Eastern Bloc Sci-Fi movies

Well, the title pretty much says it all. Have you guys ever checked out movies like this? Do you have any personal favorites or even just some solid recommendations? Honestly, I’d love to dive into some of those classics from the Eastern Bloc or maybe some great Polish cinema. So far, I’ve mostly stuck to the big Hollywood blockbusters.

This is such a cool topic—especially if we don't let the whole conversation spiral into an endless debate about Andrei Tarkovsky. I haven't actually watched much of his stuff myself, but man, I really want to get into it.

It’s not a movie, per se, but I remember being a kid and catching some random series called *The Visitors* floating around on WPIX back in the day. Honestly, I probably wasn't paying enough attention to it because I was way too obsessed with Benji, Zax & The Alien Prince 🙂
I’d love to track it down somewhere today, but I don't even know what the original title was.

Speaking of kids' Sci-Fi, I’ve always had this itch to watch the film based on that beautiful book by Dr. Seuss, *Professor Kleks' Journey*. I actually managed to dig up a copy once, but there aren't any subtitles to be found anywhere. As a kid, I watched the adaptation of *Professor Kleks Academy*, but that feels more like fantasy or horror than actual Sci-Fi (I mean, *Professor Kleks' Journey* isn't exactly grounded in hard science 😁 anyway). I see there’s also something originally titled Mr. Kleks in Space.

Moving on to the heavier stuff—ever since I saw *Possession by Andrzej Żuławski* (which is just this bizarre horror flick that you have to see purely for the sheer weirdness factor and those Lovecraftian vibes), I've been dying to hunt down his Sci-Fi film On the Silver Globe. But hey, no luck so far.

The adaptations of works by Isaac Asimov are also great jumping-off points for exploring this genre, but I feel like the massive hurdle with most of these lesser-known films from the Eastern Bloc is just finding decent subtitles (not to mention actually tracking down the movies themselves, obviously 🙂)...

Kin dza dza

Got two more recent dates for you... I'll mention them in the other thread...

One Russian Sci-Fi...The Inhabited Island...and one Swedish Sci-Fi parody...Kenny Begins

Letters from a Dead Man is top-tier
Sexmission is great
It’s hard being a god—truly excellent stuff
Icarus XP1 is solid
Andromeda Nebula was just okay
Ozone Hotel was alright, nothing special

I've copied this all down into Notepad, so I can go hunting through some sites and torrent trackers later to see if anything actually turns up. 🙂

Blaneta Bur, honestly...
Aelita—if you’re into silent films, then go for it, but otherwise, it’s a total classic.
Kin dza dza... I mean, okay, but I feel like it might be a bit too out there for most Americans to wrap their heads around.😁
I haven't checked out the 1983 version of War of the worlds yet, but people keep telling me it's great.
They say Tomorrow I'll Wake up and Scald Myself with Teo is excellent, though I haven't sat down to watch it.
I still haven't seen Konec srpna v Hotelu Ozon either.
Fantastic Planet is an absolute masterpiece of animation.

Lawrence Booth2 said:Sexmission is great

I honestly couldn't sit through this; I tapped out after about 45 minutes.
The movie is called Sexmission, and frankly, it’s tedious. 😢
I found that forced sense of humor—that specific kind of heavy-handedness—completely unappealing. It reminds me of those movies where characters laugh hysterically at something that isn't actually funny; they're just laughing because the script tells them it's a joke.

I find Sexmission to be quite alright... 😁

Though, I have to admit, when I first heard the title, I assumed it was some kind of adult film 😬

SPOILER SPOILER
I spent most of the movie thinking... what an unpleasant woman Her Excellency is... I mean, who wears a dress like that if they're a man? Where on earth did they find him... you know... a genuine man 😁
SPOILER SPOILER

As for Possession by Andrzej Żuławski... Isabelle Adjani is stunningly beautiful, even in those scenes where she has blood dripping from her mouth... The end of the film is just... 😕 😁

Hmm... then there is that more recent sci-fi film, Avalon 🤔 I've attempted to watch it twice now, and both times I ended up falling asleep halfway through... 🤷 I suppose I should try one more time...

I own Kin dza dza and Letters from a Dead Man, though I haven't gotten around to watching them yet...

The last time this feature-length Russian Sci-Fi cartoon aired on WPIX...
The Secret of the Third Planet
😳

Found it on YouTube with English subtitles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTxIp...eature=channel

😳

Carol Brown77 said:Hmm... there’s also that newer American sci-fi flick, the one from the US and Japan... the 🤔 Avalon attempt. I actually tried watching it twice, but I ended up passing out halfway through both times! 🤷 Guess I’ll have to give it one more shot...

Honestly, the only sci-fi movie worse than Avalon that I've ever sat through (and trust me, I've been around the block!) was
Starship Troopers 2.

Arthur Anderson49 said:The only sci-fi flick I’ve ever seen that was worse than Avalon—and believe me, I’ve been around long enough to know—was Starship Troopers 2.

But why doesn't Avalon work for you? Sure, I watched it maybe seven or eight years ago, but it stuck in my mind as a solid 6 out of 10.

@Carol Brown77/">@@Carol Brown77
Possession isn't sci-fi. And neither is anything coming out of the Eastern Bloc.🙂

goldenhound32 said:@Carol Brown77/">@@Carol Brown77
Possession isn't sci-fi, and neither was the Eastern Bloc🙂

Well, I am aware it isn't sci-fi... I was just commenting because someone mentioned it earlier in the thread...

I hadn't actually checked who directed it myself since it's been quite a while since I saw it... I only just noticed it was a West Germany/France production...

But then again, the director is Polish—would he be considered part of the Eastern Bloc, I suppose?😬

Carol Brown77 said:Oh, come on. The director is Polish, so does that automatically put him in the Eastern Bloc? 😬

Heh... it doesn't matter who’s directing if you don't have the language, the cast, or even a studio in the Eastern Bloc footing the bill for the production.

goldenhound32 said:So why isn't Avalon working for you? I mean, sure, I saw it maybe 7 or 8 years ago, but it stuck in my head as a solid 6 out of 10.

@Carol Brown77/">@@Carol Brown77
Possession isn't even sci-fi, and let's be real, it doesn't have that Eastern Bloc vibe either.🙂

Bad production, bad acting, and honestly, just a bad concept (at least from what little I can recall).

Arthur Anderson49 said:Poor production, poor acting, and a poor concept (at least, from what I can recall).

I’m not quite sure what you mean regarding the production quality; if I recall correctly, the cinematography was actually quite striking.

As for the acting, my memory on that particular aspect is somewhat hazy.

But the premise itself is excellent:
"In a future world, young people are increasingly becoming addicted to an illegal (and potentially deadly) battle simulation game called Avalon. When Ash, a star player, hears of rumors that a more advanced level of the game exists somewhere, she gives up her loner ways and joins a gang of explorers. Even if she finds the gateway to the next level, will she ever be able to come back to reality?"

The film feels even more relevant today than it did when it first came out. We see massive numbers of people spending endless hours immersed in online gaming—it's become a widespread phenomenon. In some parts of the world, they've even established specialized clinics to deal with gaming addiction.

Even Zizek has delved into this specific cultural phenomenon.

Ethan Barrett88 said:The title pretty much sums it up. Have you guys seen movies like this? Any favorites or recommendations? I'd love to dive into some Eastern European or Soviet cinema. So far, I've mostly stuck to the big Hollywood hits.

Go with Stalker or Solaris by Tarkovsky. He's basically the Russian Kubrick—some would even argue he's better, if you believe the hype and think they can even be compared. 😉 But his stuff isn't exactly "popcorn" movies. Then there's Zulawski, and so on.

It’s not really sci-fi... more like horror (vampires and stuff), so my bad if this doesn't fit the sub perfectly
but Day Watch and Night Watch are absolute bangers.
They're American-style productions from Eastern Europe or whatever, but they're in English.

nimblerider12 said:It’s not really sci-fi... It leans more towards horror (think vampires and stuff), so sorry if that doesn't quite fit the vibe of the post
but Night Watch and Day Watch are absolute bangers.
They're from somewhere like Russia or Belarus, but they speak English in them.

The author is a Kazakh filmmaker, Timur Bekmambetov. He's actually been working in Hollywood for a few years now. I think the only one of his Hollywood flicks that really made waves over here was Wanted. Honestly? That movie is wild in its own unique way. It's definitely worth a watch even if it's not exactly your cup of tea!

And man, Night Watch and Day Watch? Those are total classics already.

Starting a new thread here after catching Zulawski’s Silver Globe at a screening in Central Park. It was some seriously wild sci-fi art—someone described it as a blend of Stalker and Inland Empire, though if you ask me, I’d throw in a hint of Mad Max or maybe Waterworld too. 😁

Honestly, it was pretty confusing and tough to wrap my head around. I might give it another shot one day, mostly hoping I won't end up with a massive headache this time. 😁
I mean, sure, the movie feels unfinished—they swapped out the missing footage for shots of Warsaw paired with the director's narration—but I doubt having the actual scenes would have made things any clearer. 😁

Anyway, I'm curious: does anyone know of any major sci-fi contributions to the genre coming out of Canada, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, or even Albania?