Sputnik
A Soviet psychologist discovers that a surviving cosmonaut has returned from orbit with a lethal alien companion that may be impossible to separate from him.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- somber
- late night horror viewing
- science fiction double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an effective, atmospheric Soviet-era creature thriller elevated by strong performances, striking production design, and a compelling central relationship, despite familiar genre conventions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The alien creature thriller is reframed through Soviet military bureaucracy, Russian psychology, and a somber Cold War setting.
The commander’s mental and physical state becomes inseparable from the dangerous alien life-form inside or alongside him.
The psychologist investigates the cosmonaut within controlled facilities while the creature’s nature and capabilities gradually emerge.
Critics specifically praised the strikingly spare production design and somber cinematography surrounding the containment investigation.
Films like Sputnik, and why
Alien
Shares slow-burn science fiction horror, extraterrestrial biology, claustrophobic research settings, and escalating creature dread.
Life
Shares a returning astronaut or cosmonaut carrying an alien life-form, paranoid containment, and ethical science-fiction horror.
The Blackout
Shares Soviet-era science fiction atmosphere, institutional secrecy, and psychological tension surrounding an unexplained extraterrestrial threat.
The Thing
Shares restrained creature horror, morally fraught experimentation, and a serious character-driven approach to genre terror.
Movie Details
- Director
- Egor Abramenko
- Release Date
- 2020-07-24
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (1027)
Cast
- Oksana Akinshina
- Fyodor Bondarchuk
- Pyotr Fyodorov
- Anton Vasilyev
- Aleksey Demidov
- Anna Nazarova
- Albrecht Sander
- Vitaliya Kornienko
- Vasily Zotov
- Aleksandr Marushev
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sputnik about?
- A Soviet psychologist discovers that a surviving cosmonaut has returned from orbit with a lethal alien companion that may be impossible to separate from him.
- What is Sputnik like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sputnik as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Sputnik violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Sputnik as graphic.
- What did critics think of Sputnik?
- Critics broadly found the film an effective, atmospheric Soviet-era creature thriller elevated by strong performances, striking production design, and a compelling central relationship, despite familiar genre conventions.
- Which films are like Sputnik?
- Films with a similar feel include Alien, Life, The Blackout, and The Thing.
- How long is Sputnik?
- Sputnik runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sputnik?
- In United States, Sputnik streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel.
