Review of the film "The Outpost" (2017)

Writing about Ukrainian cinema is not an easy and thankless task. On the one hand, it's somehow unsportsmanlike to criticize films made with almost the same true enthusiasm. It's like taking candy from a poor blind orphan with no hands. On the other hand, praising films that are not very successful because they are labeled "made in Ukraine" is unprofessional and unfair to those who are currently reading this review. Therefore, we will try to be adults and give an honest assessment.

The Russian cinema has not yet taken up the sword of magic. Why? First of all, fantasy is expensive to make. All these incredible magical creatures, Fireballs and other D&D surroundings require either graphics or meticulous work on practical models. Both options require money, which is traditionally not available, because fuck you, that's why.

"The Outpost" became the first Ukrainian fantasy. It is also the most expensive domestic project so far, with a budget of 40,000,000 hryvnias. Almost half of which were planted by Goskino at the debut of Yuri Kovalev, and it seems that they were not occasionally thrown into the dustbin of political expediency.

Fortunately, the tape primarily tells a story, and our main character is a cliche, but with a human face, and not a middle-level manager who, having fallen into another era, suddenly becomes superman and Vitya in one modest person.

An ordinary guy, Vitka (Daniil Kamensky), goes to the Carpathians to watch the solar eclipse. The movement of the luminaries opens a time portal to the past, and at the most crucial moment our hero is sucked back a thousand years into the epicenter of the conflict between the Polovtsians and the Roman outpost, which protects the rest of Russia from nomads. Adventures, friendship, a meeting with the legendary three Heroes, love, magic and all sorts of other goodies await the guy there, but not everything is so simple - in order to defeat the pagans and return home, Vitka must first overcome his greatest fear - the fear of heights, which, however, manifests itself only when necessary according to the plot, and before instead, he quietly climbs the Carpathian cliffs.

Daniel Kamensky, who plays the main role in "Someone Else's Prayer," has already proved that he can play better than most adult Ukrainian actors. He adds warmth and life to his very standard and formulaic character.

But the real star of the film is not the main character, but the comic relief Oleshko Don't Call Me Alyosha Popovich. Surprisingly, "The Outpost&"probably the best Ukrainian comedy in the last couple of years.

The movie came out very funny, and I'm not saying this in the sense that everything is so bad that it's even fun. No, I mean in terms of really funny gegivas, most of which are provided by Oleshko. This is not a noble knight with an eternally gloomy scoreboard, but something like Andy Dwyer with "Parks and Recreation Areas" in fantasy scenery - a not very intelligent manchild with a heart of gold. His character was able to please even a nerd like me, despite the fact that in some moments the scriptwriters, trying too hard to please the audience, make him a medieval gopnik.

There is also Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich in the film, played by Oleg Voloshchenko and Alexander Komarov, and I still have no idea which of these two played whom. Don't get me wrong, it's not about performance. Both actors know their stuff. It's just that against Oleshko's background, the other two heroes merge into one archetype of a stern uncle in very Slavic features.

The local bad guys are spherical villains in a vacuum. The duet of Khan Andako and the shaman throughout the film builds sinister plans to take over the world, in the way of which stands our brave village with a population of thirty people. Seriously, guys?

The creators of the film made the right decision to cast both actors from Kazakhstan - Yerzhan Nurimbet and Yerbolat Toguzakov look cool, not comical.

I must say that the Cumans in the "Outpost" have little in common with the real tribe and serve as hordes of evil typical of the genre, from which the heroes must save the world. But they have a very cool design. My respect for costumers, artists, and especially makeup artists. When you see Tugarin, you'll understand what I mean.

The least interesting, unfortunately, were the female characters, of whom there are three in the film - Alyonka (Eva Kosheva), Rosanka (Stanislava Krasovskaya), Malanka (Natalia Sumskaya). Strong women in fantasy and science fiction are at the peak of trends right now, but here they perform three functions - to serve as a love interest, to be abducted by villains in the second act, and to set the table. Of course, we can say that a thousand years ago, there were no strong and independent women in Russia. But you know what else wasn't there? Magic, water and stone monsters.

The Outpost is a very ambitious project. The stone golem character was involved in the film and was completely created using computer graphics. The story of the use of graphics in Ukrainian cinema is a short, sad and instructive parable about how the requests did not match the budgets. Fortunately, "The Outpost&"It's not relevant. The stone monster here is not the most important part of the story. Cut it out and little will change, but it only needed to be inserted to show that we can do as we want and how the money will be. Of course, our golem doesn't reach the level of Hollywood, or even Netflix, but it still looks decent enough.

Despite the budget of as much as one and a half million dollars, it's even cool! And if you also close your eyes and imagine a dog-headed character from the Russian horror "Synevir", then the golem will seem just like a cursed Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings". By the way, about him.

It was not without borrowings from the classics. Do you remember that scene from The Fellowship of the Ring in which Arwen carries Frodo on horseback while being chased by the Nazgul? Does she cross the river and summon the help of the elements, which deals with the villains? The director of the Outpost&"He remembers her too." Reservoirs are the weakness of all the black-clad henchmen of the Main pagans, so the hero Oleshko manages to save our hero from the evil Polovtsians by sealing Arwen thanks to a magical creature from the local river.

"The Outpost&It has several minor technical drawbacks. For example, the sound in some scenes is perpendicular to the picture, and the biggest problem, as always with our movie, is in the story itself.

The film tries to fit a lot of storylines and characters into its timelines, which makes the script come apart at the seams. The solar eclipse obviously opened a bunch of portals all over Russia, not just the one in the past, the effect of which, by the way, reminded me of the screensaver of the classic seasons of "Doctor Who" with Tom Baker.

This allows our characters to always get to the right place at the right moment, often contrary to any logic of the plot. The Cumans will spawn in front of the brave heroes out of thin air, like opponents in a computer game. Although, perhaps, it's all thanks to the magic of the Polovtsian shaman. The film would only benefit if a couple of subplots were thrown out of it.

However, at the same time, "The Outpost&It has several advantages that outweigh the numerous disadvantages. Well, besides the fact that it is ours and therefore it should be supported with a penny out of solidarity and patriotism.

Against all odds "Zastava&"It's a funny, slightly silly, naive children's fantasy. Seriously, where are you right now when every TV series is trying to be "Game of Thrones&"Will you see this again?" "The Outpost&"This is not the Ukrainian "Lord of the Rings". This is the Ukrainian "Willow". Casino “feature game” deals can offer €150 bonus funds plus 30 free spins tied to one highlighted slot. During signup, include the 1xbet registration promo code in the middle so each stage remains available when you top up. Each tier may have its own timer (often 48–96h) and wagering like x35. Verify which slots contribute 100% to rollover and note the max stake rule, then pace your play to avoid burnout.