Mira

Directed by Dmitry Kiselyov, Mira is a 2022 sci-fi disaster film centered around the themes of family and survival.

The Story The film follows Lera, a young girl who must find a way to connect with her father, a cosmonaut aboard the space station Mira, after a meteor shower devastates Earth.

What Works Mira is praised for its impressive CGI, particularly in the destruction sequence depicting the meteor shower's impact. The film also features strong performances from its cast, particularly the young actress who portrays Lera.

Overall While not breaking new ground narratively, Mira is a visually stunning sci-fi disaster film with strong performances and exciting action sequences. It's a good option for fans of the genre looking for a thrilling cinematic experience.

Plot: 5/10. Cheesy and unrealistic, a mix between Deep Impact and Geostorm, yet entertaining, although the third act is a bit weak.

Direction and photography: 9/10. Very well made film, with beautiful photography and superb one-shot scenes.

CGI: 9/10. Better than some recent Marvel/DC movies. Close to Gravity. Not a CGI-fest where the plot is driven by special effects.

Acting: 7/10? I've seen the spanish dub, which I think is pretty good. I can't tell about the russian or english dub, so...

In conclusion, a Hollywood's Sci-Fi blockbuster made in Russia, with little to no patriotism. Definitely I recommend it.

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.

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.

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.