Mira

This is an interesting showcase of an obviously existing Russian desire to make western high-end spectacle movies. Others of this kind are 'Attraction' 1+2, 'Sputnik', 'The Blackout' series, 'Project Gemini' and 'Guardians'.

They are in the Sci-Fi genre not very innovative, rather simple in plot, well acted and technologically (FX,CGI) on a very high level.

It is to mention that they are in no way as outstanding as the two 'Night Watch' and 'Day Watch' movies from the early 2000s.

'Mira' is here a Russian space stations' AI, and it is also the weakest part of the whole movie, since dialogs with her are mostly cheesy.

The sole star is actually the FX and sound design department, which managed to create a fantastic '2012'-worthy destruction sequence of exhausting and captivating eight minutes length, that intrigued me very much. There is another great sequence, where the daughter is attempting to rescue her little brother, and her father tries a repair of the station, and both action strains, though in very different environments, are visually intertwined in a really wonderful manner. Note that this movie is said to have a budget of sparse 5 M Euros, which I consider as a shoestring, compared to western movies of this scale.

I would say that the acting is ok, the best of it comes from the children. The main actress is a bit too old for my taste, though being 18 playing a 15 or 16-year-old girl should be ok, but maybe I mean 'too experienced'. The main actor reminds me often of Mads Mikkelsen.

The paper-thin plot is just there to keep the story running, The family drama of the past is an unnecessary addition to explain the (in Russian terms) weird psyche of the main character, as in special needs because of PTSD. Supporting characters like the mother or the boyfriend (who lost a hand once) are staying superficial.

This disaster movie relies on the tension of time running out during the constant danger of a major cataclysm, combined with the usual family saving efforts. It is very effective with this and entertains greatly, until the final act, which appears to be superimposed and is not very 'realistic'.

One critical point is, between the many ultra-realistic and impressing cinematic danger situations the main characters have to endure to save their lives and those of others, the design team have obviously forgotten about the physics of fire and what it does in confined spaces to the breathable air.

I give the movie 7 stars rather than 6, for also being totally non-political, and for great atmosphere and good pacing.

Watched in Russian with English subtitles.

I rate this is an eight out of 10 for a very well done disaster movie.

The visual effects of disaster sequences are impeccable. Very few Space(orbital) special effects are done any better that I can remember and very few ground disaster effects are done any better. The filmmakers appear to have taken a lot of extra effort to do those well.

The character development of the main characters (teenage girl, and her father) , and the supporting actors- male friend at school and extended family are well done.

This appears to be a Russian made film dubbed into English. Russian title: Mira, English title: last transmission. A few of the characters are not dubbed well( the step father noticeably) , but overall all the main characters are done quite well. It did not detract from enjoying the movie for me.

The story is told well with appropriately placed flashback memories that fill in the story arc. The pacing of the movie never tempted me to skip ahead or stop watching.

Would I watch again? (My personal measurement overall of if it's a good movie) Definitely.

Mira disaster film shot in Russia. And this is one of the first catastor films shot in Russia, after watching which it is not ashamed. Mira really looks decent, a good CGI for its budget, no "Hollywood" pathos and a simple straightforward plot. Yes, the first third of the film in everything is trying to imitate the Hollywood films of its genre. Yes, there is no star cast here, even by Russian standards. And as in any film, the catastrophe here is a makimally delusional plot. But Mira is simply pleasant to watch without a sense of shame, which is already rare for a Russian cinematographer, to whom the Kino Foundation is involved. I can only advise everyone to watch the film, Dmitry Kiselev has been making a very worthy film 2 times. Yes, The Age of Pioneers is far away, but there is a different budget.

Residents of Vladivostok are looking forward to witnessing the spectacle of a meteor shower. The public has been assured it poses no threat to Earth.

But they were wrong. Last minute changes show there is a big chance of meteors hitting Earth. Unawares, 15-year old Lera and her 8-year old brother Yegor are just as exited to see the meteor shower. Lera suffers from pyrophobia as a result of an elevator accident several years ago.

Lera's biological father, Valery Arabov, works on the space station Mira. Through modern satellite technology he is able to see and speak to Lera. When the meteors hit, it causes widespread chaos and destruction, and when Lera is trapped under rubble in a building, Valery is able to help her thanks to Mira. But with the space station also suffering substantial damage, time is running out for Valery to guide Lera.

Lera also goes in search of Yegor, who is trapped in a building on the verge of collapse. The destruction scenes are incredibly well done with fantastic visuals and special effects, excellent photography and good editing. With danger around every corner for all the characters, 'Mira' is a nail-biting thrill ride. I enjoyed the characters and rooted for all of them.

'Mira' is a thrilling action adventure survival story in the vein of 'Armageddon'.

MIRA is somewhat of an unexpected thing to behold. While the story is a bit of a knockoff of the Emmerich formula (family, drama, calamity, spectacle, and family), the attention to detail and overall execution is something else, indeed.

There are sequences in this film that are truly remarkable in every aspect, rivalling some of the best Hollywood has ever brought forth. The camera work, the production design, the acting (including the extras) and the VFX in the impact sequence are quite extraordinary, and the more realistic approach results in a fresh new way of witnessing a terrifying disaster.

I really have to stress again how amazing many of the visual effects really are: not flashy and rubbery like so many things we get to see from much bigger films, but seamless and believable. I really wonder how they pulled of a lot of shots that seem like practical effects, which of course they can't be.

Don't expect a perfect film, though. Especially in the third act, the film loses much of its realism and also goes into full cheese mode, but the good aspects easily prevail, at least for me. And so the verdict comes easy: if you're a sci-fi buff like me, you need to watch this.