I must agree with the reviewer who stated that the movie borrows too much from Hollywood.
This could have been an absolute gem if the production did not strive to emulate the typical Hollywoodian formula.
I am Eastern European and having lived in Eastern Europe in the early 80s, I can see a lot of hit and miss, but mostly miss when it comes to the character interactions, tone and dialogue.
I'll start with the hit - the clothes, the equipment, the little details (example - the woollen ski cap which Viktor wears when the two characters are fishing) are mostly correct and very well executed.
As for the miss, some of the characters are just too unbelievable. Whilst Vladimir (the mission captain) stays close to the typical Russian coolness and rigidity, Viktor and the mission control commander are just too emotional and maverick. In those days, everything was rigid, driven by protocol and (one way) orders from above (the politburo). The movie gives the feeling that the atmosphere was friendly and collegial, when in fact things were much more rigid and controlled from above. Vladimir's decision to dock without authorisation from mission control is a straight take from a Hollywood-style hero / rebel action, but certainly impossible. The salute which the Americans give the two Russian heroes (who are casually sitting on the Salyut) is another unnecessary take from an Air Force One type action movie and nothing to do with reality as there is no evidence that NASA sent a spacecraft in space during this crisis, let alone a close visual encounter of that type. Some of the dialogue is also a tad cheesy and melodramatic, especially the unlikely melancholy in the space mission control room and the mission control commander hammering on the dummy light sensor. It really could have been a great movie if they just made it more Russian and less American.
Back to the positives - the camera work is really good, the colours and overall palette are really spot on and some of the scenes of the space station are truly stunning (especially in 4K HDR).
Having watched Apollo 13, the comparisons are inevitable. If Salyut 7 had come out before Apollo 13 it would have been really good, but given the chronology, Salyut 7 uses too many of the formulas used in Apollo 13 to the point where it makes it too similar when in fact it could have just been its own movie.
As for the miss, some of the characters are just too unbelievable. Whilst Vladimir (the mission captain) stays close to the typical Russian coolness and rigidity, Viktor and the mission control commander are just too emotional and maverick. In those days, everything was rigid, driven by protocol and (one way) orders from above (the politburo). The movie gives the feeling that the atmosphere was friendly and collegial, when in fact things were much more rigid and controlled from above. Vladimir's decision to dock without authorisation from mission control is a straight take from a Hollywood-style hero / rebel action, but certainly impossible. The salute which the Americans give the two Russian heroes (who are casually sitting on the Salyut) is another unnecessary take from an Air Force One type action movie and nothing to do with reality as there is no evidence that NASA sent a spacecraft in space during this crisis, let alone a close visual encounter of that type. Some of the dialogue is also a tad cheesy and melodramatic, especially the unlikely melancholy in the space mission control room and the mission control commander hammering on the dummy light sensor. It really could have been a great movie if they just made it more Russian and less American.
Back to the positives - the camera work is really good, the colours and overall palette are really spot on and some of the scenes of the space station are truly stunning (especially in 4K HDR).
Having watched Apollo 13, the comparisons are inevitable. If Salyut 7 had come out before Apollo 13 it would have been really good, but given the chronology, Salyut 7 uses too many of the formulas used in Apollo 13 to the point where it makes it too similar when in fact it could have just been its own movie.