Russian director Vadim Abdrashitov's "Parade of the planets" defies easy classification. It begins as a science fiction film and just when things appear to have settled for viewers, it treads cautiously to be considered a 'military film.' There are various minor incidents which happen throughout the film. However, they do not make up for a convenient, linear narrative structure. If one were to list a close yet apt description of this film, it can be judged to be a film about 'male bonding in Russia'. It is very rare in the field of world cinema that audiences come across a film which captivates viewers yet at the same time forces them to endlessly rack their brains. There comes a point in this film when things become so complicated for viewers to understand the very essence of this film that even the astronomical event of supreme importance mentioned in the title has limited or almost no role in the film. It is just a tiny backdrop in the larger scheme of things in the lives of some Russian military men. There is a labored, swift intermingling of past and present lives. Once these leading men's 'emotional merry go round' is over, they return back to face their normal lives.