User reviews

Take the Spiderman movie, replace New York with Moscow, the spider suit with a flying GAZ-21 Volga, the green goblin by some billionaire in a flying Mercedes, throw in a bit of Iron Man, Batman as well as Transformers.... and you pretty much get "Chernaya Molniya".

Say what you want, but this movie is just a Russian cocktail, throwing together several of the recent American superhero movies. Only, "Chernaya Molniya" is actually better, but I can't really pin down exactly why. Is it the Russian music, the Russian humor or just the overall exotic nature of a big budget comic style movie taking place in the heart of Moscow, with Russian actors and spoken in Russian?

I don't know or care, really. All I can say is that I enjoyed this movie, in spite of its very cliché plot, its very cliché action scenes and its strangely familiar Hollywood style atmosphere. For those who're in the mood for some light entertainment but are tired of the same old Hollywood crap, this film is something like a subtle breath of fresh air. It has all the familiar plot twists, all the clichés and the same atmosphere of a comic style Hollywood blockbuster movie, but it's served by a Russian cast and a Russian director... that in some way makes it not just bearable but even enjoyable to a guy like me who's tired of the same old Hollywood crap.

But maybe that's just me. Hate it or like it... but this is a movie I'm sure you'll remember.

Black Lightning was a long way from perfect. The story is very derivative and does get rather predictable, while the ending is a little rushed and over-complicated(perhaps too much going on in the script and the action) and a lot of the special effects are rather hokey and more at home in the late 80s-early 90s. The script, while having some great ironic humour, can feel empty and awkward-sounding at times too. Black Lightning is slickly shot though, with a convincing setting. The Russian heavy-metal soundtrack pulsates through the film with great energy and is quite catchy as well, and the pacing is fine. The action is fun and exciting to watch if occasionally a little cheesy, and the ironic humour in the script is funny and endearing. The characters are derivative and clichéd like the story but still quite engaging, the hero and his love interest are likable and the villain(though his motivation does come across as rather silly) does give an aura of creepiness. The acting is good, especially from Grigory Dobrygin and Viktor Verzhbitsky, though Ekaterina Vilkova is visually gorgeous and at least adequate. All in all, derivative with some hokey effects and a rushed solution, but fun, slick and well played. Partially recommended but try not to over-think too much. 6/10 Bethany Cox

After the huge disappointment of Kick-Ass, I was pleasantly surprised by this little film from Russia. Don't want to give anything away, as I watched it knowing nothing about the movie and that was the best way to watch it. Sure, it borrows heavily from other hero movies, but the acting and the old fashioned heroics were enjoyable.

Special effects I found to be excellent, especially some of the smoke trails. The bad guy in this movie is the same bad guy from the Nightwatch/Daywatch movies, also highly recommended.

If you want to chuckle a bit, and have a few moments where you smile and murmur "Cool!", and want to root for the good guy to win the girl in the end, then I can recommend this movie.

Saw the trailer a while back and thought it was cool. Watched the film today and it still is cool for a low budget Russian film.

The film lacks originality, look at it as Spiderman with a flying car(Volga to be specific) and a few bits of Iron Man action added towards the end. The story is pretty much Spiderman. But if you can look beyond those points it is enjoyable.

On the upside, all the unknowns did a good job especially the lead actor and the lovely leading lady. The CGI was above average taking into account the low budget of the film.

Overall it was cool to watch and enjoyable to a fair degree, had the story been more original I would've rated it higher.

6.4/10

Definitely not bad.

The movie is a first Russian attempt to make a superhero movie. Not very impressed by it I must say. Half way through the film I realised that I am basically watching a recycled spider-man movie. The same idea, similar events, just some details changed. A hero is a student, then he gets some special abilities and uses it for his own gain until a member of his family is killed resulting in him fighting crime thereafter. There is also a rich friend, a girl who goes for a friend first and falls for hero later... Not a single bit of originality in the plot. Even the famous scene of spider-man in front of US flag is remade. We see Black Lightning flying besides a star of Kreml. The CGI is very fake, all the laws of physics are simply forgotten beyond the usual Hollywood standards. I can not understand HOW this film got so many positive reviews in Russia. Yes, of course it has a love story and teaches people to care for each other rather than just themselves. But it doesn't make this movie worth watching. Personally, I just couldn't help but wanting to rather watch Spider-man again instead... P.S. the flying Mercedes looks pretty much like flying DeLorian from Back to the future... Just a notice... P.P.S. the sequels have been announced... Batman and Superman movies, BEWARE...

A flying Volga? Right, that is what I initially thought too. But after sitting through this Russian action adventure, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the movie as a whole, because it turned out to be quite alright.

Dima receives an old Volga for his birthday, a car that he is not too fond of. One day while delivering flowers, Dima finds out that the car actually possess an incredible ability unlike other cars; the ability to fly. But the source of power fueling the car is sought after by shadowy people who will stop at nothing to obtain this item.

"Black Lightning" has elements of "Back to the Future", "The Fifth Element" and even "Spiderman" to it, sure, but it is still original in its own right.

While it is a Russian movie, that should not be a reason to skip out on watching the movie, because it is fun and entertaining.

Visually then "Black Lightning" is quite a treat for the eyes. The effects are realistic and believable - well as far as a flying car would be, I suppose. The special effects team really made this movie come to life on the screen.

I can't claim to be familiar with any to he actors or actresses in the movie, and as such it was nice to have something brand new to experience without being colored by previous roles, movies and performances by people in the movie.

"Black Lightning" is well-worth spending an hour and forty minutes on. Wholesome fun and entertainment all around.

Grigoriy Dobrygin was my motive for renting this film. I loved him so much in How I Ended This Summer that I wanted to see how he got his start. Well here it is: a complete rip-off of Spider-Man's plot, Batman's brooding, and every cheap young-love romance you've ever seen come out of Hollywood. Loaded with product placement and completely lacking in riveting characters. Funny...the acting was really decent, which is surprising given the empty script they had to work with. Probably preferred by people who aren't like me. If you hate arty films or deep characters or decent, interesting plot lines, and if well-executed special effects and a cheesy villain that looks suspiciously like Vladimir Putin are enough for you, enjoy.

Black Lightning is your 'typical' story of an ordinary boy, who is given an incredible flying car for his birthday. He then uses the car to become rich in order to win the heart of a girl, but becomes embroiled in a fiendish plot which could end up destroying Moscow!

Black Lightning is fun for kids of all ages, although the very young may not be able to keep up. If young children don't like the subtitles, the dubbing is pretty good, with annoying voices kept to a minimum. The performances are decent, the story is well paced and the action is interspersed at regular intervals throughout. Even if you don't become totally involved with the film, you can enjoy yourself spotting which script ideas have been taken from other films. SM

First of all, I didn't realize it was Russian. It was dubbed in English so there were no annoying sub-titles. There were a few times when they show a newspaper headline or something on a computer that was in Russian, but it didn't take away from the story. The young man who played Black Lightning looked amazingly like Hayden Christenson from Jumper and the second set of Star Wars movies. He was very good in the role and he could easily play in American movies if he spoke English. His girlfriend was adorable as well. The special effects were not top notch but good enough to make the movie enjoyable. And of course there was the character you loved to hate, the evil rich guy who wanted to use the Black Lightning secrets, well, I can't tell you why. All in all, it was a very enjoyable movie.

I have no idea why I ended my lazy Saturday night by watching a relatively obscure and insignificant Russian superhero-movie because a) I don't particularly like this genre and b) I really don't like complete rip-offs of movies that I don't particularly like to begin with… And "Black Lightning" is, in fact, a blatant rip-off of "Spiderman" in the version of Sam Raimi. The resemblances are quite humorous, at least if they are all intentional and tongue-in-cheek (which I sincerely doubt). The Russian Peter Parker is named Dima, but he nevertheless remains a nerdy and pathetic college boy with a hopeless crush on his classmate Mary Jane (Nastya in Russian) and a terribly annoying and philosophizing goody-two-shoes mentor (his father instead of Uncle Ben). The evil Green Goblin on duty is – like Norman Osborn was – a wealthy industrialist and inspirational university tutor who wants to drill for diamonds underneath the city of Moscow. For this he needs the nano-catalyst, but the old brainiacs who invented this powerful fuel source built it into a traditionally old Volga vehicle. And guess who receives the Volga for his birthday? Peter, err I mean Dima, of course, and you know what they say in superhero land: with great power comes great responsibilities and blah blah blah… With his flying Volga, Dima metamorphoses into Black Lightning and rescues poor citizens in perilous situations while college buddy runs off with the girl. The Volga is a cool piece of scenery, but apart from that there's absolutely nothing to recommend here, except if you what to see how shameless imitations can get. Back in the 1980's, Italian directors were also making shameless and blatant imitations of Hollywood blockbusters, but at least their rip-offs were nastier, trashier, sleazier and crazier. This Russian imitation is only more boring!

This movie two directors that the Russians themselves do not really heard them before, but they do a very enjoyable film that meets the criteria of Hollywood. It is no coincidence because the producer of black lightning Timur Bekmambetov he himself made some films in this genre in Russia and the film Requested the United States. That's why the film received support from Universal studios.The movie tells of a guy with a good heart but a man in tow innovations of life and tries to adapt to them. Just a tragic event causes him to think and appreciate life again and he becomes a figure who would identify herself exposed even though it helps a lot of people just like Dad did His only other way, with his vehicle.

Imagine a Spider-man with some Batman traits but who flies to save the day as a Superman. Have you imagined? Ok. Now, also imagine that, instead of a guy in the United States, it is a Russian driver of an old black Soviet car (quite charming in my opinion even before seeing it flying). Well, this is what Black Lighning is about. It is obviously predictable, full of clichés, with some plot holes, silly or nonsense solutions for the script and, in the final chase/fight scene, serious edition problems. However, it is not really bad; it is amusing and comparatively quite average among the universe of superhero flicks.

I absolutely loved this movie! I'm Russian and speak Russian but was not born there, nor have I ever visited. It was an amazing experience for me to see modern Moscow rather than seeing it solely in old Russian classics. The main actors acted VERY well and were VERY good-looking. Some might argue that the plot is a copy of other superhero movies, BUT: every story will always be similar to another. What matters most is the execution. I loved the morals (gently incorporated into the plot) and the action was great. The person-to-person dialogue was very natural and often put a smile on my face. I hate gory movies so this was perfect for me. Definitely go watch it, it's a MUST see!

By the way, I'm giving it a 9/10 instead of 10/10 due to some scientific inaccuracies.

It sounds ridiculous, and it is, of course, but this Russian movie is some kind of block buster like material about a superhero, or rather a car with the power if flying. An old Volga, found long lost under ground makes the whole difference. This is pure entertainment Hollywood style. Rusdia has become a very large and important market for Hollywood movies, and thus is a Paramount movie.

Young student Dima, which is infatuated with Mercedes cars. On his birthday he gets a really old Volga, with the message that even president Putin has one. It looks like any other old Volga Gaz-21. A strange nano catalyst is hidden inside the car, something which changes Dima's life. His starts off as a flowers delivery guy, but not for long.With some bad guys after him, he discover the car's flying abilities coincidentally.

In a way this film is much more charming than its American Hollywood counterparts. The film I was reminded most about when watching this, was about a flying VW Beetle, and I wouldn't call that a classic (Chatty Chitty Bang Bang). Filmed in Moscow, which is also nice presented, I enjoyed his, though it's not any kind if film art. More in the genre of Iron man and Superman. And very Hollywood clichéd this is, it's still more for the Russian market, than for the rest of the world.

There is not many Russian sci-fi movies. I have watched "Paragraph 78" the first part, it wasn't good. I can't recall more Russian sci-fi films, although I have watched a lot of Russian films. I was even a little bit surprised when I have seen this film, because I thought Russians don't make such sci-fi films, it's an unusual genre for a Russian film. This one is good enough, but comparing it with American movie "The Island"(of the same genre), which I liked much more, it looks mediocre. So, don't expect something outstanding.

The subject of relationship of women and superheroes isn't really anything new, we saw this many times in other movies, such as "Spiderman"(when someone other is mistaken for a hero or something, or the elaboration of some other sides of being a superhero). And so on.

"Black Lightning" is a Russian superhero film directed by Dmitriy Kiselev and Aleksandr Voytinskiy. The movie follows the story of a young man named Dima who discovers an old Soviet-era Volga car with extraordinary powers. When Dima realizes that the car can fly and possesses superhuman abilities, he decides to use it to fight crime and protect his city.

The film blends elements of science fiction, action, and adventure, creating an exciting and entertaining experience for viewers. With its dynamic action sequences, impressive visual effects, and engaging storyline, "Black Lightning" offers a fresh and unique take on the superhero genre.

One of the highlights of the film is its portrayal of the titular vehicle, which serves as both a symbol of hope and a powerful weapon against evil. As Dima learns to control the car's abilities, he must also grapple with the responsibilities that come with being a hero.

Overall, "Black Lightning" is a thrilling and enjoyable film that will appeal to fans of superhero movies and Russian cinema alike. With its blend of action, humor, and heart, it delivers an entertaining ride from start to finish.

It all started with a crystal found in a soil sample from the moon. The crystal was capable of altering the chemical composition of substances. Scientists Perepelkin and Romantseva worked on a project to create a device that increased the energy of fuel a million-fold. They called it nanocatalyst. They were hoping to create a unique type of engine that would allow any automobile and machine to fly up in the air.

Kuptsov - the film's antagonist - discovered diamond deposits underground. His drill doesn't have enough power to reach the diamonds, and risk cracking the foundation the city is built on. He needs the nanocatalyst, which was hidden inside a black 1966 Volga in an underground laboratory.

When the car is found by Kuptsov's men and sold - without them knowing about the nanocatalyst - the car is purchased by Otets Dimy, as a birthday gift to his son Dimy (Grigoriy Dobrygin) - the film's protagonist. When best friends Dimy and Max meet new student Nastya, they both vie for her attention. Max believes he can win her over with his expensive car and gadgets.

Dimy starts working as a flower delivery boy. When he learns the truth about the car, he delivers flowers in record time. But he soon realizes he can use the car to fight criminals, and save lives. The film dishes up a few excellent action sequences with great visual effects. Being a superhero movie, it is very reserved in comparison to the overblown Hollywood superhero movies. I rather enjoyed this film for its simplicity. And it has a really good climax.