I.S.S. has a fascinating premise, and everyone agrees that this could easily be a top film of the year, or at least do better than it did. The entire film seems to be focused on the action, that is supposed to be pursued because the Russians and the Americans aboard the I.S.S. have commands to take full control of the space station.
The International Space Station, or the I.S.S., is a symbol of the American and Russian collab after the Cold War. To this day, both American and Russian astronauts are on board, and the space station is currently used for experiments and various types of research. So, when our main character, Dr. Kira Foster (Played by Ariana DeBose), is currently on the Soyuz Rocket, the rocket that takes astronauts from Earth to the I.S.S., she is very much excited to be finally living her dream. Alongside her, Gordon Barrett (Played by Chris Messina), is a father and astronaut also heading up the I.S.S.
There are also many Russian astronauts aboard the space station already, but at this time, they also don’t have a clue what will happen. At a seemingly climactic point, both sides of the astronauts realize that something is going wrong on Earth, and a little while later, Gordon receives orders commanding the American astronauts to take over the I.S.S. at all costs, confirming their suspicions and terror.
At this point, I was genuinely invested in this film. The character development wasn’t the best, but I still felt like the plot was juicy enough to get us through a 90-minute feature film. But, when director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and writer Nick Shafir started incorporating real action into the movie, it felt as if the plot got lost in the not-so-interesting action sequences.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin, Pilou Asbæk
Rating: R (for some violence and language)
Release Date: 1/19/24 – Wide
The trick thing is simple – what do you expect a space thriller with that premise to become in the end? For me, the answer is simple. Sure, I was maybe expecting a little action but the film lost me when it started to prioritize having those sequences. I would’ve been equally entertained with a film centered around the drama, but in reality, death has to occur when those orders are given, it’s expected. I just wish the director and writer would’ve figured out a way to equally blend the action, drama, and plot into a cohesive story that was thrilling.
In the end, I.S.S. had good visuals and a strong premise. Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good in this situation. The film lost its excitement just a little while into the runtime, leaving the rest of the film to be incohesive action and dialogue that feels as if it’s been pulled off a dusty bookshelf, only to be thrown onto a screenplay with no edits. When I heard that this premiered at Tribeca back in March of 2023, I was excited for the day that I could finally give this a watch, so I’m disappointed in the turnout of this thriller.
Wyatt’s Takes 