Gagarin - First In Space

The scope of this film means that in some places it's naturally better suited to the big screen, but it translates surprisingly well to smaller ones. Its CGI, in particular, scales much better than is usual with contemporary blockbusters, perhaps because it has been worked on until it was properly finished rather than rushed to meet a box office deadline. In the capsule scenes, the intimacy of a home viewing environment complements the film.

The only extra here is a Making Of documentary that goes a little beyond the usual remit, providing background on the historical aspects of the story rather than having a great deal to say about how the film was actually put together. When it comes to the latter, it falls far more squarely than the film into the Russian habit of substituting awe for actual information, providing pretty shots of big things that the production team made, replete with rousing music. There are some interesting insights into the development of secondary characters - and sad stories about what happened to some of the real people depicted in the film - bu no sense that we're really discovering anything we couldn't find out elsewhere. Still, the film itself is strong enough to make up for this.