Reviews

Unlike some people in modern Russia I am not a Monarchist, which means my view towards the historic Russian Monarchy is mostly negative.

But the way Tsar Ivan (Vasilyevich) Groznyy, called the "terrible" in the Western world, was portrayed in this film is just absurd. The years in the film were 1565-66, Ivan IV was born in 1530, which means he should have been about 35 years old. Although the actor playing Ivan in the film was no younger than 50 years of age. Ivan in the film is too old.

And that is only part of the problem of the film. Events portrayed in the film are either in the wrong year or simply never happened. The film presents the year 1565 as disastrous for Russia, Poland is successfully conquering the country and numerous military disasters have led Ivan to believe the Russian people are turning against him.

Ivan himself is presented as a delusional psychopath that spends his time sitting alone speaking to "god". And when is not doing that he is finding people to torture and kill. He talks about Armageddon and that he believes it is near. His guards(the Oprichniki) wear dark and red clothing and look like some kind of Satan worshipers. And as the film progresses more and more people are killed or tortured in cruel ways, Ivan even instructs his men to build a massive torture exhibit where hundreds of people presumably were to be tortured at the same time.

By the end of the film Ivan has become an Anti-Christ figure, his men are shown burning people alive and they visibly enjoy it. While the Russian Orthodox Church is opposed to him, numerous special effects "miracles" are shown to "prove" the Church is not just mythology. I have a suspicion that the actual Church was involved in the production of this film.

It seems like only a Polish take over of Moscow can save Russia from the cruel tyrant.

Ivan IV was not an angel, but he was not a psychopath like the one shown in the film. He could do cruel things, but today Russia owes its vast territory and influence thanks to the actions of Ivan Groznyy. I don't think he deserves to be shown as some kind of Anti-Christ, this is counter-productive for Russia's future.

This is labeled as a comedy, but it was not a comedy.

The main character(the protagonist) is a wealthy successful Russian TV star(a "New Russian"). His father wants him to visit a new "high tech amusement park" that is based on life in the Soviet Union. His father is not a "New Russian", and is always complaining about work and life in modern day Russia. I got the feeling this like many recent movies in Russia was written by the same kind of person as the main character. None of the complaints made by the father in the movie are false, but they are depicted as being not serious.

Next the movie moves to this "high tech" facility where the park is located and we get some nice shots of the city of Sochi on the Black Sea.

We meet the antagonist(played by popular Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov), a "Soviet apologist" in the 2nd part of the movie.

There is nothing much to describe in the first part of the movie. The USSR setting seems to be of the 1930's-1950's period, an extremely exaggerated version that makes it seem like a dream, an unrealistic "Utopia". The movie works by presenting extremes of 2 sides, and there is a barrage of symbolism and foreshadowing. For example all the workers are "trapped" in the park and can't leave or talk to "tourists". The "New Russian" writers here were trying depict the USSR as an illusion, a prison of the working class, that is the hidden message of the movie and I saw it coming a kilometer away. The main character(the "New Russian") is depicted as the only "enlightened" person in the whole park. He loves this attractive brunette that works in the park but she "can't leave".

The "struggle" with authority becomes that main theme of the second part of the movie. The lone hero(the champion of "Western Reforms" no doubt) stands up against the "Stalinist" employees who start to torture him and abuse his beloved. This is where the authors were going, this is why the first part is unrealistic and I should say so is the second part.

The character played by Mikhail Yefremov gives good reasons why he prefers the USSR. Several examples: good affordable health-care, education available to everyone, the people were secure and had jobs. The writers would have us believe we should sacrifice everything we had for some "Western Materialism". Oh yes they also throw in some nudity as a way to stand against Soviet "censorship", never mind that it was relaxed by the time the 1980's arrived.

The only reason I gave it a 3 was for its good quality editing, aesthetic setting, and special effects. The message was pure garbage to anyone who has friends and relatives working as prostitutes to survive in this "wonderful new Western Materialistic Russia". The USSR was not all "milk and honey" but neither is Russia today, trying to bury our history in filth is counter-productive.

An elite Platoon of VDV numbering 39 people withstood over 10 different attacks from the Mujahideen, and in the end triumphed, the Mujahideen had over 10 times more manpower than the Soviet Platoon.

It is too bad that the above was not the plot of the movie. In fact the whole movie has nothing to do with the VDV, or Airborne Assault Troops (Paratroopers). Sure Praporschik Dygala says they are in the VDV but there is nothing special about them. Also the VDV does not have any T-80 tanks since tanks are too heavy to drop off from an airplane. VDV uses BMD's(not BMP's like in the movie), light armored vehicles capable of being dropped anywhere by parachute.

They never train on an airplane, they never even see a helicopter before Afghanistan. They are treated like a Penal Battalion.

The whole trip to Afghanistan made these soldiers look like cattle sleeping on the floor. There are supposed to be seats on this kind of flight.

Finally the airplane crash was not possible. A Stinger would not hit the side of the plane, it would hit an engine, because it tracks heat jets. An engine is the hottest object on an airplane. Even with one engine destroyed the plane should have landed safely.

Before I forget to add, if you stand next to a barrage of 122mm rockets you can lose your head very easily. One would never stand so close to that kind of artillery strike.

The music and special effects were good.

Some things I heard about this film before it was released was that it was "patriotic". Well I fail to see the patriotism. All I see is a submarine crew that dies at the bottom of the sea.

It also does not help recruiting for the Submarine fleet. The whole movie makes it seem like a WW2 mine can bring down the whole Russian Navy. In fact those old magnetic mines would be ineffective today because of specialized hull construction.

I don't understand what purpose does the film serve? Is it supposed to be in memory of the "Kursk"? One of the reasons given for the loss of that submarine was a mine.

Something Russians don't need right now are Disaster films. You will never find a similar film in the US. Most US submarine movies like "Crimson Tide" and "U-571" involve triumph over an enemy, Hollywood would never even think about making a movie about a Submarine disaster involving their own submarines. 1st Channel should have made a Russian answer to "Crimson Tide", the usual "evil Russians" movie from Hollywood, not this movie.

The Music and Special Effects were good, just the movie was bad.

Well I do have to say I was not completely disappointed with this movie. There are characters who have very many positive opinions. They are not the "nuke the commies" type of people.

But there is a reason why I gave it 3 out of 10.

One, why are American writers so obsessed about killing Russians? Would it not have furthered peace if the Russian submarine(in her own waters) was just damaged like the US submarine? Was it really necessary to destroy the Russian submarine that was defending its own territory to feed some kind of Russophobia? I feel if it had been forced to surface with damage it would have been better and supported the anti-WW3 theme.

Two, why is it necessary to launch 10 nuclear missiles at one missile silo base? Did the writers consider what they were doing? They were initiating a Nuclear Holocaust on an area with 7 million people. In this situation a conventional strike would have been better, and less like genocide. Russians are not human in this movie, and this is a problem with many Hollywood big budget "Action" films.

2 Young Sergeants specially trained in German arrive onto what seems is the Don Front in the middle of WW2 in 1942 by train.

They have unrealistic views of combat and joke about the war. Minutes later one is dead and the other is trying to survive while trusting a stranger he had met seconds earlier they only have one rifle they found and 5 rounds of ammunition. Fantasy turns to reality.

That is the beginning of the 1st Episode of this Miniseries.

The 2 heroes of this film run for their lives with whole German units pursuing them. But the history of the newcomer is not clear. He seems to know a lot about Germany, more than the average Russian soldier, and he has no identification to prove his identity. He borrows one, from a dead soldier.

They then must pass obstacles like German Guards and their own Army, units of which were specially set up to locate saboteurs and spies who could pass across the front line. The "newcomer" is identified as a German spy, but later this accusation is withdrawn (although we learn the truth later).

The Special Operations Squad they join is sent on a mission to capture a German officer, but it gets dangerous and they almost lose their lives.

There is more than that, but space is limited. The Germans are not portrayed as superhuman demons. All types of Germans are portrayed including a German ally. It is not entirely accurate. But the Special Effects are very good as well as the film quality.

This is a true story of an Episode in the Soviet Offensive to liberate Kiev.

Late-Summer/Fall 1943, the Wehrmacht is in retreat. The battle of the Kursk Salient has cost them 100,000's of casualties. 4 Panzer Divisions have been completely wiped out, they are unable to hold ground and cross the Dnipro river to the western shore and begin to dig in expecting reinforcements to fill up defenses along the river. The Soviet Army begins a build up of manpower and equipment to storm across the river and liberate Kiev. There is only one problem. Information about German strength is not available, from all indications Axis troops have powerful forces along the river all the way to the Black Sea.

There have been some probing missions, but these have mostly been failures. Germans have begun bombing Soviet Supply dumps with Bombers near the Dnipro river. Divisional command decides to use artillery against the enemy and send an Anti-Tank Battalion on a suicide mission to set up a beachhead on the other side so that Soviet troops can begin crossing the river.

They 1st do not encounter anything, but in the end fight a battle to the death to survive.

I saw this film a while ago on a Video CD.

I will 1st mention the good points.

The movie, at first, at least tries to appear that it is not biased, like not showing one character as black and the other as white. Both main characters are friends and co-exist very well in an country and economy that is not booming while at the same time not failing. Their families get together and have parties and they practice their favorite sport, Sport Rifle shooting, as comrades not as competitors.

But, after the 1st 15 minutes the plot runs into a fork in the road. The audience is expected to believe that for some unknown reason these friends must hate each other. That for some unknown reason Bosnia is now on a path to conflict. Sure, the script adds in TV footage which the characters appear to be watching live news programs in English, but the clips are from 1993 not 1992 when the war began.

The history, the 1990 elections, the people who caused the war are not mentioned. The movie tries to place the blame with Karadzic, who had been a Presidential candidate and leader of the Bosnian Parliament's 2nd Largest Party(SDP). According to the Constitution of Bosnia, the SDP was to have the Presidency in 1992, but there was a Coup in January. The Bosnian Islamic Democratic Action Party seized total control and held a segregated referendum in March in which it declared itself the law in Bosnia and announced Secession.

The history of the IDAP begins with Bosnian Muslim Alija Izetbegovic, a man suspiciously absent from "STtH". He was a student of Nazism in WW2. He even wrote his own "Mein Kampf" in which he stated: "It is not in fact possible for there to be any peace or coexistence between 'the Islamic Religion' and non-Islamic social and political institutions".

In 1990 he lost the IDAP elections to "pro-Yugoslavia Moderate" Fikret Abdic, a Bosnian Muslim, that worked with Christian Serbs during the Civil War, and who treated his supporters like brothers. Abdic was prevented from taking power by Izetbegovic, who lost the elections but seized the seat of power.

The events from above are missing from the movie, but they are the factual events that lead to the war.

There were problems with props too. Serb soldiers in the movie were wearing Soviet WW2 helmets, which they did not use. Also the one soldier was holding an M-1944 WW2 rifle only used by USSR not Yugoslavia.

The Director and Script Writers had a chance, but they chose to re-write history.

The Advertisements for this Miniseries looked spectacular, finally a modern factual series about WW1 in Russia.

Sadly, this was not to be. The story seems like it is taking place in Victorian England not poverty stricken Tsarist Russia. This is a flaw of most of the Studio Tritey productions, invent an imaginary Tsarist Russia that only exists in fiction. No food riots, no massive opposition to the Tsar, no mass executions of protesters that were common in that period.

The film was shot in modern day St. Petersburg and a Movie set, but even today the city is more appealing than its 1914 version with filth in the streets.

The heroes of the story are 2 Tsarist Secret Police agents and an Upper Class Educated Man who becomes an officer in the Tsarist Army.

Of course because of their position they are not required to go into Combat. And the portrayal of combat on the Eastern Front in this series is what one would call "overkill". Armadas of Zepellin Bombers and Fokker Assault Planes did not terrorize the Russian People daily. In the whole War German Zepellins attacked the UK maybe a total of 5 times.

We see frequent flashbacks of Kostin, the character played by Alexander Baluyev(very popular in Army role). He is a veteran of the war with Japan, he became a POW and Japanese culture has had an effect on him, as well as the death of a woman he became attached to as a POW.

Of course he is the perfect example of a Government Secret Policeman, he has few flaws and does not doubt his lord, father, and leader, the Tsar. He and his Sherlock Homes like sidekick Shtol'tz crack down on anti-government movements, which ALL happen to be German Agents, or Austrian ones.

Yes, this movie is one Conspiracy Theory after Another. Russia did not lose the war because she was behind Europe in Technology, Education, and Industry, but because all those calling for Reforms were German Agents, simple way out for this Revisionist History.

Even Lenin is a German agent, and he ended the War for Russia, saving it from collapse.

If one is looking for facts, this Series is not based on them. This movie had excellent quality and special effects, and that is it.