Former KVN Player from BSU Wrote the Script for the Year's Biggest Cinematic Cringe. Even the Ministry of Culture Still Can't Approve This Monstrous "Kolobok"
For this film, based on the script by Belarusian Vitaly Shlyapo, the premiere of the new "Spider-Man" was postponed in Russia and Belarus. But "Kolobok" did not live up to expectations: in Russia, it has zero ratings and sales, and in Belarus, the film is not even approved by the Ministry of Culture. We looked into what all the fuss is about.
Photo: newstracker.ru
It wasn't hard to predict what awaited the new "Kolobok" at the box office — one only needed to look at the main character. To create Kolobok, they used a base of computer graphics and added the facial expressions of Russian comedian Garik Kharlamov. The result was a gloomy face that is more frightening than joyful, and Kolobok's monstrosity is one of the main complaints about this film.
The new Kolobok generally has a difficult life. He was once baked by a girl who wanted to become a beauty, but didn't manage to perform the necessary ritual with Kolobok. In the film, by the way, that girl is called a monster.
The main character escapes from her and joins a group of bandits led by someone nicknamed Wolf — it is there that he hardens both in soul and in his bread-like body. A few years later, Kolobok leaves the gang. After various adventures, he finds a baker named Tikhan, a calm and kind guy, and possesses his body.
It turns out that the girl Lada, with whom Tikhan is in love, is precisely the girl who created Kolobok, and she is actually a beauty, she just doesn't realize it herself. Of course, there will be a happy ending, but before that, Tikhan-Kolobok and Lada will have to go through many adventures to build a relationship.
"The Last Warrior. Kolobok" — that's the full title of the film — is a spin-off from "The Last Warrior" franchise, which was once started in Russia in cooperation with Disney studio. Among its creators is Vitaly Shlyapo — a Belarusian native of Vitebsk region. From 1999 to 2002, Shlyapo was the captain of the KVN team at BSU, and in those years, he twice became the champion of the KVN Major League with them.
Subsequently, Shlyapo worked on Russian channels until, in 2011, he joined the management of the "Yellow, Black and White" company. This studio and Shlyapo himself created many well-known projects on Russian television, including the TV series "Kitchen" and "Hotel Eleon," and the film franchise "Holop."
But Shlyapo also has failures — it seems "Kolobok" became one for him. To give "Kolobok" the best conditions for box office collection, the premiere of the new "Spider-Man" was postponed in Russia. Perhaps because of this, a day before the first screenings, "Kolobok's" rating plummeted on the major portal "Kinopoisk" — it is now at 1.6 out of 10. And screenshots from cinema websites began to appear on social media, showing that no one was buying tickets for the Russian "national blockbuster."
Belarusian Shlyapo was also one of the screenwriters for "Kolobok." And many viewers, among the film's drawbacks, note not only the terrible graphics but also strange script choices.
For example, one female viewer was bewildered by phrases like "I'm taking the torso from this hunchback" and "Catch a surprise in your jug," which she heard in the cinema with her young daughter. And many are outraged by a strange scene where Tikhan-Kolobok, in the presence of Lada, that is, the girl, pours kvass directly into his pants.
Will "Kolobok" be shown in Belarus? Our film distribution is largely tied to the Russian one, which is why "Spider-Man" was postponed here too for "Kolobok."
The Russian film about "Kolobok" was expected in Belarusian distribution in the first week of August, but "Kolobok" unexpectedly disappeared from online posters and lists of upcoming premieres. As "Nasha Niva" learned, "Kolobok" may still be released in Belarus, but for this, the film must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and added to the corresponding state register. For now, Belarusian officials have not decided whether to allow "Kolobok" for distribution and in what form the film can be shown in our country.