Lucybespro
It is a performances centric movie
Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Whitech
It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
Micah Lloyd
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
poe-48833
There are lessons aplenty to be learned from AELITA and it is, in far too many ways, still Timely- especially in this Company (uh, country). That it comes from a Communist country is truly Amazing; the parallels to Today's United $tate$ chill the marrow... but it's just a Movie, right...? I mean, a Civilization whose rulers want to spy on each and every Citizen of each and every country on the face of the planet- and the NEXT...? Balderdash. A repressive regime where surplus workers are stacked like cordwood in freezers? Get outta here... The striking production design alone makes AELITA a must-see for Fantasy Film Fans; the political observations are merely icing on the proverbial cake.
gavin6942
Bolshevik propaganda: the comparison between 1921's Russia, and a capitalistic planet Mars. Engineer Los is building a spaceship to reach Mars. He is in love with Aelita, the regent, who he met in his dreams. In real life, his wife Natacha takes care of refugees.One of the earliest full-length films about space travel, the most notable part of the film remains its remarkable constructivist Martian sets and costumes designed by Aleksandra Ekster. Their influence can be seen in a number of later films, including the Flash Gordon serials and probably Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and "Woman in the Moon".For any science fiction fan, this is a must-see. It is not the first by any means... George Melies was already on top of that from day one. But as noted, these costumes and sets go above and beyond what we expect from early films. You would think 1920s Russia would have better things to invest in, but maybe this was used to plant some ideas in the people's heads.
Pablo
After TRIP TO THE MOON (1902), only HIMMELSKIBET (1918) and FRAU IM MOND (1928) are the only titles, along with AELITA (1924) in the silent science fiction section of my video library.Aelita (Yuliya Solntseva) is a Frida Kahlo-like queen from Mars with unibrow and spectacular costumes! I am not sure she had 4 breasts, but one of the outfits did actually have 4 cups. Maybe we'll never know if martians actually exist or if they practice monarchy... According to what I see, martian women dress in elaborate and complicated gear, not friendly to use in daily life (designer Aleksandra Ekster) and the same go to buildings and other landscapes. I can not picture 3 or 4 women together inside an elevator with those headdresses, they could end up injured!I am sure this futuristic movie influenced other like METROPOLIS, FLASH GORDON, and who knows, maybe even TRON's costumes... I liked the segments that took place on Mars over all, and not so much the ones on earth... with the situation in Russia and all that.
Pixie
On the Opening night of the San Francisco Silent Film festival I was quite excited to see films that are historical and well not common. The guest speaker who opened this film created a sense of hype towards the obscurity, and how this film is underrated. The sci-fi part of the film was very interesting and fantastic for its time, but i'm not sure if it was due to the fact it was shown directly after the Brilliant 1928 "The Wind" or if it seemed that Russian filmmakers take after what Russian novels are famous for (hundreds of characters, tangled plots) but I know for certain that the dramatic parts, as in the parts on Earth, made absolutely no sense, were boring and I became lost within about twenty minutes. Maybe it was the acting but I found myself convinced as to why this film is "unknown and underrated": It's boring, there is no plot or basic story and the acting is horrible. This certainly is no "Battleship Potemkin", however I will say that Russian films do not make a real good effort in lightning up what life in Russia is like.
