Tsar (Leonid Yarmolnik) contemplates offering his daughter Zabava (Ksenia Traister from the second season of “Food Block”) as a bride for the wealthy boyar Polkan (Fedor Dobronravov) and the dashing Polkanovych (Andrey Burkovsky). The aim is to bridge the kingdom’s budget gaps, while Sailor Ivan (Alexander Metelkin from the series “Fandorin. Azazel”) intervenes in the unfolding plan. The dreamer who first sensed the humor in a dream, then in reality, falls instantly in love.
A young man ventures out in pursuit of wealth, despite clashing with a wealthy rival. Along his journey, he encounters extraordinary beings who offer aid: the Brave Nightingale Robber (Anna Ukolova), the melancholic Vodyanoy (Sergey Garmash), and the ominous Grandmothers-Hedgehog (Danila Kozlovsky).
In fact, this is a cliché and poor manners to accuse the creators of a strange work of art with sensitive feelings toward psychoactive substances, yet the production reveals its own logic.
In Ilya Uchitel’s “The Flying Ship,” a live-action adaptation of Harry Bardin’s cartoon based on a Russian folk tale, a brisk, 18-minute musical plays with the theme “We played in capitalism and that’s enough.” The subtext becomes clear as the narrative unfolds: Metelkin’s character searches for treasure, wandering into a forest overgrown with glowing mushrooms; Traister radiates energy and joy with coconuts in hand; Burkovsky even opens a Mutabor branch within the royal palace; Kozlovsky embodies the hut on chicken legs with speed and wit.
None of the above is condemned, and the approach feels less foreign since Bardin’s original cartoon stands as a landmark of Soviet psychedelia. When the new Flying Ship reaches a peak of stubbornness, it still manages to be endearing in its own way. Nonetheless, the film largely lands in the zone of discomfort, resembling a blend of two current trends in expensive family cinema — adaptations of Russian folk tales and live-action remakes of Soviet animated musicals that echo some Disney sensibilities.
The fall box-office leader was the film “At the Command of the Pike,” featuring a scrappy lead, with a performance that was absurd and entertaining for its own sake. The film gave an opportunity for a notable performance by an actor named Ershova, offering a chance to explore a reversal of roles and an odd self-revelation: evil is present, yet entertaining. Overall, it delivers a peculiar, still memorable experience.
The second group at the New Year screens was Alexei Nazhny’s “Bremen Town Musicians,” a modern take on a fairy-tale cartoon set to a rock-inspired soundtrack. Both films collectively grossed nearly 5.5 billion rubles, which cushions any fears for the Flying Ship’s box office potential.
There are concerns about the minds funding this project. Makeup remains plentiful (the visual ideas echoing the horror series “Wrong Turn”), with monstrous costumes and a sense of Western influence. Still, when the appearance of the so-called “Guardian of the Galaxy” beings is considered, one recalls memories best left untouched.
The dance sequences carry a deliberate melancholy, and the score evokes a warm, slightly chaotic mood akin to a taxi ride in a sunlit resort. The radio adds a persistent, almost stubborn layer that cannot be silenced. It feels as if the composer Savva Rozanov has taken deliberate steps to reinterpret classic songs by Yuri Entin and Maxim Dunaevsky, with Leonid Agutin’s “Hop-hey la-la-ley” and “At Dawn” also included. The soundtrack shows flashes of clever ideas — for instance, turning the Vodyanoy’s Song into a blues piece — yet the overall execution leans toward a passive, drift-like watching experience for many viewers.
Polina Gagarina appears briefly in a cage for most of the film, only to break free near the end and sing. Metelkin and Traister carry the main roles but feel like the weakest elements within the ensemble. Without them, Kozlovsky, Ukolova, Garmash, Yarmolnik, and Dobronravov display a stronger, more compelling stage presence. In a different setup, the film might have blossomed into a political satire spotlighting the dynamics between the two veteran actors.
Yet the film sits squarely in an imperfect reality, a product of its era. The producers stated that principal filming finished before February 24, 2022, which gives weight to why certain decisions feel out of place. The absence or masking of some actors and the way credits present themselves further reinforce the idea of archival or selective emphasis. The end result narrows the meaning of the title, with the ship’s flying element appearing only near the second-act climax as a means rather than a destination, leaving the overall symbolism somewhat elusive.
The posters tend to spell out “Flying Ship,” and the stylized soft sign appears to be missing, creating a minor oddity for audiences. One can only imagine an alternate spelling arriving in time, but for now the existing version remains the sole print. If a different linguistic variant had been chosen, the film might have carried a different resonance, perhaps a richer, more poetic title to match its ambition.
Release date in Russia: March 21, 2024
Duration: 100 minutes
Manager: Ilya Uchitel
Casting: Alexander Metelkin, Ksenia Traister, Andrey Burkovsky, Danila Kozlovsky, Ksenia Rappoport, Anna Ukolova, Sergey Garmash, Leonid Yarmolnik, Fedor Dobronravov, Polina Gagarina
Where to see: to the cinema
Smoking, alcohol and drugs are harmful to health. You shouldn’t use these. (Source: industry reviews)