I've seen the both parts of "The Inhabited Island".
First of all, I must say that I've read the book, and even more than once, and the book is perfect; I love it. I strongly recommend you to read the novel.
So... As for the plot, if it can console you, Johanna - many of Russian viewers, those who didn't read the book, could not understand the plot, either. The film looks like several clips put together. Also, many plot lines are distorted. I must admit that I liked some things in the film. Or rather say, some shots. For example, the shot when Maxim leaves his spaceship and takes his first steps on the planet. The picture is beautiful and very exact: those who read the novel can see right away the refraction of the horizon, as it was described in the book. I also like the main hero's appearance - and I don't mean that I like him as a man, but that his appearance is quite close to what I imagined when I was reading the book. Although, many other Russian viewers write on the internet that 'this permanently smiling blond guy' can be Maxim only in a nightmare.
I also don't like the way he acts; but I don't think it's his fault, he's only a student who has just entered a theatre school. He did what the director told him to do.

Well, as for the environment the director created in the film. I didn't like it at all. It all looked like something I have already seen a thousand times in different American movies about terrible future of the Earth or something. It was a "hi tech" style, and that's not at all what I imagined when reading the book. For me, it should rather look closer to the Middle Ages. I mean, a tavern should rather look like... a simple tavern, not like a modern bar or a café, and in addition with some twinkling letters... well, I don't remember well what is was. If it's a civilization where the the ruling top uses some high tech, it doesn't mean that high tech is all over the world, in every house, for every simple person. As I could understand from the book, people live very poorly there! Why all that "twinkling" bar then? And "twinkling" streets, and so on? It looked too "glamourish" and too "high tech", no one knows for what reason.

Also, I'd like to add some words about the role of Fedor Bondarchuk, the film director. Before I see the film, I saw one of his interviews on TV where he spoke about this film, and he said that the role of Prosecutor-General, in his opinion, is his best role in cinema. Well, I told myself then that I want to see him in that role. And.... when I saw him finally..... I realized that the guy obviously has no idea about good acting. It was so clear which great actors he was trying to imitate in that role... But in his execution it looks so wretched...

As for the second part, I think it's a bit better than the first one. But some really important plot lines are distorted which I didn't like at all. But I liked some shots there, too.

Oh, and about permanent smiling of the main hero - yes, it's supposed to be so because he's a naive and kind guy from a happy world,....... BUT! The director obviously didn't know where to stop with it. In the novel, Maxim stops smiling quite soon, when he understands how cruel and unhappy is the world he got to. In the film, Maxim keeps smiling even when he's fighting with thugs and mutilating them, and blood is all around. That's just stupid.