THE ADVENTURES OF ELECTRONIK is a Russian TV miniseries made in 1979 about a synthetic boy who thinks he's a human. In fact he's a robot, made as a prototype model who just so happens to escape and hook up with the identical kid who he was modelled on. Soon the boys swap places at school and the teachers become amazed by their student's transformation into a model student.I guess if you're Russian and you watch this, the themes and ideas will be less alien than this appears to Western viewers. A Western-themed TV series would focus on the special effects and comedy inherent in the premise whereas this miniseries instead explores psychological effects and the morality of the situation. It's a well-shot production that shows off everyday life in Russia at the time, but I also found it oddly unengaging and with a three-hour plus running time it feels padded out in places and more than a little repetitive.

To avoid retelling the movie. This is Soviet "Terminator". Or it is how they would film a "Terminator" in the Soviet Union back in 1980. Soviet professor creates an intelligent machine - human flesh on exosceleton, blah-blah-blah... Model "Electronic". Soviet Terminator looks like a subtle blonde six-grader boy. Electronic's abilities or functions are vast and absolutely amazing. But old Soviet Professor dug a bit deeper in his research than probably it was expected by the Communist party, and the cyborg he created received a very strange bug - a need to become a human. A little bit embarrassed by the robot's behaviour Professor looses contact with his creation, and cyborg leaves Professor alone for new and unknown world of humans (remember Short Circuit, it was also demonstrated in the USSR in the late 80's, however Johny 5 is an awkward box of steel on caterpillars armed with laser). Very soon Electronic meets a boy who looks absolutely like him - Professor recreated Electronic's body and face from a real six-grader's poster in the kid's magazine. As long as human prototype understands all benefits of having a cyborg twin, he starts to use it to full. Electronic does his homework, goes to school instead of him, and finally replaces the human prototype in the family. The teachers, the family, and Electronic himself are happy, еspecially Electronic - he became human by taking social functions of a real human. But the human prototype who's name btw is Sergey Syroezhkin, becomes outcast in the society and in his own family. Sergey finally understands his pitiful situation, because Electronic exceeds him in everything and therefore is much more appealing to the teachers, to the classmates and to the family than a lazy laidback careless entertainment-loving Sergey. Sergey decides to open the truth to the society. Electronic agrees that taking social functions of a human have not made cyborg a human. However the story doesn't end, and Electronic is smuggled by international gangster mob planning to take advantage of Soviet robot's supefunctions for crime. Mob's boss Stump send his hit-man Urrie to USSR to bring Electronic to gangster headquarters as he believes Electronic is a machine controlled by knobs and switches. Urrie brings Electronic and explaines to Stump that Electronic is unbelievably more sophisticated creation, so "he has no knob" (a catchphrase throughout the USSR). Old snake Stump uses double-face behaviour to persuade Electronic to help gangsters to rob a museum aka "get the pictures from the hands of greedy people and transfer to the hands of honest people". Electronic agrees - his naivity and readiness to believe are limited only by the ability to learn.

I think this is one of the best KIDS movies that were ever made in Russia. I am not a kid anymore but still like to watch it time to time. As far as the quality goes it was pretty advanced for that time. The plot is well prepared and the actors are perfect. The Idea of the movie is great and it very petty that there is no sequel to the movie. Some time ego I was able to get a brand new set of DVD with remastered Video and sound. I was very pleased to see that. My kid who is 5 years old and was raised mostly on American cartoons and movies was watching it with me and liked it a lot. He said it was funny enough for him to enjoy it.

This movie probably had more influence on the kids in the entire former Soviet Union than any other. Since there weren't all that many movies made for kids available, and most of those weren't all that good, this gem shined all the more. I love this movie, and I wish I could get it somewhere. The plot is not original, but then again, it was made in 1979. The actors sparkle, and the movie is really interesting. I highly recommend it.