Ok, so I watched both movies (August 8th, and 5 Days of Augts), and here are my comments.
The Georgian one was awfull. I mean this was propaganda flat on its face, terribad acting, terribad action, make belief scenarios in the war, the whole thing. Don't waste your time, no comedic value even. So I am not goign to further comment on it, but seriously, if I was Georgian, I would be embarrassed. The only thing it has going for itself is some good Mi-24 shots.
Now, some more comments about the Russian version. Basically, its like a Hollywood action movie Russian style. Inherently better than the Georgian one because it spares us too much political messages, and doesn't spend as much time demonizing anyone. Even has a good georgian and some Georgian military success! But for the most part stupid story, meh action, I am not a big CGI guy, so that doesn't help. Much easier to watch than 5 days of August though, through the wise ommission of in-your-face propaganda and hilarious bad military encounters. Well, there are a few, but much less cringeworthy. I guess for a military fan, it is interstign to see some Russian equipment in action-but honestly, just do yourself a favor and fast foreward to those scenes.
So, let me narrate how the movie goes, and the silly moments:
-Premise is simple, woman's son goes to Ossetia to visit family, war breaks out, woman has to go down there to save her son. Encounters Russian forces that help her out variously, blah blah blah.
Oh and btw her Husband is a typical dumb new business Russian- ok we get it, she will meet a soldier who is a way better down to earth guy and not a Moscow scumbag. Yawn
-Woman takes truck to South Ossetia, on the way Georgian (implied, this movie is much more subtle than 5 days of August) missiles come out of nowehere and obliterate the truck, somehow perfectly blowing the engine out (New Israeli anti engine missiles I guess), people die, she freaks out, fun times. Bus hangs over cliff edge, and I am immedietly reminded of Jurassic Park and that series love of vehicles hanging threateningly. Also, this starts the trend in this whole movie of missiles flying in absurd, non direct fashions I guess meant to look dramatic, but in the end just makes the CGI look bad. Seriously, not a single missile in this movie flies straight.
-Some RUssian recon guys pick her up in a couple of Tigrs (YAY, the reason we all are watching this movie anyways) and drive her to Tskinval. Then Georgian attacks during the night, some sporadic arty fire.
-Cut scene to Russian high command. Everyone sitting calmly in a badass room with satelite imagery that puts Call of Duty to shame. Seriously, the DoD would be jelly of the resolution those sat shots were at, and the communications they have with frontline offciers. Russian gov leaders debating what to do, with some peaceloving fruitcake talking about the need to not respond directly. But no one likes him, and he is eventually dismissed. This is a war movie after all, not some UN shit.
-Scene cuts to the Boy stuck in some South Ossetian country home. His dad (a peacekeeper) is trying to evacuate his family. Out of nowehere a single Georgian tank rolls out. Long story short, blows up the peacekeeper and his parents, while the boy was out of the vehicle. This starts the trend of Georgian tanks crews in this movie using the main gun against targets much more suited to the co-ax machine gun. At least the T-72 is real and its turret whine sounds cool. The boy sees this, and imagines the tank turning into some big scary robot. The CGI could have been better here, but I get the visualiation of the boys perception of war. Boy continues hallucinating that robot for the rest of the movie. No more transformers for you pal.
-Woman meets up with Russian column moving to stop the Georgian forces. Fakes journalist pass, and the Russia commander for some reason decides to let her come along. On the way, the reco team goes ahead, and they have Mi-4support. The Georgian launch an epic ambush however (SEE! Russian propoganda actually gives the Georgians more credit than they deserve for that war!) and start blowing the column the eff up. For some reason all the Georgians are wearing badass looking googles/gas masks. I guess you need some dehumanization in every movie with an enemy. Anwyays, Russian column gets pwned and takes more casualties than the Russian armed forces did in the whole war. Friendly soldier helps woman make her way oout of the mess, but is killed. She managed to hide for the night.
-Later the Russian reco guys in their two invincible Tigers pick her up. They drive through Tskinval, pwning Georgians left and right. Apparently the Georgians could ambush a large Russian mechanized column that had airsupport, but are powerless against the two Tigrs. Hmmm. Anyways they drive through, meet up with that famous T-72 that broke through, blow some more shit up, Georgians fall back.
-Woman has to leave the reco team, to go get her son. Finds him hiding in some shack, manages to steal a Georgian Range Rover. Thats what you get for wearing those masks, no situational awareness apparently. She proceeds to drive away from Georgians, in what is by the way, the most agile Range Rover in the universe. The way she dodges Georgian tanks and vehicles in a slalom would put Top Gear to shame. At one point she drives through a Georgian armored concentration, lined up in the plains in a way that would make any Russian VVS guys salivate. Oh shit, speakng of the VVS, ghere come a wing of Su-25s? Never mind that they are flying in some retarded parade formation, details are not important. They obliterate the Georgian position, once again, causing more casualties by the look of it than Georgia ever had tanks. At the end of this scene we see the turret of a T-72 fly and impale into the ground (remember that awesome photo?)....but the producers used CGI for this, so it just looked unbelievable. Viewers who are not 8-8-8 nuts like us and never saw that photo, would think that was stupid and unlikely.
-She continues driving away, chased by a Georgian Cobra. On the road is that evil Georgian T-72! In a fit of brilliance, the woman decided to play chicken with the tank. Once again, no one taught the GEorgians to use the coax against light vehicles, so it takes the crew like 10 seconds to get their gun bearing right. When they shoot the 125m, the Russian chick drives off the road, and the round obliterates the Georgian cobra chasing her. Brilliant! Now we know what happened to that captured Cobra.
-Before she can get to safety though, a Georgian soldier stops her, and tries to get the Jeep back. She appeals to his humanity and he drives her to a safe point, drops her off and leaves. Good Guy Goga strikes!
-She reunites with the Russian spec team, everyone is safe, war is won. Tears roll down my cheeks as epic music plays, while Russian columns move in to secure Ossetian freedom from the masked Georgian robots, and children carelessly play within the tank fumes and dust.
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