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This film was inspired by the Soviet science fiction novel published in the early 70s by a group of authors under a pseudonym. The sci-fi genre didn’t thrive in the ideologically constrained cultural environment, and mostly survived on the fringes until the mid-80s. The story had a horror tone, where a group of scientists, backed by the political and military elite of a country, conducted experiments on children to create a genetically modified race capable of colonizing Mars. The television adaptation is a typical regional studio production with a minimal budget, and thus couldn't impress except through the performances of the actors involved. The screenplay logically cut out a lot of literary material, leaving a stripped-down version that deserves no more than 2 stars, mostly for the amazing potential this title had. I can imagine that in the hands of a capable director with a love for the genre, like the young Herz, it could have been a dark and immensely impactful film. Overall impression: 35%. It's a shame that this is probably the only adaptation of this novel. If a major studio had taken it on, sci-fi and horror fans could have rejoiced... (2014-01-01)