Major Grom: le Docteur de Peste

I think both the 10 star reviews and the 1-2 ones are way off chart here. The movie is somewhere in the middle.

This is a typical action movie with lots of cliches that have proven to work over time. It is what people call a popcorn movie, just some fun entertainment. For what it is, it is enjoyable. And after watching the latest Hollywood movie in the same style (F9), I have to say, I enjoyed this one more.

If you didn't know, most russian movies have such a poor script that sometimes you think the whole industry is cursed. But not this movie. It's like the Iron Man for MCU - Mayor Grom is a solid start for a Bubble comics cinematic universe. Great shots, decent humor, plot twist and the villain for whom you have sympathy. Never got bored and I really want more. Also the cast and all the creatrs are very good passionate people, they deserve our support. Go see this movie in the cinema.

It's a nice surprise. A Russian film, but one that looks like a Hollywood blockbuster, and that's a compliment. The film has a good art direction and features action scenes that are not crude. A mixture of batman, the joker and V for Vendetta with a dash of stylistic comedy makes this Russian movie an entertaining watch.

Plot

Supercop Grom fights crime in St. Petersburg - an uphill battle. A vigilante starts killing the powerful, who escaped justice.

Cast

Unfamiliar with anybody involved, or the source material.

Verdict

I'm not familiar with Major Grom in the slightest and only wound up watching this as it was recommended to me.

Upon learning it was a Russian superhero movie my guard went up, I was burned before with 2017's The Guardians which I had very hopes for but turned out to be remarkably terrible.

I went in with concerns and though certainly better made and more stylish than The Guardians it still falls short as though not a bad film it's all just so very, expected. It's predictable, it's generic, it's a wish-wash mess of things we see frequently.

Grom himself is an unlikable character, the supporting characters are overdone stereotypes and the passable villain couldn't make up for that.

The plot itself, I quite liked. But would you have enjoyed Lord of the Rings as much if the characters were as annoying as The Walking Dead and the lead was Morbius?

Several shades of meh.

Rants

I'm shortly going to do my top 10 best Russian films and I fear it'll be terrible, a list of poor movies because I simply haven't seen anything Russian that I really liked. I hope I'm proven wrong, but let's see. Curious, go check it out on my profile.

Breakdown

Has a certain charm Tries to be too "Hollywood" Unengaging Weak characters.

OK it helps tremendously that the casting is ideal, but after a surfeit of Marvel and Disney movies, I have to say I enjoyed every minute of this movie. Good on Russia and I do hope Netflix picks up more of the same. Interesting characters, new faces (of course!) great settings and not a bad plot. And Igor Gromov is so very easy on the eyes and a lot more fun to watch than a plastic, sour plum Batman. Never seen so many great cheekbones in one movie.