Andromeda Nebula

Magnificent costumes created in the spirit of the Russian avant-garde of the 1920s. in one of the scenes seen moving robot, reminiscent of the robot from the movie Star Wars

This film was considered for some strange reason as not really successful (may be it was politically incorrect for its time) and almost not shown and theatres and TV. I saw it only once in 1990 during "Old Sci-Fi festival" but I have to say it's best Russian I saw. Actually in USSR there were almost didn't filmed sci-fi an thrillers. This film in somewhat very similar to Kubrik's Space Odyssey. Probably it well-made, decorations, dress-ups , scenes build strong (as if for real use) and not from plastic and paper. Also people shown at this movie, their interests, behavior and motivations so different from modern's. All this give you a strong filling of future life. This is true, good old-fashioned Sci-fi. Not Hi-tech westerns like Terminator or hi-tech tales like Star Wars. Also it based on very serious story, considered as one of the keystones of Russian postwar sci-fi. Shortly speaking - Good, old-fashioned, space travel pure sci-fi.

Forced to land on a planet orbiting an 'iron star', the crew of the starship 'Tantra' finds the wreckage of an alien spaceship and of a long-lost human expedition as well as a predatory energy-based alien lifeform. Much of the story was lost on me as I watched a Russian version on-line while attempting to follow the story by reading the script (with limited success) so I can really only comment on the imagery, which is interesting if not highly original. Similar to Mario Bava's 'Planet of the Vampires', the 'Tantra' touches down on a foreboding, fog-shrouded world only to discover the wrecks of both alien and human spaceships, and an invisible, murderous alien presence. The special effects are interesting, and similar to 'Planeta Bur' (1962), resemble 'realistic' images from 1950s' speculative magazines (fictional and 'factual') but are neither as novel nor as effective the contemporaneous Czech sci-fi film 'Ikarie XB-1' (1963) (with which 'Andromeda Nebula' shares a number of tropes). Watching as I did, most of the back-story (which occurs in a futuristic 'socialist' world in which Earth is part of an enlightened galactic alliance) was lost on me but again the images were interesting (a mix of Soviet-style monumental architecture and neoclassical 'future-tropes'). The film is based on a novel by Ivan Yefremov and was originally intended to the first in a film series. Worth watching for the imagery but unless you speak Russian, I'd suggest investing in a DVD, waiting for a subtitled version to show up on-line, or skipping to the 'special effects' sequences.

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to see a dubbed or subtitled (in English) version of this Russian film. However, I consider "Tumannost Andromedy" ("The Andromeda Nebula") as one of the best sci-fi flicks dealing with space exploration, regardless. The plot, being very similar to another East European film, the Czech "Ikarie XB1, is about a long-duration spaceflight to a nearby star, Epsilon Tucanea [or something, like that], in the year 3000.

The spaceship interior, just like in "Ikaria", is very well-designed (there is even a swimming pool in the recreation hall], and once the astronauts land on a dark planet, the film features excellent special effects. The film's ludicrous and bombastic communist ideology should be overlooked, but the story [by A. Yefremov, who was also a planetologist by trade, so he really knew about astronomy and space] is rather intriguing. It is also nice to see the future Earth, where the air and waters are clean, and people live in harmony. (Nowadays, especially when seeing the contemporary cinema, it probably sounds rather corny - unfortunately...)

It seems, however, that this film is only the first of a planned two-part sequence ("Part 1: Prisoners of the Iron Star" [in Russian, of course] is being clearly stated at the beginning of the film), and the second part was never finished - probably because of the film's unfavourable reception. Nevertheless, I have found this film being very unique and atmospheric, even in its unfinished form and with its original language. (In used bookstores, the book ["Andromeda - A Space Age Tale"], upon which the film was based, is widely available.)

I went into watching this with an open mind and based upon a recommendation of a friend who compared this film to "2001-A Space Odyssey." I also read a couple of reviews here. Someone mentioned that the costumes were "wonderful," etc. Sorry...to me they looked like bad advertisements for early 60s leisurewear. They were laughable and not a patch on the art direction and costuming of 2001.

The story line was confusing and full of earnest Soviet-style invocations to do well, etc...etc... The effects were sub-par, even for the late 60s. The music was just terrible...awful! I think the composer wanted to inject some themes used in US films like the 50s "The Thing from Another World" and "Forbidden Planet.' It just comes out as a mashed-up mess.

This film is worth watching from the historical viewpoint of trying to understand Soviet films of the period. Good luck getting through it.