Propaganda at its worst!
If you love propaganda and dont care so much about art, plot and love alternative universes - that movie is definitely for you.
4 Reviews
Your favorite propaganda
crociato2 April 2020
An absolutely awful propaganda spectacle - even for a PR movie this is really bad and I've seen better from the Russians.
lkstud22 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The 2008 Russo-Georgian war was a terrifying and traumatic event that caused tremendous suffering and pain on a nation and it's people and single communities entangled in a geopolitical fight between two powers. The way this movie addresses and depicts those events is utterly insulting to the victims of the war - who seek the truth. In this movie truth is gone in every single aspect. It wasn't there in the beginning and it wasn't meant to be there in the first place - the writers and directors of this piece really make clear what their intention was, what the purpose of this movie is. The purpose is Propaganda, to deliver A truth, another truth - a lie. Things that did not occur, that did not happen or happen and are wildly twisted. A half-truth is still a lie and this movie is full of those lies:
it's an acknowledged fact that the Georgian military moved into South Ossetia on the order of the Georgian president to regain government control of what is considered a separatist region in the country. The Georgians don't consider something like that an aggressive act because it is a recognized part of their own country, just not under their authority. What is also an acknowledged fact is that the other side ( Russians and Ossetians ) kept provoking the Georgians to that very point. There were skirmishes, ambushes and all sorts of incidents throughout the years until they intensified weeks before the war and ultimately culminated into a brief conflict. The Georgians did the first move by trying to secure the region's capital, Tskhinvali. However as they did so, unfortunately Russian soldiers deployed there, got killed during the fighting as they chose to exchange fire with Georgian troops rather than keep out of it. The reason Russia used to step in by force and beat the Georgians out of South Ossetia. The brief conflict ended with hundreds killed and even more wounded and tens of thousands displaced, even today, mostly Georgians. It didn't end there though. The Russian army moved much deeper into Georgia and now occupies 20% of the country. The Ossetian armed formations on the other hand seeked revenge for the Georgian assault by wiping out every single village in the region that was populated by Georgians in order to prevent their return, while killing over 200 civilians in the process. Some are still missing to this date. Facts that have been acknowledged and documented by witnesses, observes, UN, HRW and the international community - accusing both sides of the conflict for numerous crimes. In this movie, which is completely one sided, only supposed atrocities committed by the Georgian side are adressed and again with lies. There were no facts documented of Georgians, neither by independend nor Russian accounts, riding in their APCs killing people just for the fun of it or raiding and destroying entire villages - something that the Ossetians actually DID. So what are people to take from this other than that it has zero in common with even trying to get to the truth, or at least one single truth to begin with ? all it does is trying to construct spite against Georgians, offend Georgians, create some fantasy that is neither supported by Russia, nor anyone else - besides one single fact, that Georgian moved in first. If that was the sole purpose, which the movie implies, then why all that offensive extra substance ? so the purpose is deeper. It is basicaly bias against a certain people. How can someone approve of that ? I certainly don't. All entertainment value is gone with the intent.
So in conclusion: in this movie, which is as mentioned extraordinarily one-sided to put it mildly, you only see a perverted-fantasy of historical events from a not even well crafted propaganda machine spilling out one piece after another .... and it does so incredibly without excuse or reason .... despite the actual story at hands. I give this movie 1 star because it has acceptable action and effects. That's about it. The rest is utterly offensive to even a termites intelligence.
it's an acknowledged fact that the Georgian military moved into South Ossetia on the order of the Georgian president to regain government control of what is considered a separatist region in the country. The Georgians don't consider something like that an aggressive act because it is a recognized part of their own country, just not under their authority. What is also an acknowledged fact is that the other side ( Russians and Ossetians ) kept provoking the Georgians to that very point. There were skirmishes, ambushes and all sorts of incidents throughout the years until they intensified weeks before the war and ultimately culminated into a brief conflict. The Georgians did the first move by trying to secure the region's capital, Tskhinvali. However as they did so, unfortunately Russian soldiers deployed there, got killed during the fighting as they chose to exchange fire with Georgian troops rather than keep out of it. The reason Russia used to step in by force and beat the Georgians out of South Ossetia. The brief conflict ended with hundreds killed and even more wounded and tens of thousands displaced, even today, mostly Georgians. It didn't end there though. The Russian army moved much deeper into Georgia and now occupies 20% of the country. The Ossetian armed formations on the other hand seeked revenge for the Georgian assault by wiping out every single village in the region that was populated by Georgians in order to prevent their return, while killing over 200 civilians in the process. Some are still missing to this date. Facts that have been acknowledged and documented by witnesses, observes, UN, HRW and the international community - accusing both sides of the conflict for numerous crimes. In this movie, which is completely one sided, only supposed atrocities committed by the Georgian side are adressed and again with lies. There were no facts documented of Georgians, neither by independend nor Russian accounts, riding in their APCs killing people just for the fun of it or raiding and destroying entire villages - something that the Ossetians actually DID. So what are people to take from this other than that it has zero in common with even trying to get to the truth, or at least one single truth to begin with ? all it does is trying to construct spite against Georgians, offend Georgians, create some fantasy that is neither supported by Russia, nor anyone else - besides one single fact, that Georgian moved in first. If that was the sole purpose, which the movie implies, then why all that offensive extra substance ? so the purpose is deeper. It is basicaly bias against a certain people. How can someone approve of that ? I certainly don't. All entertainment value is gone with the intent.
So in conclusion: in this movie, which is as mentioned extraordinarily one-sided to put it mildly, you only see a perverted-fantasy of historical events from a not even well crafted propaganda machine spilling out one piece after another .... and it does so incredibly without excuse or reason .... despite the actual story at hands. I give this movie 1 star because it has acceptable action and effects. That's about it. The rest is utterly offensive to even a termites intelligence.
Infernal
hte-trasme16 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"Olympus Inferno" is an unabashedly topical film; it was made to take full advantage of its being a full-length feature with the then- recent war between Russia and Georgia as its subject. It takes the step of being not just topical but political, and strongly advocating for the position that Georgia was the aggressor.
Regardless of how accurate that viewpoint may or may not be, as a film it relies heavily on some propagandistic methods to make this point, at the expense of just about any value as a movie. There's a great deal of emphasis placed on the visual evidence that the hero Michael gathers to prove that George attacked first, which is a strange approach to take in a film that is plainly supposed to convince people and that is also plainly not a documentary. Rather than dwelling on facts and the sequence of events, we dwell on images of Georgians shooting people heartlessly and rolling their tanks through towns. That may have happened, but it's presentation here is transparently political manipulation and not built into any drama.
The token love story of the film is awkwardly shoehorned around the necessary political set pieces and is so broadly written that is bears no interest. The American is unbelievably stupid, inexperienced, and cowardly (he can't drink, faints at the sight of blood, doesn't know how to use his own butterfly-hunting equipment, thinks he should call the embassy every second including while being shot at... the list seems endless) -- and this also makes him incredibly irritating. His Russian love-interest is incredibly brave and sensible (apart from her decision to spend any time with Michael).
This will bear historical interest if you are interested in Russian media depictions of the war with Georgia. As a piece of persuasion, it might work on you if you decide to get your information about the 2008 war from fictional films. But as a piece of art or entertainment, it fails because it doesn't really even try.
Regardless of how accurate that viewpoint may or may not be, as a film it relies heavily on some propagandistic methods to make this point, at the expense of just about any value as a movie. There's a great deal of emphasis placed on the visual evidence that the hero Michael gathers to prove that George attacked first, which is a strange approach to take in a film that is plainly supposed to convince people and that is also plainly not a documentary. Rather than dwelling on facts and the sequence of events, we dwell on images of Georgians shooting people heartlessly and rolling their tanks through towns. That may have happened, but it's presentation here is transparently political manipulation and not built into any drama.
The token love story of the film is awkwardly shoehorned around the necessary political set pieces and is so broadly written that is bears no interest. The American is unbelievably stupid, inexperienced, and cowardly (he can't drink, faints at the sight of blood, doesn't know how to use his own butterfly-hunting equipment, thinks he should call the embassy every second including while being shot at... the list seems endless) -- and this also makes him incredibly irritating. His Russian love-interest is incredibly brave and sensible (apart from her decision to spend any time with Michael).
This will bear historical interest if you are interested in Russian media depictions of the war with Georgia. As a piece of persuasion, it might work on you if you decide to get your information about the 2008 war from fictional films. But as a piece of art or entertainment, it fails because it doesn't really even try.
August 2008
frostmda23 January 2015
Perhaps there are few people who have not heard about the tragic events in South Ossetia, not only in Russia but also worldwide. Nowadays, more and more seem to be wild things ... the war, murder not only soldiers in the war, but also the mass extermination of civilians. But nowadays, it would seem "civilized" time is not stopped, and in politics, and in civilian life.
In August 2008, Georgian troops (not themselves) invaded South Ossetia to restore "constitutional order" according to the Georgian media, according to some Western media TV and radio broadcasting - the Russian Federation together with Ossetian forces invaded democratic independent Georgia were ... and other "treatments". As it was actually - I think many can guess and without "blind" faith media. When the President of the Republic, subject to aggression, says who actually attacked his country, I think not believe him makes no sense, as well as do not believe the words of local residents, whose share fell this AD.
Personally, I'm in those days never left the TV screen, as well as many others who are not indifferent to the fate of others ... So, I do not neglected by the semi-documentary film was released, with initially not very clear title - "Olympus Inferno" ...
Actions are shown on behalf of the common people, and perhaps symbolic that the central characters - a Russian girl and her American friend who did not know what awaits them in this small country in which they came to study butterflies. As we approach the bloody events show us, and simple local people, and then how they will methodically kill someone with a "pleasure", someone just doing "order". In the film, no pathos "inflated" heroes, some heroic embellished, all taken seriously, the more you know what it was and it was in our time, most recently, not far from us.
With regard to the re-created an atmosphere of chaos, fire, explosions - I think criticism should not be, it looks really, especially if you try to feel the situation and be aware of everything that happens.
In the course of one and a half hours we will see not everything - but what shall see enough to form an idea of the known events that many of us only hear through news and interviews.
It would be very nice if the film was shown in the US, Europe and. .. Georgia, but at the moment - I think it's unattainable dream, an information war is really the most effective of them all, and let it be luck to those who on the right side ...
In August 2008, Georgian troops (not themselves) invaded South Ossetia to restore "constitutional order" according to the Georgian media, according to some Western media TV and radio broadcasting - the Russian Federation together with Ossetian forces invaded democratic independent Georgia were ... and other "treatments". As it was actually - I think many can guess and without "blind" faith media. When the President of the Republic, subject to aggression, says who actually attacked his country, I think not believe him makes no sense, as well as do not believe the words of local residents, whose share fell this AD.
Personally, I'm in those days never left the TV screen, as well as many others who are not indifferent to the fate of others ... So, I do not neglected by the semi-documentary film was released, with initially not very clear title - "Olympus Inferno" ...
Actions are shown on behalf of the common people, and perhaps symbolic that the central characters - a Russian girl and her American friend who did not know what awaits them in this small country in which they came to study butterflies. As we approach the bloody events show us, and simple local people, and then how they will methodically kill someone with a "pleasure", someone just doing "order". In the film, no pathos "inflated" heroes, some heroic embellished, all taken seriously, the more you know what it was and it was in our time, most recently, not far from us.
With regard to the re-created an atmosphere of chaos, fire, explosions - I think criticism should not be, it looks really, especially if you try to feel the situation and be aware of everything that happens.
In the course of one and a half hours we will see not everything - but what shall see enough to form an idea of the known events that many of us only hear through news and interviews.
It would be very nice if the film was shown in the US, Europe and. .. Georgia, but at the moment - I think it's unattainable dream, an information war is really the most effective of them all, and let it be luck to those who on the right side ...
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