Last Signal

This is an overlooked little gem of a film.

Film director Dmitry Kiselyov brings what looks and feels like a multi million dollar production to the screen despite the seemingly low budget

The editing and flow between the early on action is incredible and looks like it was done in one shot. No doubt CGI was involved but it was seamless.

The main characters are excellent and believable. Veronika Ustimova (who plays Valeria "Lera" Arabova) is reported as 'not having any acting abilities'. Wrong!! She is fantastic in this film and hopefully will go on to have a great career.

I'll certainly be scouring the streaming services for other titles.

Mira/The Last Signal has the best special effects I have seen.

C. G. I. was never detectable to me.

Almost the whole movie was special effects made from the viewer perspective such that you felt involved yourself when there was action.

The attention to detail was high.

Scene after scene appeared at a breathtaking rate during action segments, and it was astounding how they could make so many scenes with such difference, detail, and quality.

The plot, although done before, was saved by an original idea about communication.

One must wonder if politics can be used to explain the omission of Oscar nomination.

Residents of Vladivostok are looking forward to witnessing the spectacle of a meteor shower. The public has been assured it poses no threat to Earth.

But they were wrong. Last minute changes show there is a big chance of meteors hitting Earth. Unawares, 15-year old Lera and her 8-year old brother Yegor are just as exited to see the meteor shower. Lera suffers from pyrophobia as a result of an elevator accident several years ago.

Lera's biological father, Valery Arabov, works on the space station Mira. Through modern satellite technology he is able to see and speak to Lera. When the meteors hit, it causes widespread chaos and destruction, and when Lera is trapped under rubble in a building, Valery is able to help her thanks to Mira. But with the space station also suffering substantial damage, time is running out for Valery to guide Lera.

Lera also goes in search of Yegor, who is trapped in a building on the verge of collapse. The destruction scenes are incredibly well done with fantastic visuals and special effects, excellent photography and good editing. With danger around every corner for all the characters, 'Mira' is a nail-biting thrill ride. I enjoyed the characters and rooted for all of them.

'Mira' is a thrilling action adventure survival story in the vein of 'Armageddon'.

Plot: 5/10. Cheesy and unrealistic, a mix between Deep Impact and Geostorm, yet entertaining, although the third act is a bit weak.

Direction and photography: 9/10. Very well made film, with beautiful photography and superb one-shot scenes.

CGI: 9/10. Better than some recent Marvel/DC movies. Close to Gravity. Not a CGI-fest where the plot is driven by special effects.

Acting: 7/10? I've seen the spanish dub, which I think is pretty good. I can't tell about the russian or english dub, so...

In conclusion, a Hollywood's Sci-Fi blockbuster made in Russia, with little to no patriotism. Definitely I recommend it.

Mira disaster film shot in Russia. And this is one of the first catastor films shot in Russia, after watching which it is not ashamed. Mira really looks decent, a good CGI for its budget, no "Hollywood" pathos and a simple straightforward plot. Yes, the first third of the film in everything is trying to imitate the Hollywood films of its genre. Yes, there is no star cast here, even by Russian standards. And as in any film, the catastrophe here is a makimally delusional plot. But Mira is simply pleasant to watch without a sense of shame, which is already rare for a Russian cinematographer, to whom the Kino Foundation is involved. I can only advise everyone to watch the film, Dmitry Kiselev has been making a very worthy film 2 times. Yes, The Age of Pioneers is far away, but there is a different budget.