Major Grom: le Docteur de Peste

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.

I really liked this movie! Nice plot, funny, action packed, good acting, unexpected twist. And be sure to watch past the end credits. ;) I can't wait for a sequel!

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.

I never expected it to be anything that good. No, really, it's fun! First, it is a really well-made piece of filming. Second, this is a real superhero movie, a fact even more surprising, taken that... well, let's be frank, Russians do not know anything of comic books and superheros. It's just not in the culture. But this one time they did it!

Igor Gromov (Grom ~ Thunder) is a superhero without superpowers. You may think of him as a total anti-Batman: he wears no mask , owns no money (lives in poverty literally), has no fame, but he acts in absolutely the same manner as Bruce Wayne: using his brain, and his knuckles, and never taking a life. You will find other references to Gotham, too: the police department, for example, and some other places, which are totally unrealistic for Russia. But the rest is just a thick layer of everyday Saint-Petersburg life smeared over slices of the most truthfully taken city center. Together, the hero and the city background make the most wonderful mix! As for the story, it is much different from those done by Marvel or DC. I'd even say it is quite unique. It runs along a different kind of track, and it has different climax points and unexpected turns.

Overall. Good writing. Good acting. Good CG. I'll say it again, this is a just a very well made movie. And it is fun! Probably the very first real Russian superhero movie that really made it!

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.