I left the viewer: the main mix of "Kolobok" and the space odyssey of "Smesharikov"

The director of the horror "Labyrinth of Monsters" makes you feel the problems of the elderly, and the creators of the film "Roots: The Vampire Saga" ridicule the realities of the digital age. The musical film "Flint against the Magic Well" recalls the atmosphere of Soviet film tales, the adventure comedy "The Last Hero. Kolobok rethinks the original story and fights Haight over Spider-Man, while the characters in the animated feature film Smeshariki through the Universes transform into real people. Izvestia has reviewed the cinema schedule and tells us which films are worth watching next weekend.

"The last hero. Kolobok", 6+

Directed by Anton Maslov. Starring: Dmitry Zhuravlev, Garik Kharlamov, Gosha Kutsenko, Mila Yershova, Tatiana Dogileva

The slogan on the poster is "The last hero. Kolobok" best illustrates the frenzied resonance that formed around the film even before its premiere— "The main batch of the year." But Kolobok's kneading did not happen with the villains of Belogorie, but — unexpectedly — with Spider-Man. It began with reports that the distributor allegedly asked cinemas to postpone unofficial screenings of the new Marvel film, which premiered at the global box office, in favor of the Russian fairy tale. Peter Parker's fans did not appreciate the situation and directed universal anger at the fabulous bread, its creators and all those involved. They dropped the rating of the film on Kinoafish to one point out of ten and slammed Kolobok on social networks. However, the audience of the "Last Hero" has its own family. She supported the tale with a ruble. On the day of the premiere on August 6, the total collections of the film exceeded 50 million. Conclusions can be drawn based on the results of the weekend.

Kolobok is a spin-off of the Last Hero franchise and at the same time a prequel to the main story. The creators have reinterpreted the original fairy tale about the adventures of a bakery product. According to the plot, the hero was blinded by an evil witch for a magical ritual. But he revived, drove away from the witch and began to wander through the White Mountains. There, fate brought Kolobok together with the cowardly baker Tikhon, with whom he had to share the same body, as well as with the girl Lada. Together, the heroes will have to cope with the dangers in the dense forest.

"Smeshariki through the universes", 6+

Directed by Andrey Marmontov, Ilya Maksimov. Starring: Lyudmila Artemyeva, Ivan Agapov, Alexander Lykov, Jan Tsapnik, Nikolai Dobrynin, Dmitry Kalikhov, Timofey Kochnev

In the 23 years of the franchise's existence, this is the first project in which the creators combine animation with feature films. In the story, Krosh and Hedgehog discover a mysterious device in Chamomile Valley. One click of a button takes them to another reality, where they become ordinary children flying on a ship to Mars. When it turns out that what is happening is not a game, but a spacecraft in distress, friends have to find a way out of a difficult situation.

The main feature of the film is the organic combination of two worlds: the familiar hand—drawn 2D aesthetics and the ship's game space. Thanks to the new format, the picture will be interesting not only for young viewers, but also for an adult audience who grew up on Smeshariki.

"Labyrinth of Monsters", 18+

Director: Bartosz Kowalski. Starring: Maciej Damencki, Zdislav Vardein, Vladimir Press, Anna Nekhrebetska, Sebastian Stankevich

Psychological horror was included in the competition programs of two prestigious screenings — the Sitges International Film Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival. The plot revolves around an elderly actor, Lucian, who, on his son's initiative, moves into a nursing home. At first, the place seems cozy and safe to the man: he is surrounded by friendly neighbors, attentive staff, as well as picturesque nature. However, soon the idyll begins to crumble. At night, terrifying sounds are heard from the basement, and the inhabitants of the institution begin to die mysteriously. To figure out what is happening, the man has to go down into the maze hidden under the building and face not only frightening monsters, but also his own fears. Mystical events become a metaphor for the inner feelings of a person who finds himself face to face with old age, loneliness and a sense of his own uselessness.

The tense atmosphere is enhanced by the gloomy color scheme and disturbing music, conveying the main character's depressive state. It is worth noting that for actor Maciej Damentski, who played Lucian, this role was the last. It was as if the actor and his character were living through the acceptance of the inevitable, giving the on-screen story even more intimacy.

"Roots: The Vampire Saga", 18+

Directed by Marco Van Belle. Starring: Grace Collender, Molly McCann, Daisy Jelly, Charlotte Bradley, Flynn Gray

Vampire films have long been considered classics of the horror genre, and some paintings have become iconic, laying the foundations of imagery and drama. The British horror film "Roots: The Vampire Saga" rethinks the myths about bloodsuckers, transferring them to modern reality, where social networks are an integral part of life. The story becomes a satire on the current reality — recognition and fame on the Internet are helpless in the face of a real threat.

In the story, five bloggers decide to spend a weekend out of town. However, soon a carefree vacation turns into a real nightmare. While walking, the young people inadvertently awaken an ancient evil. Being away from civilization and modern technology, the heroes have to realize that likes and hundreds of thousands of subscribers are not able to protect them from catastrophic danger. Throughout the film, the viewer remains in suspense, and the chemistry between the actors adds credibility to the horror.

"Flint against the Magic Well", 6+

Directed by Andrzej Petras. Starring: Alexey Demidov, Olga Lapshina, Sergey Barkovsky, Polina Voichenko, Anton Adasinsky

The tale has gained recognition on the international festival scene, collecting a collection of awards in the USA, Japan and Australia. The film was awarded by the jury for its original fantasy genre and musical design. The creators reinterpreted the work of Hans Christian Andersen "Flint", relying on dolls, lively sound and crazy color.

In the center of the story is a soldier named Hans, who meets a loser Witch and, with the help of resourcefulness, takes possession of an ancient flint. When he gets to the Danish kingdom, he learns that the Princess is imprisoned in a high tower because of an ancient prophecy, and the power lies with the cunning Chief of Police. He rules Copenhagen using magical artifacts — a Magic Well and a carillon. The Chief of Police wants to marry the Princess in order to ascend the throne. However, Hans is going to disrupt his plans.

One of the features of the film is an unusual artistic solution. The actors' play and the puppet theater harmoniously coexist in the frame, and the music is a full-fledged hero of the picture. The bright visual style creates an atmosphere in the spirit of good Soviet film tales. The creators did not abandon the main ideas of the original source, presenting a new look at the famous story.