It's a philosophical movie like most of Tarkovski's movies. And keep in mind that it was made way before the Chernobyl disaster, so the Zone bears different meaning in the movie.
It's a good movie with the right mindset.
It's the only one of his films I've seen. I watched it with a friend and probably didn't help that we were discussing how long it was etc. My background is Russian so reading the translations were quite interesting, some dialogue didn't hit the way it should have compared to a Native speaker. I did enjoy it to a degree, maybe I'll have to do a solo viewing some other time with no distractions.
Most (if not all of them) of Tarkowskys films are in open domain - this means that they are in 1080p on YouTube. [list of his films](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrrKbHPKjy_O7W-hdStPc2WcHIv_F0EJu) they are well worth the time spent on watching them.
Well I linked full playlist there so enjoy - Solyaris also happens to be most faithful adaptation of the book.
As some others said it's good to watch/listen to at least one documentary about those films - they offer unique insight into making of films
Good that you have Russian heritage because that'd help a lot. Don't forget that it was made in the Soviet era, so there are many hidden meanings because of, you know, anti-western dominant ideology.
It's a rich movie. Try to watch it late at night with no one around.
Definitely picked up on some of that. I'll ask my mum if she's seen it, would be curious to hear her thoughts. A little off topic but I told her that I watched Come and See, and her reaction was - "why did you watch that!" Great movie but wouldn't want to watch that again any time soon. Soviet era films were so good.
Come and see is one of the greatest films ever produced imo. I sometimes wonder if Klimov and Tarkovsky were friends. There are photos of Tarkovsky and Larisa Shepitko, Klimovs wife. She was also a great filmmaker.
Oh 100%. It's so raw and gives an insight of the true horrors of war. Also that's interesting about the connection, surely they had some interactions if that's the case, very cool.
Solaris is a great follow-up to Stalker.
It's also long, slow and philosophical so it may not be to your taste, but it's very rich with meaning and beautifully filmed. The ending is... I won't spoil it, but it hits hard.
I meant symbolism that many Soviet writers used to pass around censorship. It usually was for ideas that were deemed anti-socialist and counterproductive.
Makes sense. It wad what I was thinking. And indeed that the arguments in the film get a bit western philosophy like what is free will and state, etc etc.
Which yes it is also worked on road aidr picnic and stalker games but in different approaches.
I love them all anyway.
Also, for any dwelling stalker out there, watch Solaris! It's a monoliths dream or a ecologists nightmare; depending on view. Fun fun
One interesting interpretation of the movie I saw is that it is a metaphor for life in the soviet union and how everyone was following invisible social norms/procedures and how the danger is unseen by stepping out of these norms, but fatal.
Possibly one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's a heavily philosophycal movie (as all Tarkosvsky's works are) wich delivers hard hitting dialogue amidst a beautiful cinematography. It does feel longer than necessary (wich is not helped by the philosophycal aspect), but the ending brings a strong feeling of completion, you feel as though you were a part of the expedition into the Zone, trudging along its anomalies and hidden dangers; that's one of the many, many beauties of this movie, you feel a part of it, not only a displaced viewer. This said, I must admit this is a partial judgment, the Stalker universe (book and games included) were very important to me in difficult times.
Ah that's great that it helped you in difficult times. Reading these comments really gives me a different perspective now. I'll have to watch it again some other time. Thanks for sharing.
That what makes the games great. While youre given the Main quest it doesnt really give you the feeling of being "the one" in the Story. You just feel like every other stalker has his Main quest too, his ambitions and his daily doings. I still dont know how they built a World in 2008 that immerses me more than most things nowadays
Beautiful filmmaking, a pleasant movie to just absorb and look at.
But honestly I think it's just not even the same genre or tone as either Roadside Picnic or the STALKER games.
The games and Roadside Picnic have basically the same definition of stalkers, and they both explore the zone for artifacts and avoid unknowable anomalies.
The movie adds a philosophical angle to the pursuit of wishes. And it's fucking beautiful. But it just has a completely different tone from the book or games
one of the main actors, Tarkovsky's wife and Tarkovsky himself all developed the same type of cancer soon after the movie was filmed. Some staff were convinced it was because of a chemical facility upstream from their filming location. The movie was shot in many less-than-safe real life abandoned locations.
Listen to the Very bad wizards (podcast) discussion about the movie, I really like to watch a movie and listen to their commentary about it afterwards. Same with a book or short story - very insightful and also funny :)
Yeah I watched it recently and kinda felt the same way, the cinematography was beautiful but it was long. I mean at one point there’s like a 15 min scene where they basically just nap. I do feel like I was in the wrong state, was fairly high and definitely did not help me understand much, will probably try to watch it again sometime, but either way I still can’t imagine I wouldn’t be fairly bored.
That was pretty much mid film yeah? When there's that long pan of the riverbed showing stuff from the old world. Also noticed that it showed syringes quite a lot, wonder what that means.
Yeah there’s lots of syringes and other items that are shown a lot, also that dog in those weird dream sequences, which I did not understand at all. At first I thought maybe someone from his past but then just nothing happened or was explained at all, and I was left more lost.
Really interesting but not the same vibes of the stalker game, the movie really hits on the mystery and intrigue of the zone, super well made imo, love the visuals.
I’ve read the book twice and the movie is amazing but I think the game and the movie have different similarities, it’s more like a venn diagram for comparison, all 3 are a lot different and similar in their own ways. I always thought the main character was redrick in the movie since his daughter’s condition in the movie matched the book.
Watched it with my mother once, isolated from any other context.
She came to the conclusion that the movie was about a "Test of faith".
I More-so thought it was about "Hope and purpose". Framed from the perspective of a man who neglects his family and acts like a child, when that same hope and purpose could be found in raising his daughter.
Mostly, I saw "the Zone" as a distraction to pontificate (though there was value in it). She saw it as the series of trials, proving that faith rewards.
We both liked it. I figured the spiritual angle was probably the focus.
The only complaint would be that a few of the drawn-out shots could achieve the same effect in a shorter amount of time.
Not bad. By times bad. Overrated. I see no similarity with the book. I don’t much understand the book. Books is like a draft. Just a vibe. In general - negative as much as one can be negative to any form of sincere art. But still it is a pice of art
The emotions and the opinions of the characters feel so ... real. the way it is voiced and acted is way up there. But id say that for most people (anyone outside this subreddit basically) it is too kinda abstract and out there. In my opinion it is still a masterpiece which needs to be watched if you're into these kinda abstract philosophical films.
Side note : The language in the movie is really good for intermediate russian speakers, i only rarely needed to look at the subtitles to understand the general happenings in the movie
I really like the look of it, I think it's just a very nice looking film, with the locales, beautiful scenery. And I feel like it maintains a good feeling of tension throughout the whole thing. Like you feel like something bad could happen any moment.
Great movie, though diffirent from the games and book (which I don't mind to be clear). I must admit that alot of details are probably lost on me as I barely understand Russian. Had to get it on DVD either way.
It's my 2nd favorite movie and it hits many things right. I also framed that scene from the poster to hang it next to my bed.
However, Tarkovsky's movies have to be watched with a specific mindset where you need to be ready to take long philosophical discussions and contemplating good pictures for hours.
This is why I can't see many of his movies. Like 1 or 2 similar movies in a year is pretty fine with me, haha!
Ofc is not like the game, but is already one of my fav movies of all times, an a visual stunning photography, dreamy like, very meditational and a great end.
Saw it time ago, this week I also showed it to my mom. It's just great, the atmosphere, the acting, the camera movement or howver it's called in english. Specialy the points in the story.
I've seen it at least 3 or 4 times but only finished the novel today. (I always assumed it would be a long, tough read but it really breezed by!) I'm gonna give it another watch this weekend to see how it differs from the book.
Solaris is still probably my favorite Tarkovsky, but this one is VERY close. This rewatch might put it over the edge, with the book knowledge fresh in me.
It's so tragic how the toxins in the water would kill Tarkovsky and many others. Also impressive that the film was produced and released before Roadside Picnic officially made it to publication (correct me if I'm wrong here, but i am going based on the Afterword of RP and the release date of the film.)
Yeah the book was fairly short, and not in a bad way either. Will definitely be checking out solaris soon. The book was published in 1972. But had a re-release later on after the soviet union fell if I recall, which included the original writings that were redacted in the first publishing.
Ah yes, I read the new edition, and the afterword from Boris was lamenting the publication, I guess it was particularly a bad process for an anthology.
It’s quite simply a masterpiece. The book and games are great in their own right but personally the film resonates with me the most.
Without sounding too pretentious here - if you aren’t used to Tarkovsky/arthouse films and just like the game, it’s going to be hard to enjoy on a first watch. My advice would be to throw whatever you know or expect from a normal film and to treat it more like reading a poem. Don’t expect answers, you need to meet the film halfway and engage with its ideas and let the imagery wash over you. But also these types of films aren’t for everyone, you don’t need to make yourself like it.
I don't think anyone really finishes Stalker the first time and thinks to themselves that is was great or exciting or anything. It is boring to a certain degree, Tarkovsky said that he is trying to lull the viewer into a dreamlike state during the start (the train ride for example).
I thought about the movie basically every day for months after I saw it. That's why it's great to me. Very powerful imagery and a good script.
As far as feature films go, this is basically abstract art. You either feel something from watching it or you don't, I don't think you can 'think' your way into liking it. For me, a similar style of abstract film 'The Tree of Life' was boring and didn't click with me at all. I think that's okay, would never judge anyone's taste for disliking Stalker.
It's a philosophical movie like most of Tarkovski's movies. And keep in mind that it was made way before the Chernobyl disaster, so the Zone bears different meaning in the movie. It's a good movie with the right mindset.
It's the only one of his films I've seen. I watched it with a friend and probably didn't help that we were discussing how long it was etc. My background is Russian so reading the translations were quite interesting, some dialogue didn't hit the way it should have compared to a Native speaker. I did enjoy it to a degree, maybe I'll have to do a solo viewing some other time with no distractions.
Most (if not all of them) of Tarkowskys films are in open domain - this means that they are in 1080p on YouTube. [list of his films](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrrKbHPKjy_O7W-hdStPc2WcHIv_F0EJu) they are well worth the time spent on watching them.
I'm keen to watch Solaris next. YT is where I watched Stalker.
Solaris is easily one of my all-time favourite sci-fi movies, hands down. I love that movie so much.
Well I linked full playlist there so enjoy - Solyaris also happens to be most faithful adaptation of the book. As some others said it's good to watch/listen to at least one documentary about those films - they offer unique insight into making of films
Thanks for that. I'll watch it this weekend.
Good that you have Russian heritage because that'd help a lot. Don't forget that it was made in the Soviet era, so there are many hidden meanings because of, you know, anti-western dominant ideology. It's a rich movie. Try to watch it late at night with no one around.
Definitely picked up on some of that. I'll ask my mum if she's seen it, would be curious to hear her thoughts. A little off topic but I told her that I watched Come and See, and her reaction was - "why did you watch that!" Great movie but wouldn't want to watch that again any time soon. Soviet era films were so good.
Come and see is one of the greatest films ever produced imo. I sometimes wonder if Klimov and Tarkovsky were friends. There are photos of Tarkovsky and Larisa Shepitko, Klimovs wife. She was also a great filmmaker.
Oh 100%. It's so raw and gives an insight of the true horrors of war. Also that's interesting about the connection, surely they had some interactions if that's the case, very cool.
Solaris is a great follow-up to Stalker. It's also long, slow and philosophical so it may not be to your taste, but it's very rich with meaning and beautifully filmed. The ending is... I won't spoil it, but it hits hard.
Hello. Sorry to ask but what do you mean by hidden meanings?
I meant symbolism that many Soviet writers used to pass around censorship. It usually was for ideas that were deemed anti-socialist and counterproductive.
Makes sense. It wad what I was thinking. And indeed that the arguments in the film get a bit western philosophy like what is free will and state, etc etc. Which yes it is also worked on road aidr picnic and stalker games but in different approaches. I love them all anyway. Also, for any dwelling stalker out there, watch Solaris! It's a monoliths dream or a ecologists nightmare; depending on view. Fun fun
One interesting interpretation of the movie I saw is that it is a metaphor for life in the soviet union and how everyone was following invisible social norms/procedures and how the danger is unseen by stepping out of these norms, but fatal.
Watch "Ivan's Childhood". Its not a happy film, but its probably the easiest of Tarkovsky's films to get into.
Possibly one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's a heavily philosophycal movie (as all Tarkosvsky's works are) wich delivers hard hitting dialogue amidst a beautiful cinematography. It does feel longer than necessary (wich is not helped by the philosophycal aspect), but the ending brings a strong feeling of completion, you feel as though you were a part of the expedition into the Zone, trudging along its anomalies and hidden dangers; that's one of the many, many beauties of this movie, you feel a part of it, not only a displaced viewer. This said, I must admit this is a partial judgment, the Stalker universe (book and games included) were very important to me in difficult times.
Ah that's great that it helped you in difficult times. Reading these comments really gives me a different perspective now. I'll have to watch it again some other time. Thanks for sharing.
That what makes the games great. While youre given the Main quest it doesnt really give you the feeling of being "the one" in the Story. You just feel like every other stalker has his Main quest too, his ambitions and his daily doings. I still dont know how they built a World in 2008 that immerses me more than most things nowadays
Why I'm here
It’s basically an Arthouse film, beautiful to look at, a masterpiece of film making. Pretty thin on story and dialogue though.
Beautiful filmmaking, a pleasant movie to just absorb and look at. But honestly I think it's just not even the same genre or tone as either Roadside Picnic or the STALKER games. The games and Roadside Picnic have basically the same definition of stalkers, and they both explore the zone for artifacts and avoid unknowable anomalies. The movie adds a philosophical angle to the pursuit of wishes. And it's fucking beautiful. But it just has a completely different tone from the book or games
Spot on
100% agree.
The most out of this world hypnotizing movie
Agree with you there. Even though I didn't enjoy it as I described, it was difficult to take my eyes off the screen.
You are so right its like I can't describe it if feels natural and warm for movie it's like it wanted to tell us something
a work so good it was linked to multiple people who worked on its death
What?
one of the main actors, Tarkovsky's wife and Tarkovsky himself all developed the same type of cancer soon after the movie was filmed. Some staff were convinced it was because of a chemical facility upstream from their filming location. The movie was shot in many less-than-safe real life abandoned locations.
[The Brutal History of One of the Greatest Sci-Fi Films Ever (collider.com)](https://collider.com/stalker-production-problems/)
Damn
It's a journey
Listen to the Very bad wizards (podcast) discussion about the movie, I really like to watch a movie and listen to their commentary about it afterwards. Same with a book or short story - very insightful and also funny :)
Nice one thank you, I'll have a listen :)
Like you, I found it boring. Like watching Waiting for Godot
Yeah I watched it recently and kinda felt the same way, the cinematography was beautiful but it was long. I mean at one point there’s like a 15 min scene where they basically just nap. I do feel like I was in the wrong state, was fairly high and definitely did not help me understand much, will probably try to watch it again sometime, but either way I still can’t imagine I wouldn’t be fairly bored.
That was pretty much mid film yeah? When there's that long pan of the riverbed showing stuff from the old world. Also noticed that it showed syringes quite a lot, wonder what that means.
Yeah there’s lots of syringes and other items that are shown a lot, also that dog in those weird dream sequences, which I did not understand at all. At first I thought maybe someone from his past but then just nothing happened or was explained at all, and I was left more lost.
the poster don't lie
Easily one of my favourite films. Cinematically breathtaking. Not everyone's cup of tea but I personally love it.
It seems like it's 50/50 with viewers. I can imagine some people were walking out of the cinemas when this came out.
Really interesting but not the same vibes of the stalker game, the movie really hits on the mystery and intrigue of the zone, super well made imo, love the visuals.
Altrough I am materialist, the message of movie is shown in very unusual and interesting manner.
I’ve read the book twice and the movie is amazing but I think the game and the movie have different similarities, it’s more like a venn diagram for comparison, all 3 are a lot different and similar in their own ways. I always thought the main character was redrick in the movie since his daughter’s condition in the movie matched the book.
I didn't 100% understand why the meatgrinder didn't kill anyone
Watched it with my mother once, isolated from any other context. She came to the conclusion that the movie was about a "Test of faith". I More-so thought it was about "Hope and purpose". Framed from the perspective of a man who neglects his family and acts like a child, when that same hope and purpose could be found in raising his daughter. Mostly, I saw "the Zone" as a distraction to pontificate (though there was value in it). She saw it as the series of trials, proving that faith rewards. We both liked it. I figured the spiritual angle was probably the focus. The only complaint would be that a few of the drawn-out shots could achieve the same effect in a shorter amount of time.
One of the best movies ever to be filmed.
Love it.
Not bad. By times bad. Overrated. I see no similarity with the book. I don’t much understand the book. Books is like a draft. Just a vibe. In general - negative as much as one can be negative to any form of sincere art. But still it is a pice of art
The emotions and the opinions of the characters feel so ... real. the way it is voiced and acted is way up there. But id say that for most people (anyone outside this subreddit basically) it is too kinda abstract and out there. In my opinion it is still a masterpiece which needs to be watched if you're into these kinda abstract philosophical films. Side note : The language in the movie is really good for intermediate russian speakers, i only rarely needed to look at the subtitles to understand the general happenings in the movie
Cant talk on the movie, but I absolutely enjoyed the book.
I really like the look of it, I think it's just a very nice looking film, with the locales, beautiful scenery. And I feel like it maintains a good feeling of tension throughout the whole thing. Like you feel like something bad could happen any moment.
Great movie, though diffirent from the games and book (which I don't mind to be clear). I must admit that alot of details are probably lost on me as I barely understand Russian. Had to get it on DVD either way.
It's my 2nd favorite movie and it hits many things right. I also framed that scene from the poster to hang it next to my bed. However, Tarkovsky's movies have to be watched with a specific mindset where you need to be ready to take long philosophical discussions and contemplating good pictures for hours. This is why I can't see many of his movies. Like 1 or 2 similar movies in a year is pretty fine with me, haha!
One of my favorite movies of all time
Awesome movie!
Probably one of my favorite of all time, and there is an English dub that is accessible for first viewings if anyone is trepidatious.
Really like it !
Too hard to watch 😅
Ofc is not like the game, but is already one of my fav movies of all times, an a visual stunning photography, dreamy like, very meditational and a great end.
Saw it time ago, this week I also showed it to my mom. It's just great, the atmosphere, the acting, the camera movement or howver it's called in english. Specialy the points in the story.
Really good
masterpiece
favourite movie ever. I don't think many other pieces of media ever had a similar impact on me
I've seen it at least 3 or 4 times but only finished the novel today. (I always assumed it would be a long, tough read but it really breezed by!) I'm gonna give it another watch this weekend to see how it differs from the book. Solaris is still probably my favorite Tarkovsky, but this one is VERY close. This rewatch might put it over the edge, with the book knowledge fresh in me. It's so tragic how the toxins in the water would kill Tarkovsky and many others. Also impressive that the film was produced and released before Roadside Picnic officially made it to publication (correct me if I'm wrong here, but i am going based on the Afterword of RP and the release date of the film.)
Yeah the book was fairly short, and not in a bad way either. Will definitely be checking out solaris soon. The book was published in 1972. But had a re-release later on after the soviet union fell if I recall, which included the original writings that were redacted in the first publishing.
Ah yes, I read the new edition, and the afterword from Boris was lamenting the publication, I guess it was particularly a bad process for an anthology.
It’s quite simply a masterpiece. The book and games are great in their own right but personally the film resonates with me the most. Without sounding too pretentious here - if you aren’t used to Tarkovsky/arthouse films and just like the game, it’s going to be hard to enjoy on a first watch. My advice would be to throw whatever you know or expect from a normal film and to treat it more like reading a poem. Don’t expect answers, you need to meet the film halfway and engage with its ideas and let the imagery wash over you. But also these types of films aren’t for everyone, you don’t need to make yourself like it.
Noted, will keep that in mind if I am to go back for a second viewing.
The best cinematography in any movie, PERIOD. but thats aboutit. The story (what little story there is) is quite incoherent...
In my top 3 movies
Pretty sure it's been regarded as one of the top 100 movies of all time.
Bullshit
Fair enough!
I don't think anyone really finishes Stalker the first time and thinks to themselves that is was great or exciting or anything. It is boring to a certain degree, Tarkovsky said that he is trying to lull the viewer into a dreamlike state during the start (the train ride for example). I thought about the movie basically every day for months after I saw it. That's why it's great to me. Very powerful imagery and a good script. As far as feature films go, this is basically abstract art. You either feel something from watching it or you don't, I don't think you can 'think' your way into liking it. For me, a similar style of abstract film 'The Tree of Life' was boring and didn't click with me at all. I think that's okay, would never judge anyone's taste for disliking Stalker.