EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Rob Halpin The last couple of months have been great when going shopping as I have re-discovered Russian cinema. Especially war films! The first Russian war film, I ever saw, was "Come & See". Perhaps the most outstanding war film of the last 30 years. However, the Russians have re-emerged with numerous war offerings, from Fortress of War, to The Bomber. The former being absolutely stunning!!! The Star however, was a film certainly made in the same vein. The realism and the style of the film was direct. The stealth, guile and intelligence of Soviet soldiers behind enemy lines was thorough and admirable. By 1944 the Red Army was perhaps the most battle-hardened and skillful soldiers in existence. Night manoeuvres and fighting was by that time a master-class in Red Army operations. All I can say, is that it seems that the Russian film industry is returning to this genre, without the communist baggage. All one can hope, is that the Russian film industry keeps making these types of movies.

athena24 This movie is about soldiers who didn't try to be heroes. In contrast to Private Ryan they didn't question their orders. They believed in their mission, and they had to complete it whatever the cost is. Heroes it's what we call them after watching this movie.Visually, Zvezda is very decently made, though far from high budget movies like Saving Private Ryan or Enemy At The Gates. But on the other hand it wasn't the movie's goal. The director didn't try to lure us with stunning explosions, or great angle shots of a battle. He just tried to touch our feelings, which he did outstandingly.There are some minor drawbacks in the plot(like of Vorobej remembering the way back) but except of these the movie is very tense, and the last minutes bring really heart-breaking, tear-dropping moments, that can't leave anyone indifferent. I wanted to scream but I couldn't let the words out, tears ready to go.This movie is in memory of those, to whom we owe our lives, leaving our flowers over the grave-stone of the unknown soldier.

artlaub I seen this movie about 10 times, its always damn nice 2 see it. Its the favourite movie of my cousin and in the way 4 people who likes seeing war movies its a pure god's gift 4 them, cause with this movie the russians could shows the world that there are always even exist good regiseurs and actors who can make such a hearttouching and interesting good movie. This movie has a typical russian movie-end like movies in the perestroika time(1986-1991).Because typical is the tragic end without happy end. Other russian movies like avaria-doch menta(1989), pomiluj i prosti(1988), katala(1989), kamyshovyj raj(1989), igla(1988)....have such a typical end, too.But it means not that the movie is bad, the movies are still good movies.

eviltrav What struck me about this film was how Very Russian it was. Having spent some time in the country, enough to get a sense of how Russians like to view themselves, this films themes felt very familiar. The depiction of the female radio operator, was so cliche, and well almost laughable. The band of scouts seemed to scream hey look we're PC, we even have a central Asian guy. The group also largely reminded me of the gang from Saving Private Ryan. There was even the weedyl little guy who is too afraid to shoot. All this said, its not a BAD film, its quite enjoyable, and its always interesting to see a WW2 film that is not from the Allied side. Alas though it falls short of greatness, well short due its insistence on dragging out all the old WW2 films tricks. You have seen this all before, the film offers nothing new. The thing that always irked me about Private Ryan, was the overtly sanctimonious/God Bless America style ending. The Star has an equally patriotic finale, but somehow the Russian patriotism is less galling. Overall a solid film, good even, but its been done.