Review: Something comes from outer space in effectively chilling Russian horror thriller 'Sputnik'

In space, we’ve been told, no one can here you scream — but in the Russian space-faring horror thriller “Sputnik,” all the action is back on terra firma, so there’s plenty to scream about.

In Moscow in 1983, Tatiana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) is a brilliant but abrasive doctor fighting for her professional life in front of a medical board — because she made a snap decision that saved a patient’s life but ruffled feathers with the family and other doctors. On a break during her disciplinary hearing, Tatiana is approached by Col. Semiradov (Fedor Bondarchuk), who has a case that he wants Tatiana’s consulting skills. It’s not just her expertise Semaradov wants, but her ability to think outside the box.

Semiradov flies Tatiana to a distant military base, where she meets an unusual patient: Konstantine Veshnyakov (Pyotr Fyodorov), a cosmonaut recently returned from a mission on the Soviet space station Mir. Veshnyakov’s capsule made a rough landing in Kazakhstan, which left his partner near death. Tatiana, overriding the base’s medical staff, diagnoses Veshnyakov with PTSD, which may explain his amnesia.

When Semiradov shows Tatiana the night surveillance footage of Veshnyakov’s cell, she learns the truth: The cosmonaut brought back an alien parasite — or, rather, a symbiote — that crawls out of the sleeping Veshnyakov’s mouth at night to feed.

Now Tatiana must decide whether to study the creature for science, or let Veshnyakov know the truth about what’s living inside him.

Director Egor Abramenko doesn’t shy away from his influences, everything from “Alien” to “The Thing,” as he constructs scary special-effects set pieces as Tatiana is drawn ever deeper into the mystery of this alien creature and the humans who want to exploit it. Abramenko and screenwriters Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev modulate the tension well, building up the suspense and gore on parallel tracks toward a bloody satisfying ending.

What carries “Sputnik” is the central performance by Akinshina. It’s been nearly two decades since Akinshina, as a teen actress, wowed international audiences in Lucas Moodysson’s gut-wrenching sex-trafficking drama “Lilya-4-Ever.” Now as an adult, her talent is undiminished, and her mix of steely determination and medical compassion become the key to unlocking this compelling thriller.

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‘Sputnik’

★★★

Opening Friday, August 14, at the Megaplex Theatres, and available as a video-on-demand rental on most streaming platforms. Not rated, but probably R for violence and gore. Running time: 114 minutes; in Russian, with subtitles.