Invasion

Two years after an alien vessel crashed into Moscow, a young woman’s life has been reshaped by an unusual ability that keeps growing stronger. As government figures and mysterious otherworldly forces start paying attention, she becomes the center of a tense standoff between scientific curiosity and military fear. Relationships, loyalties, and moral choices get tested as an extraterrestrial presence prepares to take more direct action on Earth. The story follows her attempts to protect the people she cares about while others try to control or weaponize what she can do, leaving open the question of whether empathy can alter the course of a larger conflict.

Released in 2020, Invasion was directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk and created from material by Oleg Malovichko and Andrey Zolotarev. The film features Alexander Petrov as Artyom / Thomas and Irina Starshenbaum as Yulya Lebedeva, supported by Oleg Menshikov, Rinal Mukhametov, and Yura Borisov, placing it firmly in the modern Russian sci-fi and action landscape.

The movie drew sizable attention at home, attracting audiences with its special effects and action set pieces. While it wasn't presented as a global blockbuster, it did find an audience beyond its domestic release and generated noticeable box office activity in its market, helping sustain interest in studio-scale Russian genre filmmaking.

Among genre viewers the film kicked off conversations about tone and ambition, especially around its blend of human drama with large-scale alien threat sequences. Certain scenes and the central relationship have been referenced in fan discussions and online forums, and the visual effects became a common talking point when people compared recent Russian sci-fi efforts.

Critical response was mixed to positive, reflected in a modestly favorable vote average from audiences. Reviewers often praised the film's production values and action choreography, while some raised concerns about pacing and narrative clarity. Thematically it focuses on power and responsibility, the moral cost of security, and whether compassion can influence outcomes when different forms of intelligence collide.