Aquanauten

Aquanauts is a Soviet Sci-Fi film. I remember seeing it when I was about 13 or so. It didn't have many special effects but it was very interesting and intriguing.

The plot (as far as I remember) goes like this: in the near future there is technology that allows people (aquanauts) to stay very deep underwater without the aqualungs or any other device. While doing their work on the deep underwater station those aquanauts discover strange mystery: it seems as if one of the aquanaut's girlfriend who recently died in a car crash had turned into a big manta fish. That manta writes words on the station's port-holes and tries to draw attention many other ways. So, aquanauts try to solve that mystery.

The movie uses classic approach of the Sci-Fi: use science fiction (by the way, in Russian sci-fi sounds like English word "fantastic") to show/explore our today's realities. Aquanauts deals mostly with human relationships though. There is no communist ideology or global philosophical thoughts there. It has some romance and drama, and some thoughts about humanity and our place in the nature. Overall, pretty good movie, all I can say.

Soviet science fiction never entered realm of space opera. Each and every movie was based either on some good sci-fi book or on some idea and/or concept which is regarded as science fiction.

In a way, there is idea of augmentation of human beings, human consciousness uploaded in memory crystal, accidental evolution jump, sea bed production station and other ideas which were used later in many Hollywood movies.

On the other hand, it is painfully obvious that budget for this movie was limited (sound, photography, scene sets), acting is decent, underwater shots are very nice (too bad they did not have better equipment), and there is a treat for everybody, at least something.

There is politics or ideology, except notion of unified world without war where nuclear fusion is used as main source of energy supply.

It was 1979. and they really could use better bikes, but, like I said, budget was limited.

8/10, with better budget and longer underwater shots it would be 10/10.