The Final Stand

A solid Russian war movie. It has an interesting story about young cadets from Podolsk who are sent to defend a line outside Moscow to hold back the Germans and they are outnumbered. The first forty minutes are the classic introduction to the characters, a bit of romance, camaraderie, betrayal, but once it enters the battlefield it's practically impossible to leave. There's quite a bit of action, even if it mostly ends very quickly, but thankfully it soon starts again. I liked the bombing, it's quite epic, and the Russians occasionally make up for it with cool slow motion, but otherwise the cinematography is engaging and the visuals are top notch. There were a few iconic shots that will stick in my memory. The only thing it lacks a bit is gore, rawness and the kind of filth you could see in The Eight Hundred or Hacksaw Ridge, but I don't think we'll get that from the Russians. The Russians are good at war movies and this is one of the best in a while from them. 8/10. (04.03.2021)

Since the Russians still feel strongly about the Great Patriotic War to this day (and I don't blame them), I was expecting excellent period equipment, weaponry, and technology, as well as a lot of melodramatic scenes. I got both. I was pleased to see the Czechoslovakian LT- 38 and PzKpfw 38 (t) tanks, the realistic-looking Sd.Kfz. 251, PzKpfw III, and StG III. Unfortunately, some of the effects were exaggerated (especially during the bombing), the love story smacked too much of Pearl Harbor, and I couldn't get over the overblown statement about why Moscow didn't fall. I think the writers of this type of film should rein in their exuberance. 3*+ (24.10.2021)