Cleveronix
A different way of telling a story
StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
filippaberry84
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Stephan Hammond
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
kyrat
You have to remember you're watching a low-budget Soviet Sci_Fi film from 1980. So yeah, it has that 70's/80's sci-fi look and some cheesy effects (which I actually prefer to CGI, personally). The English translation is decent and doesn't leave anything out.The section where she tries to live on Earth is a little slow and I did not really understand the connection to the film, but I enjoyed the opening bits and the parts on Dessa.The imagery of the destroyed space lab and then later the gas masks and the posters in the tunnels was definitely ahead of its time.Apart from the imagery which I enjoyed, the best reason to watch this film - is the prescient display of how people who make money off the destruction of the planet will fight to keep their wealth, even at the cost of the planet. We also see the politicians bribed with money and power to spread lies and fear in oder to fight any change. And even the average citizen can be preyed upon to work against their own interest.
Zumbs
This movie begins when a spaceship discover another, derelict spaceship of unknown design and origin. They mount a salvage operation and discover that the crew are human of appearance but with considerable genetic differences. All but one (a woman) are dead.Next, a group of scientists and officials discuss what to do with this alien called Neeya. They all want to study her, but should she be allowed to study humans as well? She doesn't seem to be able to communicate but has strong mental/telekinetic abilities. They decide to let her live in the house of one scientist with his family, under close surveillance.As the story progresses we discover that she has a control center in her brain that allow others to take control over her - she has been designed like some sort of robot! Added to this story is a cast of interesting characters, a very unique alien, and lots of twists and turns to the main story.The special effects are not as good as one have grown accustomed to from recent top-of-the-line Hollywood blockbusters, but they are okay, and manages to avoid being cheesy (which is the most important in my humble view).All in all it is an excellent science fiction movie. I saw it in the theaters at a recent film festival in a restored version (from 2001 with English subtitles) and it was well worth the time and money. I give it 7/10 and recommend it to you all.
BrianSewell
Watch this film knowing it's a pile of rubbish and you realise how good it is. Communism was a strange thing, it did not want their people to stray to the decadent west, so they tried to do there own sci fi epics. I have a communist cuckoo clock, it is a very naked, plain non Bavarian cuckoo clock with a plastic cuckoo, but it was made so that there people had no reason to envy the west and this is another ''cuckoo clock'' it has a bald woman, a robot that is made out of various laundry containers turned upside down with odds and ends stuck on it, maybe bits of my cuckoo clock as well (obsessed or what). I won't explain the plot, but if you enjoyed Solaris, The singing ringing tree etc then get this if you can.
Alexey Seleznev
"Per Aspera Ad Astra" is really excellent film. It contains a lot of poetry elements. It is very sorry that American lookers cannot view this movie with the correct translation. The author of screenplay Kir Bulychov is a famous Soviet sci-fi writer. He is author of such books as "Girl From The Earth", "The Last War", "Wonders in Guslyar", "Witches' Cave", "The Settlement" etc. And fine music of composer Alexey Rybnikov. In 1970's in USSR Rybnikov was known as author of music for some children's movies. Some musical fragments from "Per Aspera Ad Astra" were used in famous Rybnikov's opera "Juno and Avos". The work of creators of this film was awarded in 1982 with State Prize of Soviet Union.