me to judge the acting since I was reading the English subtitles (I don't speak Russian) but from what I could tell, it was at least serviceable. I met Leonov a couple of times in his later years, and from that limited perspective, I'd have to say Evgeniy Mironov well captures his great humor and adventurous spirit.
Please note: a later edition (under the name "Spacewalker", with an "R" at the end) has been released on DVD and Blu Ray that DOES have an option for English dubbing. I have not seen this one, but the dialog in the trailer seems pretty wooden; it's definitely not any A-list American actors reading those lines. I suspect that this might become a bit distracting after a while, and have a negative effect on viewers' perceptions of the movie.
That would be a shame. This is a very good movie, as entertaining and dramatic as "Apollo 13", with better performances than Gosling's terrible Armstrong in "First Man," and much more scientific accuracy than the laughable "Gravity." It's definitely worth a look.