Stalker

TV-14

Released Oct 20, 1982

2 hr. 43 min.

Sci-Fi

Adventure

List

100%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In an unnamed country at an unspecified time, there is a fiercely protected post-apocalyptic wasteland known as The Zone. An illegal guide (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), whose mutant child suggests unspeakable horrors within The Zone, leads a writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) into the heart of the devastation in search of a mythical place known only as The Room. Anyone who enters The Room will supposedly have any of his earthly desires immediately fulfilled.

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Critics Consensus

Stalker is a complex, oblique parable that draws unforgettable images and philosophical musings from its sci-fi/thriller setting.

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Daniel P

How on earth did this get 100% score from critics except to kiss the ring of some so called genius director, and still keep their reviewer jobs? Waste of time. Bored me to death.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/05/24

Full Review

Robert L

I just finished the source book, roadside picnic, so I was prepared to be amazed by all the strange alien tech and effects in the zone and I got nothin'. This was probably the most boring art House movie I ever sat through in my life. I kept waiting for anything. Anything at all? Interesting to happen. Nothing. 2 hours of reading subtitles of Russians talking about absolutely nothing. I had to double-check that I downloaded the right movie. I am completely perplexed as to why this has such a high score on rotten tomatoes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

Full Review

Tiffany S

Every frame of this perfect film is a work of art. Quietly earth-shattering. Hypnotic. Mesmerizing. Stunning from beginning to end.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/06/24

Full Review

Hao Ian L

Stalker isn't your typical sci-fi adventure, but more of a hypnotic exploration of one's real desires. It's a slow burner for sure, with a pacing that might not be for everyone, but that allows for the film's philosophical questions to really simmer, and despite the film not giving away any easy answers, it's the journey itself that is captivating and intriguing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/24

Full Review

Xavi V

Very nice classic film with a deep message. A must.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Ben S

A strange or unique work of art, which I cannot really interpret or understand, as I never seen anything quite like it. It has extremely long shots, which bring you really there, making you to experience everything in real time, thinking along the characters. My meaning would be something about how it's belief, what makes life worthwhile, not one's preconceived ideas or wanting to justify the whole point.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

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Andrei Tarkovsky

Director

Aleksandr Kajdanovsky

Stalker

Nikolay Grinko

Professor

Anatoliy Solonitsyn

Pisatel

Alisa Freyndlikh

Zhena Stalkera

Natalya Abramova

Marta

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

It is masterfully done, contains some haunting images, and has a difficult-to-pinpoint mesmerism in the way it progresses. Once it gets you (which, for some, may never happen), it will hold you like a fly trapped in amber.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 28, 2019

Full Review

John Semley

Salon.com

It's a film that challenges us to be bored, while refusing to be boring.

Feb 7, 2019

Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Yet Stalker is a movie to be watched as many times as physically possible... It really is that astounding.

Feb 7, 2019

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

Impressive work. It challenges us, whether we are people of faith or not. In a dramatically fantastic artistic career, Stalker is Tarkobvky’s greatest achievement, and one of film’s greatest accomplishments, as well.

Rated: A+

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

This is a film that sets itself apart from the rest for subtle reasons. It doesn’t jump out at you as something that is daring or audacious and you do have to dig a bit deeper in order to properly engage with it.

Rated: B

Feb 7, 2023

Full Review

Emmanuel Carrère

Positif

The opening is one of the most gripping and visionary moments I have ever seen in the cinema.

May 4, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

In an unnamed country at an unspecified time, there is a fiercely protected post-apocalyptic wasteland known as The Zone. An illegal guide (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), whose mutant child suggests unspeakable horrors within The Zone, leads a writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) into the heart of the devastation in search of a mythical place known only as The Room. Anyone who enters The Room will supposedly have any of his earthly desires immediately fulfilled.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Screenwriter: Arkadiy Strugatskiy, Boris Strugatskiy, Arkadiy Strugatskiy, Boris Strugatskiy
Production Co: Mosfilm
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 1982, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 5, 2017
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 18, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $258.4K

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