Being am American space geekette all my life, I was understandably drawn to the movie "Salyut-7". Let me start with my overall opinion of this production and then the why's.
Ready?
Outstanding Entertainment.
Make no mistake, this is a dramatized story of the events surrounding the rescue of the Salyut-7 research station after it became unstable and threatened Earth with an uncontrolled ballistic re-entry. It is NOT a documentary by any means of the imagination. This said, please note that the special effects are top notch and show a love of both reproduction the rugged dependability of Russian Space hardware as well as a keeping up with the Jones quality in the overall visual effects in both the captured directly to film footage and the post processing CGI effects. Kudos are well deserved.
The story is delivered in a tightly scripted yet dramatic setting replete with humor and situational challenges to be conquered as if planned on a clipboard checklist. This tone and story telling technique is apparent from the beginning of the movie and it prepares the viewer for a climatic ride where you are indirectly warned to just suspend your disbelief and to just hang on. Once you realize this is not a testament to the brave cosmonauts of the Soviet Space program nor a history of the role that the Salyut-7 research station played in the Soviet pride, it seems that you are invited into the tale being told.
This is a fictional story about men who fly into space and perform their assigned tasks with grit and determination. The classic well trained, stoic cosmonaut is missing from this story replaced by a very human repair crew.
The story is not as absurd as that presented in "Gravity" or so over the top as in "Apollo 13" yet you feel the drama build as each step in bringing the station back to life is met with the inevitable challenges of cold, water moisture, frustrating electronic components, failed servo-motors & sensors, EVAs and seemingly impossible to repair damage. fire and stress. All these challenges are conquered in turn as a cold war of decisions takes place at central space command including some terrifying consequences from the earlier events put to rest.
The crew is made more human with unusual flashbacks into their marriages and estranged relationships with contrived dialog moments, but the acting itself shows the love between these men and their lives with their families on Earth.
Decisions are made, the impossible becomes possible and you are left with a pleasant reminder that ingenuity does conquer all.
Asking for more from this film will simply frustrate you. Simply enjoy the ride.
