61
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzLuckily, the performances and characterizations add heft, and the very Russian vibe of soulful heaviness sets it apart from its American cousins.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsThe clever and nicely gory Sputnik comes from Russia with love, slime, and an impressive lesson in efficient, low-cost pulp filmmaking.
- 70The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyWhile Sputnik doesn’t make its substantial borrowings from other sci-fi pictures entirely new, it does juice them up enough to yield a genuinely scary and satisfying experience.
- 70Film ThreatAlex SavelievFilm ThreatAlex SavelievDespite all the flaws, Sputnik has one chief thing going for it: it holds your attention, from the first (and arguably best) twenty minutes, to the last (and arguably worst) twenty.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshLos Angeles TimesKatie WalshThe film swerves from sci-fi to horror to psychological thriller to melodrama, but in a way, it works. It’s clear Abramenko wants to serve a full-course meal of a movie, and in stretching the dynamic range of emotion he hits on moments that are at times operatic and at others somewhat soapy. But in doing so, brings a new layer of story that makes Sputnik feel epic.
- 67Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleIn an era where so many horror films are anchored in the aesthetics of Eighties American cinema, Sputnik establishes itself as an especially polished work of retro-futurism.
- 60Rolling StoneDavid FearRolling StoneDavid FearYou’ve seen this before. Think of it as a potent dose of sci-fi/horror Methadone to keep the withdrawals at bay.
- 60VarietyTomris LafflyVarietyTomris LafflyAbramenko maintains the film’s finite appeal throughout, mostly thanks to a familiar aura and a charismatic lead performance by Oksana Akinshina, a fine surrogate for the tough-as-nails heroine Ellen Ripley.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenSputnik’s third act is a rush of formulaic action meant, perhaps, to compensate for the interminably repetitive and impersonal second act, which is mostly concerned with reinforcing a set of foregone conclusions.