Russian Dubbed Movies Online: 10 Useful Resources
You can have fun and learn Russian at the same time by watching Russian dubbed movies.
It’s a fun and easy way to expose yourself to native speakers’ intonation and vocabulary.
So let’s find out where to find the best films for your study sesh, how you can use these movies as learning tools and more.
Contents
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Just a quick note about streaming movies in Russian: always ensure that your antivirus software is updated before visiting websites that originate in Russia. Take all the necessary precautions to protect your device (and your sensitive information), such as not downloading files from sketchy-looking places and running them through your antivirus first.
1. Kartina TV
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Aside from Russian dubbed movies online, Kartina TV is also home to some of the best television shows and cartoons to come out of the country.
Because the content is available to stream worldwide, you don’t have to worry about region-locking issues that other sites with Russian video content tend to have.
2. ivi
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Available on: iOS | Android | Windows
ivi is a mostly subscription-based service where you can watch high-quality Russian movies and TV series. I say “mostly,” because some of the content is available for free—albeit with a generous smattering of ads.
The app version gives you the option to download movies for offline viewing—a feature that comes in handy when you’re traveling somewhere with no or poor internet connection.
However, depending on where you live, some of the content may be region-locked and require you to use a VPN.
3. Mosfilm (YouTube)
Price: Free
Looking for Russian movies you can legally watch on YouTube? Then this channel should be in your bookmarks!
Mosfilm features full-length movies (as well as those broken into parts) in various genres: comedy, drama, war films, etc. These genres are indicated in the video titles for your convenience. They even have a few short films for when you only have less than an hour to immerse yourself in Russian content.
If you’re a Spanish speaker, you’re in luck: some of their movies have Spanish subtitles, too.
4. Netflix
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Available on: iOS | Android | Windows
No list of Russian movie streaming sites would be complete without Netflix. Some films give you the option to change the dub and/or subtitles to Russian. And if you happen to have your eye on a movie that’s region-locked, you can try to access it with a VPN.
Netflix constantly updates its content, which is both an advantage and a drawback. On the one hand, it means you’ll never run out of potential Russian movies to consume. On the other hand, it also means that some movies may be taken down after a certain period due to licensing restrictions.
5. Prime Video
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Available on: iOS | Android | Windows
Prime Video has a number of movies available in Russian. Most of the top results are war movies, so you have to scroll a bit further down to find films from other genres such as drama and fantasy.
Some movies are available to watch for free even if you don’t have a Prime membership, although you have to sit through ads as a tradeoff. Similar to Netflix, they also take down movies (and shows) now and then due to licensing restrictions.
6. Dailymotion
Price: Free
Dailymotion is like YouTube’s quieter, more low-key sibling. It’s also a good place to watch Russian dubbed movies online. (If you have an ad blocker installed, though, you need to disable it to access the site.)
You can watch Dailymotion movies from Google directly. Just type in the title of the Russian movie you want to watch and add “site:dailymotion.com.” Click the result that looks closest to what you’re looking for, and presto! Just grab your bag of popcorn, and let the film roll.
7. Kinopoisk
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Kinopoisk is like a cross between IMDb and a streaming service. The site originally only featured information about Russian movies or movies dubbed in Russian, but has since branched out into video content as well.
Since Kinopoisk is now under the Yandex umbrella, the app grants you access to Yandex Music, too.
8. Okko
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Okko also has a wide selection of movies dubbed in Russian across various genres. Scroll down the page, and you’ll almost feel like you’re looking at your Netflix catalog—if not for the fact that everything is in Russian.
If you’re a fan of Russian sports in particular, there’s plenty for your eyes to feast on here. You can stream basketball games, mixed martial arts tournaments, figure skating matches and more.
9. Megogo
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Still new to the Russian language and can’t navigate Russian streaming sites without a translator? Luckily, Megogo is also available in English.
Unlike most of the other entries on the list, Megogo mostly features original content. And the movies don’t only come from Russia—they’re also from all over Eastern Europe.
Aside from movies, you can also tune in to TV series, cartoons and sports shows.
10. FluentU
Price: See pricing page here
With FluentU, you’ll find a library filled with hundreds of short video clips in Russian, including movie trailers and scenes. Each video comes with a downloadable transcript and interactive subtitles to help you learn the language while you watch.
You can hover over or click on any word or phrase in the subtitles to see the meaning, part of speech, example sentences and more. Then you can add them to one of your flashcard decks and use the vocabulary quizzes and exercises to review them.
This program is a great way to learn from Russian movies and other content without getting lost or overwhelmed!
Other Places to Watch Russian Dubbed Movies
Online movies dubbed in Russian not enough for you? Luckily, there are a couple of other (offline) ways to get your Russian movie fix.
- DVDs. Ideally, you should look for these on Amazon to minimize your chances of accidentally buying pirated versions. If you ordered your DVD from abroad and it won’t play on your usual player, you can also buy a region-free DVD player. Don’t forget to double-check the “Product Details” on the Amazon page to make sure the movie is dubbed in Russian.
- Local libraries. In cities that have large Russian-speaking populations (like Boston, New York and Los Angeles), local libraries may have some Russian dubbed DVDs or videotapes you can borrow.
- Bookstores. Bookstores that carry Russian products might also carry dubbed movies. Plus, a visit to one of these магазины (stores) is the perfect excuse to practice speaking with a native Russian speaker.
Why Watch Movies Dubbed Into Russian?
- When you’re still learning Russian, it helps to make the context of the language as simple as possible. Plenty of high-quality movies come from Russia, and you definitely should check out these films. However, if you want to focus on listening to and comprehending the Russian language instead of trying to figure out what’s going on with the plot, watching a movie dubbed into Russian from other languages might be better. For example, if you’ve already seen the film in English, you can understand the context of a scene—or, for some movies, even the dialogue word for word.
- Watching a familiar film also helps you learn new vocabulary. You can hear how a Russian speaker phrases thoughts or makes plays on words.
- You’ll hear how a native speaker uses intonation that might differ from that of an English speaker. The natural rhythm of movie dialogue is easier to follow—and more useful for you in the long run—than the stilted exercises you read aloud from textbooks.
How to Get the Most Out of a Russian Dubbed Movie
- Look for films with lots of dialogue. Sweeping landscape shots are beautiful, but they’re not going to help you learn new vocabulary. You need scenes where people are talking.
- Think about the genre. Pay attention to the time period of the story because it will affect the vocabulary the characters use. You might notice that even classic American movies have English dialogue that’s a bit old-fashioned. The same goes for cartoons and films oriented toward children. This new vocabulary, though useful, may not be what you want to focus on unless you plan to have regular, friendly chats with Russian-speaking kids.
- Most importantly, watch something you find interesting. If you can barely follow along in your native language because you don’t find the plot captivating enough, you’re not going to enjoy watching it in Russian, either.
- If the video supports an English audio track as well, watch a scene or two in English before you switch to the Russian dubbed track. Though it might feel repetitive, getting really familiar with the dialogue may help you understand the Russian version more quickly.
- If the video doesn’t contain the original audio track, try to find the version of the movie in its original language. Then, you can watch a scene or two from the original version before switching to the Russian one.
- Initially, limit your viewing to just a couple of scenes per sitting so you don’t get overwhelmed. Even better: watch the same scenes several times to acclimate yourself to the actors’ voices and the speed at which the dialogue flows.
- Try writing a dictation of what you’re hearing in Russian, and write down words to look up later in the dictionary. This written tool will help you follow along on repeated viewings.
- Pause the video to repeat lines of dialogue aloud, being careful to imitate the actors’ accents and intonation. If available, turn on the Russian subtitles and read along out loud.
Including dubbed movies in your Russian learning arsenal is a fun, relaxing way to immerse yourself in the language. Though films won’t completely replace grammar lessons, they give you an outlet to listen and practice how the lessons from textbooks are used in real-world speech.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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