A message has been received from Mars, Anta Odeli Uta! Word of the message gets to Chief Engineer Loss who has plans for a rocket ship and a desire to visit the red planet. The Queen of Mars watches him closely as the story slowly leads Loss to his grand adventure on Mars. There he finds himself helping lead a rebellion against the monarchy and unite the slaves in the Martian Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
What?!? The Soviets are the good guys? Not used to that in a movie. Most of the movies I’ve seen they are the bad guys or at best not friendly. This movie is different. Aelita Queen of Mars is the first Soviet Union science fiction movie.
There are several story lines in this 2 hour silent film, some of which are a bit confusing. The film was made in 1924 in the former Soviet Union, so I can accept that it can be a bit alien for today’s audience. The movie has positive propaganda for the Communists. There’s a very interesting section at the end of the movie that refers to the October Revolution (October 12, 1917). The movie itself was made only a few years after the formation of the Soviet Union.
For a silent era science fiction film, it’s worth the watch. If you are interested in the early days of the Soviet Union, this is a must. There many scenes showing life during that period. Overall, I enjoyed the film.
I will admit, I did cheat and watched it on fast forward. The actors were a bit over dramatic and took their time getting to the point.
This film was based on the novel Aelita, by A. Tolstoy.