Coming soon to Russia:
AVANPOST (THE OUTPOST). A science fiction/horror endtimes thriller in which a large proportion of the world's population has been wiped out due to causes unknown...while isolated unnafected areas struggle to survive and acertain what happened.
The fact that this film has ben already given a Western name
(BLACKOUT) and has an internation al trailer (ie with subtitles) implies that it might be available to English speakers at some piont in the forseeable future:
Anyway, you'll be the first to get a review.
So... AVANPOST (`Outpost`/`Blackout`) is more of a science fiction action thriller than horror, but anyway - it's one of those knock `em dead lavish epics with which Russia periodically surprises the world with. But I SO so wanted to like it more than I did!
We are in a near future Moscow ( hence see-through mobile phones, drone like objects filling the skies and 3D lazer sdisplays everywhere). Suddenly there is a global blackout with large numbers of the human race falling inexplicably dead. Some areas are unaffected, however - and this includes Moscow - which seems to just carry on as before.
A special military unit is set up to defend the area and then conscripts all men and women of a certain age. the film consists of their exploits - and how they fight a battle against an enemy which they can't see and know nothing about.
Much of the action consists of heavily kitted up men and women moving en masse through deserted urban landscapes and stuff blowing up. I was renminded of
Starship Troopers in its focus on the military - but at least that film was a parody. This is not.
Then we get to meet the alien invaders (for it is they) and it starts to get silly. They literally look like Lord Voldermort! They can control our minds and set masses of people against the miltary - who then have to mow them down as though they were zombies.
It ends up being a sort of cross between
Skyline and
World War Z. The denoument, when we get to se the alien ship, is kind of interesting but comes way too late.
The film stars some well known (in Russia) screen idol types, but they all seem to lack charisma. It's a glossy film - and everything is sacrificed to a having a lavish appearance, which it sure does.
I understand that AVANPOST is being sold to Germany - and that's how it may make it's way to the UK ansd the States with subtitles. I also undertans that it's part of a projescted TV series. If so, the TV version could work a lot better - perhaps in the style of `V` - having more time to develop on its ideas, such as they are.
I couldn't warm to this film: it's way too militaristic and it seems to humourlessly wallow in its own grimness. Also it contains some cynical gratuitous violence. How different it is from
Attraction (Prityazhenye) - also from Russia -three years back. That covered sort of the same territory, but with such heart and soul!
(A more detailed review pending in my blog)