Zmey Gorynych, brownies and Viy in modern Moscow: the film "Sergius against evil spirits: The Sabbath" is released

On Thursday, March 16, in Russian cinemas, the continuation of one of the most unusual projects of the online platform KION - the full-length film "Sergius against evil spirits: The Sabbath" is released. A pair of protagonists in the person of the cynical and alcohol-abusing former priest Sergius and police captain Katya (Roman Mayakin and Lukerya Ilyashenko) continue to exterminate fairy-tale characters on the streets of modern Moscow. The film is conditionally divided into three smoothly flowing into each other novels, in each of which the main characters have new goals: Zmey Gorynych, a gang of brownies-misanthropes (although not so much brownies as "store", "postal" and others) and even Viy.

Compared to the series, the authors of the story significantly tightened up the main weak points. The makeup of the villains has become better and no longer looks as unnatural as, say, the image of cat-Bayun from "Sergius against evil spirits".

The picture, editing and fight scenes have also become more convincing, although the latter are not always logical. For example, Sergius' attempts to throw completely unsuitable weapons at the enemy look strange, in most cases to no avail. Apparently, in this way, the filmmakers tried to add a comedic component to the plot, but it turned out to be somewhat inappropriate, since it seems that the characters are not serious about deadly adventures. But CGI-effects have become more qualitative and look quite decent, in contrast to the weapons that the main characters receive to more effectively combat the undead. These guns are a cross between a vacuum cleaner, a broom and a gun and suggest a lack of production budget.

Overall, the project evokes ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, the screen shows an interesting and truly unique universe in which you can create magic: the world of Slavic folklore is rich and vast, while rather sparsely covered in modern Russian cinema.

On the other hand, it is felt that one of the main ideas was a kind of mixing of "Men in Black" with Lukyanenko's "Watches" and many references to other well-known projects. For example, the main character is a long-haired man in a cloak and sometimes with a sword, living on a motor ship that is moored near the embankment of the Moskva River. This image is reminiscent of Duncan MacLeod, who in some episodes of the series "Highlander" lived on a barge on the embankment of the Seine, wore long hair, a cloak and a sword. But the episode from the supermarket, where Sergius eliminates the killer brownies, contains a reference to the "Aliens": one of the otherworldly villains turns into a crab and jumps on the protagonist's face like a face.

• © A shot from the film "Sergius Against Evil Spirits: Sabbath"

The genre of the picture is also confusing. Billed as a comedy horror film, it's not funny enough and not scary at all. There are no sharp frightening moments or inappropriate cruelty (this, however, is rather a plus), but the set of jokes is not particularly diverse, and sometimes even slides into outright vulgarity, especially when the ship's (it's like a brownie, only a ship)tells Katya about Sergius' feelings for her, describing "all sorts of indiscretions that he does alone, calling her name." The theme of the relationship between the protagonists, although gradually shifting from the dead point, is also not fully disclosed - the reserve for the future is felt (at the premiere, the authors of the film hinted at a possible continuation).

Of course, the adventures of the heroes are interesting to watch. Despite all the flaws, "Sergius Against Evil Spirits: Sabbath" holds attention. First of all, thanks to the idea itself - after all, the topic of Slavic evil spirits is quite curious.

However, sometimes there is a lack of a more interesting study of the motivation of this evil spirit: the same Serpent Gorynych kidnaps girls on the streets of Moscow to stock up on food, because the cold snap is approaching.

Nevertheless, I would like to hope that the picture will continue and grow even more - there is movement in this direction and quite confident. Again, compared to the series, "Sergius against evil spirits: The Sabbath" deserves, if not a five, then a strong four for sure: for the courage of the authors, a good game of actors, for the fact that it appeared at all, because this is really a rather unique project that deserves attention and shows great promise.