The term “Others” – at least in the field of Russian fantasy – has been attributed to Sergei Lukyanenko’s “Hours” universe all his life, but a quarter of a century later the “Kinopoisk” streaming service (planning, So he decided to break the old monopoly by filming “Hours” as well. Other “others” in the series “Others” do not consider themselves wizards and do not wander in Twilight, in this sense what is happening is more reminiscent of “X-Men” than a cycle telling about the adventures of Anton Gorodetsky, although ideologically the show seems very far from it (loop) leaving.
In any case, about the radiation of moral relativism: about the main character, seamstress and part-time energy bomb Anya (Irina Martynenko), looks like both Soviet NKVD soldiers and the local Magneto from the Third Reich – Maximilian Neumann (Wolfgang Czerny), capable of subjugating another person’s mind. So, it seems there are no good people here, except for the Jewish orphan boy Borukh Anya. (Igor Usachev) and probably meticulous researcher Likholetov (Ilya Malanin). The latter initially tries to investigate the tragedy caused by the girl (a tram incident mars a sunny day in the alternative Leningrad of 1940), but soon turns his full attention to Neumann, realizing that he is the murderer of his German colleagues. The fateful Madrid of 1936.
Kinopoisk released only the first episode to the press in advance; two episodes originally aired (four remaining). In general, the logic is clear: “The Others” gives the impression of a more or less insignificant series after the first episode, but in the second episode it reveals itself as more or less terrible. Or rather helpless: there is a feeling that everyone involved is doing their best, but a clear conclusion came only from the production designers (the show can be very beautiful indeed – and very inventive in its beauty) and the role of Alexey Serebryakov. The professor studies people with superpowers under the command of the NKVD. True, he fails to overcome the infinitely bad text, but at least his torment lasts a little longer than one episode, causing sincere jealousy (but not yet evening).
The strongest contrast to the actor playing Serebryakov is model and actor Martynenko, who seems tasked with not only playing but also carrying the entire series. The blame for the failure in both identified areas should perhaps not be the artist himself, but the director Vladimir Raksha – this situation seems to be characteristic of his projects in general (similar black comedy thriller “KrisTina” and the pilot whose project “Sleep with Me” seems to have sunk into oblivion).
The world of “Others”, which the director has built together with “Chick” cameraman Mikhail Dementyev, is seemingly attractive, but there is no one to hold on to in it, and therefore there is no desire to linger – even for the sake of, as Raksha puts it, “truly excellent casting”. Besides everything, screenwriter Elena Voitovich (“Trigger. Movie”) threatens an impending love triangle involving Neumann and his valet, Katharina Kruger (Linda Lapins)They completely give up here, as they keep a house of strange children together, without Miss Peregrine, and actually Anya – as they say.
At the same time, the stakes on what is happening are quite high. The launch of the series (and where we would be today without the franchise) began at the end of last year, with the release of the novelization of the script “The Others”, written by Omsk writer Alexandra Yakovleva and read in the audio version. By Aigel Gaisina, vocalist of “AIGEL” (the band also wrote the soundtrack for the audiobook). Somewhere ahead appears a comic from the Bubble publishing house, in which Kinopoisk gets married in Major Thunder. It is generally assumed that there will be no escape from the “Others”, which is quite inappropriate if the desire to do exactly this makes itself felt at the beginning of the season.
Of course, it’s funny in its own way that the series, which tells about a girl who can destroy trucks and trams with her voice, cannot touch the heart even a little. Fortunately, you can still watch a successful fantasy now. Annushka, the unfortunate tram and the sinister stranger– but different.