Gagarine: First in Space

Good biopic.

The story of Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space. Told by concentrating on his historic flight, interspersed with flashbacks to his youth, Air Force training, cosmonaut training, his relationships and family life.

Very well made. The special effects for Gagarin's journey into space and back are superb. The story around the flight is also well told - the director creates genuine tension regarding his safety, even before he goes into space. As you can imagine there would have been - nobody had done it before, and the technology was fairly primitive.

The personal side is kind of schmaltzy though. There are also some other scenes that don't seem to add much to the movie.

A good story on a very brave man.

The film explores the tale of Yuri Gagarin, the legendary first man in space, who won the space race for the Soviet Union. The viewer is presented with a recap of that memorable day when humanity finally reached the final frontier, with a multitude of flashbacks to Yuri's youth and childhood.

We see Yuri's humble beginnings and his journey through life and the events that shaped him into the man who would become the greatest space explorer in the history of mankind.

The actors do a magnificent job of capturing the raw emotion of that day and present us with a story of all the people responsible for the first flight into space. Particular regard is to be had for Yaroslav Zhalnin who does a stellar job portraying the man himself.

For any fan of film or space exploration.

10/10

This film is another cinematic masterpiece in the history of spaceflight. I'm no film expert, but as an American engineer with a love for spaceflight history, I found this to be a very good film in all respects. Technical, drama, realism...all were good in many respects. The Russian cinematic effort and acting that went into this movie is 1st class. As an English speaker with only limited Russian language abilities as of this review, I found it very easy to follow the movie.

Bravo to all those involved in bringing this great story to the movie screen. Russia and all the other former Soviet scientists, engineers, cosmonauts, and everyone ever involved with the former Soviet space program have much to be proud of. Congratulations from America.

This is a well constructed biopic. The narrative style is very evocative and non-linear, making a very compelling story. The portrayal of the pilots and engineers align to those in real life.

It also communicates the difficulties, technical challenges and personal rivalries of the space programmes. With space travel being part of life for so many years, it is easy to forget how little anyone knew about the affects of space on people. Even now there is much to learn.

The film also captures the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, and how achievements in space were such a source of national pride.

The scenes are well framed and shot, the direction is tight and the acting is well done. There are a few cheesy moments, which provided comic relief.

Overall, this is an intelligent film about an engaging person, and should be of interest to anyone interested in the space race or space travel today.

What I like most about this movie is its relative neutrality. Of course, there was that historical, almost 'light the world up' tension between the two superpowers back then, but this one, however, menages to be almost solely Russian. It does not blame either part of the equation. It is Russian because of its characters, who are developed well throughout the movie. What baffles me that, in the same year, Gravity won everything, but this movie wasn't even mentioned. I think, Gravity will soon be forgotten, but this one, about Gagarin, will linger for a long time.